What Are The Best Seats At A NASCAR Race?

Have you ever considered attending a NASCAR event in person, then started shopping for tickets and wondered, what are the best seats at a NASCAR race? One of the most exciting things about NASCAR is the diverse range of tracks hosting races throughout the season, featuring a variety of lengths and formats. Each track is unique and requires slightly different considerations when choosing your seat. However, there are some general guidelines for choosing the best seat at any NASCAR race and tips specific to each track format. Read on for more information to help pick the best seat for your next NASCAR experience. 

General Guidelines

Regardless of the size of the track, certain seats will provide a superior experience at any NASCAR race. Like the half-court line in basketball or the 50-yard line in football, the start/finish line is special at any NASCAR track because it is the center of the action. In addition to being closest to the starts, restarts, and stage and race finishes, victory lane and the pits are typically located near the start/finish line, giving seats closest to the line the best view of the most exciting racing moments. As a result, seats near the start/finish line are considered the most desirable and prestigious and command the highest prices.

Another universal rule for picking the best seats is that you want to be as close to the track surface as possible without being so close that you can’t see as much of the track as possible. At most tracks, seats closer than the twentieth row have a partially obstructed view. Therefore, the best seats are the ones nearest to the start/finish line and closest to the track itself, without being closer than the twentieth row. However, if you prefer to be as close to the cars as possible and don’t mind missing some moments of the action, sit as close to the track as you like for a more intimate (and noisy) race.

Most tracks also offer luxury suites, which are the best option for those NASCAR fans seeking a high-end race experience. These suites view the start/finish line and feature air conditioning, theater-style seating, multiple television screens, and complimentary food and beverage.

There are four basic types of NASCAR track configurations: short tracks, intermediate ovals, superspeedways, and road courses. Each type of track has different things you should keep in mind when choosing your seats.

Short Tracks

Short tracks are less than one mile in length and are a mix of regular and irregular oval shapes. These include Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, and the Los Angeles Coliseum. An advantage of short tracks is that the majority of seats above the twentieth row have a clear view of the entire track. One thing to watch out for is that some short tracks have blind spots in the corners, which prevent a complete view of the track. If you are concerned about seeing every moment of a short track race, stick to seats along the straights to ensure an uninterrupted view. 

Intermediate Tracks and Superspeedways

Intermediate tracks, also called ovals, speedways, or cookie-cutter tracks, take the form of regular or irregular ovals greater than one mile in length and make up the majority of races on the NASCAR schedule. These tracks include familiar favorites such as Indianapolis, Phoenix, Nashville, Homestead-Miami, Las Vegas, and Texas. The two superspeedways on the schedule, Daytona and Talladega, are giant ovals around 2.5 miles in length.

As intermediate ovals and superspeedways are larger venues, most seats will have a view of no more than half of the race. These tracks have large TV screens strategically placed to display the race to the grandstands to compensate for this. As a result, the best seats at intermediate ovals and superspeedways are the ones nearest the start/finish line that also have a view of a TV screen. Keep in mind that some NASCAR fans prefer to sit near the corners at these tracks, particularly turn one and turn three. These seats provide a direct view of the turns, a hot spot for wrecks, while still allowing you to see one of the straightaways.

Road Courses

Like short tracks, road courses are rare treats in the NASCAR schedule, although more have been added in recent years. These tracks are long and winding, featuring turns in both directions and measuring between two and four miles in length. Road courses include Watkins Glen, Sonoma, and Circuit of the Americas,. There are also two tracks that are a combination of road course and oval: the Indianapolis Road Course and the Charlotte Roval.

Road courses feature either one large grandstand or multiple smaller grandstands spread throughout the course. Due to these tracks being so large, even the best seats will only give you a view of a small portion of the racing action. Like intermediate tracks, road courses have large TV screens facing the grandstands to help fans see all the racing action. Accordingly, the best seats at road courses are in one of the turns at the end of a straightaway, with a good view of a TV screen. These areas allow a direct view of the overtaking action, which is rare in road races and happens mostly in the turns. A good view of the TV screen will show you all the racing you can’t see directly, making seats with a view of a turn and a screen the best in the venue. 

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