Which NASCAR track has no banking?

The Chicago Street Course is the NASCAR track with no banking—it’s run on public city streets that are effectively flat aside from normal road crown. No permanent NASCAR oval has truly 0-degree banking in its turns; the flattest are road and street circuits or so-called “flat” ovals that still carry a few degrees of banking.

What “no banking” means in NASCAR

Track banking is the angle at which a racing surface tilts in a corner. Higher banking lets drivers carry more speed through turns by increasing lateral grip. In NASCAR, superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega feature steep banking, while road and street courses are generally flat, with only minor camber. When fans ask which track has “no banking,” they usually mean a circuit whose turns are not purpose-built with a positive banking angle.

Tracks with effectively no banking used by NASCAR

Street and road courses NASCAR races on

Below is a quick look at NASCAR venues where the racing surface is essentially flat, with only normal roadway crown or mild camber rather than purpose-built oval banking.

• Chicago Street Course (Cup Series, since 2023): Temporary city-street circuit with no designed banking; surfaces are effectively flat.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Cup 2021–2023, ongoing in other NASCAR series as scheduled): Infield road course that’s largely flat; NASCAR used it for Cup before returning the Brickyard 400 to the oval.
• Sonoma Raceway (Cup since 1989): A permanent road course with minimal banking; some corners have slight camber, but it is considered effectively flat by oval standards.
• Portland International Raceway (Xfinity Series since 2022): Flat, low-speed permanent road course with negligible banking.
• Road America (Xfinity currently; Cup in 2021–2022): Traditional road course with modest camber in places but no true oval-style banking.
• Circuit of The Americas (Cup and Xfinity since 2021): Modern road course featuring elevation changes and some camber, yet not banked in the oval sense.

These circuits behave as “flat” tracks for stock cars, placing a premium on braking, rotation, and traction off slow and medium-speed corners rather than on high-banked cornering speed.

The flattest ovals on the NASCAR schedule

Low-banked, not zero-degree

While no active NASCAR oval has corners with a true 0-degree banking, several are considered “flat” by stock-car standards. Here are the standouts and their approximate banking figures (which can vary slightly by lane and measurement method):

• New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Cup): Roughly 2–7 degrees of progressive banking; known as “The Magic Mile” and often labeled a flat track.
• Martinsville Speedway (Cup): About 12 degrees in the turns, with 0-degree straights—very flat feel despite measurable turn banking.
• Richmond Raceway (Cup): Approximately 8 degrees in the turns; technical, throttle-sensitive short track.
• Phoenix Raceway (Cup): Roughly 8–11 degrees with a dogleg; still drives like a relatively flat oval.
• World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Cup): About 9–11 degrees in the turns; flat characteristics and heavy braking zones.
• Pocono Raceway (Cup): Tri-oval with varying, modest banking—Turn 3 is roughly 6 degrees, among the flattest high-speed corners in NASCAR.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (Cup, Brickyard 400): About 9 degrees—very low for a superspeedway, demanding precision and mechanical grip.

Even with measurable banking, these ovals race “flat” compared with high-banked tracks, emphasizing braking, corner entry, and exit rather than sustained mid-corner speed.

Why the distinction matters

Banking shapes everything from setup choices and tire wear to passing opportunities. Flat circuits—especially street and road courses—shift the balance toward braking stability, mechanical grip, and traction off slow corners. Low-banked ovals reward discipline on corner entry and exit, often producing strategic, track-position-driven races.

Summary

The Chicago Street Course is the NASCAR venue with no banking, as it’s run on city streets that are effectively flat. No active NASCAR oval has truly zero-degree turns; the flattest options are road and street circuits, while “flat” ovals like New Hampshire, Martinsville, Richmond, Phoenix, Gateway, Pocono, and the Indianapolis oval still carry modest banking that significantly influences how the cars race.

Which NASCAR track has the highest banking?

The highest banked NASCAR track is Talladega Superspeedway, which features 33-degree banking in its turns, making it the steepest and fastest major NASCAR track. This extreme incline allows cars to maintain high speeds through the turns, creating thrilling and wild racing conditions.
 
Here’s a breakdown of its banking: 

• Turns: 33 degrees.
• Tri-Oval: 16.5 degrees.
• Straights: 2 degrees.

This significant banking is what makes Talladega unique among NASCAR tracks and contributes to its reputation as a wild and exciting venue.

Which NASCAR track has the least banking?

Pocono Raceway
This 2.5 mile superspeedway has considerably less banking and much sharper turns than other tracks of similar size. Typically, the most exciting parts of a race at Pocono are the restarts. It is not uncommon to see cars go four- or five-wide down the front stretch.

How much banking does Martinsville Speedway have?

Martinsville Speedway

Website	martinsvillespeedway.com
Surface	Asphalt (straights and higher lanes of turns) Concrete (lower lanes of turns)
Length	0.526 miles (0.847 km)
Turns	4
Banking	Turns: 12° Straights: 0°

What is the banking of every NASCAR track?

Track table

Track	Owner	Banking
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park	NHRA	Turns: 12° Straights: 0°
Martinsville Speedway	NASCAR	Turns: 12° Straights: 0°
Michigan International Speedway	NASCAR	Turns: 18° Frontstretch: 12° Backstretch: 5°
Nashville Superspeedway	Speedway Motorsports	Turns: 14° Tri-Oval: 8° Straights: 5°