Best Road Trips for Race Fans: The Southeastern Swing

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Road Trip No. 1: The Southeastern Polar Vortex Escape Route

Sure, summer is unofficially over, but that doesn't mean that road trip season has ended. What better time of year to travel by car than late summer and early fall when leaves are turning, kids are in school, and the highway is yours to revel in. And what better road trip than an exploration of bucket list race tracks? Come along with RacingJunk as we plan your getaway in this first in our series of enthusiast dream destinations. We kick it off in the Southeast (which is perfect for the fall and winter as the frost sets in up north).


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Your first stop should be, of course, Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. After all, it’s the “World Headquarters of Speed,” home to both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Daytona 500. In fact, you could winter at Daytona alone between mid-January to mid-February, as that’s the period when both events and their supporting lineups bring thousands of motorsport fans to this little spot on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Photo Credit: Daytona International Speedway

Up next is Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. One of oldest continuously operating race tracks in the United States, this former military air base (with an active general aviation airport on the property) hosts both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s 12 Hours of Sebring and the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 1000 Miles of Sebring on the same weekend in mid-March. Just be sure to respect the bumps of this legendary road course, and call a chiropractor.
Photo Credit: Sebring Internatinoal Raceway

Head up from South Central Florida to the Panhandle to pay a visit to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, so named for the five flags that have flown over “The City of Five Flags” in its history: the Spanish Empire, the French Empire, the British Empire, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. The half-mile paved oval, on the other hand, is famous for the Snowball Derby, the most prestigious super late model race in the United States held annually on the first or second Sunday in December.
Photo Credit: Five Flags Speedway

Swing up into Talladega, Alabama to spend the night with Talladega Superspeedway. You might not see Ricky Bobby on the track, but you will get a workout climbing up the 32 to 33 degrees of banking through the four turns of this 2.66-mile superspeedway, where the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott and Michael Waltrip all made their mark in the record books while avoiding “The Big One.”
Photo Credit: Talladega Speedway

If going in circles has got you dizzy, then pull into Concord, North Carolina next to check out Charlotte Motor Speedway’s neighbor, zMAX Dragway. This temple of thunder is unique for its configuration: four quarter-mile lanes, no waiting for the lights of the Christmas tree to go green. Until 2018, when Las Vegas Motor Speedway joined the fun with its own four-lane dragway, zMAX Dragway was the only such venue of its kind, thrilling drag racing fans with four competitors going down the quarter-mile (1,000 feet for Top Fuel and Funny Car) at the same time.
Photo Credit:Charlotte Motor Speedway

After grabbing your time slips, push straight north, then hang a left towards North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the home of the legend come back to life itself, North Wilkesboro Speedway. A few years ago, the 0.625-mile paved oval was long on its way into becoming a lost speedway. Yet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and iRacing’s effort to preserve the track in the virtual plaza helped bring more attention – and ultimately, the money needed – to North Wilkesboro. Today, the historic venue is on its way back to life, having hosted the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race on its old surface, as well as the CARS Solid Rock Carriers Late Model Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series.
Photo Credit:North Wilkesboro Speedway

Finally, wrap up your time avoiding winter’s chill by falling to your knees within “The Last Great Colosseum,” Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The fastest half-mile on NASCAR’s schedule – thanks to the 24 to 28 degrees of banking through the turns – Bristol has gone from its humble beginnings to become a college football-esque stadium with stadium seating and a massive TV screen hanging over the garage area at the center of one of the loudest tracks around.
Photo Credit: Bristol Motor Speedway