Road Trips for People Who Love Racing: Mid-Atlantic and Northeast USA
Cameron Aubernon
Click Here to Begin SlideshowThe leaves are turning the air is changing, and the racing season is winding down in most of the United States. What better time to head to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast? This region is not only amazing for foliage and fall frolicking, but hosts a hot bed of modified and other fun race experiences. So hit the road this autumn and check out the tracks, while also experiencing some of the Best Cities for Fall Driving (according to our friends over at American Muscle).
We kick things off in Western New York...
Click Here to Begin Slideshow
Located just minutes from Lake Ontario in Oswego, New York is Oswego Speedway. Originally a horse track, the Upstate New York oval was made into a 3/8-mile dirt track in 1951, paved in 1952, and increased to its current size of 5/8-mile in 1962. “The Steel Palace” is the last of its kind to host the madness of supermodifieds on a weekly basis. It also returns to its dirty roots once a year for Super DIRT Week, featuring the big block modifieds of the Super DIRTcar Series.
Opened in 1938, Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pennsylvania is a major stop for the World of Outlaws, having been a part of the schedule since 1979. “The Steel Palace” hosts various classes upon its half-mile clay surface, from hobby stocks all the way to 410 sprint cars. Speaking of the sprint cars, Port Royal’s signature event is the Tuscarora 50, where legends like Dave Blaney, Greg Hodnett, and Doug Wolfgang have taken home the gold.
Just a couple of hours north of Washington, D.C. in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is Summit Point Motorsports Park. Opened in 1969, the first events were SCCA regional races. IMSA would visit a handful of times between 1971 and 1989, as would Trans-Am and Can-Am. Between the main 10-turn, 2-mile circuit, the nine-turn, 1.1-mile Jefferson Circuit, the 22-turn, 2.2-mile Shenandoah Circuit, and the 11-turn, half-mile Washington Circuit, there is plenty of action to be had at Summit Point throughout the year.
Miles the Monster is the first to greet you upon arrival at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware. The “World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval” has hosted at least one NASCAR event since 1969. USAC raced there one time in 1969, while IndyCar spent two years along the white concrete from 1998 to 1999. Both the ARCA Menards East and National series also race there, the latter having joined the action for the first time in 2024.
Split between the 2.25-mile, 13-turn Thunderbolt and the 1.9-mile, 10-turn Lightning circuits, New Jersey Motorsports Park next to Millville Executive Airport in Millville, New Jersey is quite the time. Since opening in 2008, MotoAmerica, Formula Atlantic, SCCA, and the 24 Hours of Lemons have all raced in the southern end of The Garden State. The fastest lap turned at Thunderbolt was set in 2024 by David Grant in Formula Atlantic, with a time of 1:10.469. The South Jersey Region of the SCCA also hosts a 12-hour endurance event at NJMP called “Devil in the Dark.”
The late Paul Newman’s home away from home, Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut is the third oldest continuously operating road course in the United States, behind Road America and Willow Springs. First opened in 1957, the 1.53-mile road course was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. IMSA, the Pirelli World Challenge, and Trans-Am have all raced along the natural terrain road course since the track’s opening, with NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series set to make its Lime Rock debut in 2025.
Originally a half-mile horse track, Mal Barlow bought the track and made it a NASCAR facility in 1959, paving it in 1967. However, its most famous owner is the Arute family, who purchased Stafford in 1970. The track is the birthplace of the SK Modified, which took the modified formula established early on by the family, but added new technical rules to keep costs down. Ryan Preece, Ted Christopher, Lee Petty, and Richie Evans have all raced at Stafford over the decades.
The 1.06-mile oval first opened for business in 1990, hosting its first NASCAR events that same year; NASCAR Cup would arrive in 1993. Davey Allison’s final race was the inaugural NASCAR Cup race that year, losing his life the following day in a helicopter crash. IndyCar spent a few years at New Hampshire in the early to late 1990s, while the 24 Hours of Lemons races upon its 1.6-mile road course every year since 2011.
Most times, the Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire is traversed by tourists in private vehicles and shuttles wanting to see the view from the summit of Mount Washington. Once every few years, though, the road is closed for competition in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, one of the oldest auto races in the United States, first held in 1904. The first entry to take the gold was the Mercedes driven by Harry Harkness, taking 24 minutes and 37 seconds to make the 7.4-mile climb to the clouds. The current record, set in 2021, is held by Travis Pastrana, who took his Subaru WRX STi up to the summit in 5 minutes, 44.72 seconds.
Built in 1950 as a half-mile paved oval, Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine boasts the largest seating capacity of any sporting venue in Maine with 14,000 seats. The 3/8-mile oval hosts its biggest event, the Oxford 250, near the end of August, with various sanctioning bodies holding the reins of the 250 over the years since 1990; currently, it is a Pro All Star Series Super Late Model race. Other events include spectator drags, figure-eight races, sport trucks, enduros, and Legends.
