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What is a Superspeedway?

By Charles Rahrig V

Oct 25, 2015; Talladega, AL, USA; A pace card leads Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) and the pack during the last lap under the caution flag the Campingworld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Talladega, AL, USA; A pace card leads Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) and the pack during the last lap under the caution flag the Campingworld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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What is a Superspeedway and what makes it different from regular speedways?

The beauty of NASCAR is the different types of tracks that they visit on their schedule each season. While most of the tracks are speedways, there are also road courses and the beloved superspeedways. Just what is a superspeedway however?

A superspeedway is a track that is greater than two miles. In NASCAR, the most memorable tracks are superspeedways, including Talladega, Indianapolis and Daytona. What makes the races at these larger tracks so exciting is the high speeds and wide track.

With higher speeds and wider tracks, some of the most exciting finishes in NASCAR history have occurred at superspeedways. There are also safety measurements put in place at these races as well.

With high speeds and driver safety of the highest importance for NASCAR, these races are generally restrictor-plate races and therefore the speeds are reduced a bit under what they could be. Despite restrictor plates being used at these races, there have been some crazy wrecks over the year and it’s led to more restrictions.

The long tracks will live in history and they take plenty of experience to master. Superspeedways offer the best challenges in regards to fuel strategy and even the best drivers have fallen victim to not having enough fuel in these races.

There’s just so much involved in these larger tracks, that it really makes NASCAR all that more intriguing to new fans looking to get into the sport.

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