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Monday, October 14  Turning right? ESPN.com One confines the drivers to tight corners and tricky, daring passes, while the other either keeps 'em tight or lets 'em run flat out. Ovals and street/road courses provide distinctly different styles of racing for both stock cars and open-wheel machines. Road circuit fans will knock oval series for only turning left, while the oval folk will respond by criticizing the parade-like lack of passing sometimes seen on the streets. So which is better, ovals or road and street courses? Check out are our takes and responses from our users:
The answer: Roads and streets
Ovals or streets? Neither can compare to a beautiful permanent road course like Road America. Long and wide enough for real side-to-side racing (and passing), more variety than an oval. Nothing compares to the spectacle that is the Indy 500, but, as for the race itself, give me a permanent road course any day. Don Berry Lockport, Ill.
I would have to say road courses are better. I have done some racing myself both on ovals and road courses, and as a driver, I personally loved road courses over ovals. I agree there is more passing on ovals, but there is nothing like the satisfaction of out-braking someone in Turn 5 of Road America's road course. It's simply an adrenaline rush unmatched on any oval. And I have even driven Daytona in a stock car. Jake Swan West Allis, Wis.
Any driver can run competitively on an oval, but it's on the road circuits where a driver's true talents come into play. Mike Campbell Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Stu Dubin Cherry Hill, N.J.
Road and street courses are for me. I was never a fan of ovals, even when I was cutting Art Pollard's lawn over 30 years ago. The only time I got excited about the Indy 500 was when Bobby Unser won the race and I won a $5 pool -- but that was big money back then. Gary Koppang Newcastle, Wash.
Clearly, racing on a road circuit requires a great deal more skill and precision than racing on ovals. While it is true that ovals can provide exciting racing, the fact of the matter is that it is a lesser discipline. Case in point, most road racers can more easily adapt to ovals than oval drivers can to road circuits. Unfortunately, in this country the vast majority of race fans seem to prefer oval racing. I'll take Spa, you can have Indy. Joe Freitas Santa Clara, Calif.
I like all of them, but I prefer road racing. I think CART is the best series with the most talented drivers because they race on road, street and oval courses! The IRL is interesting to watch, but I think there is a forced parity from the low horsepower, high downforce cars that are easier to drive than their CART counterparts. This gives a false impression of true driver talent and makes the race more like a lottery. James R. Smith Greensboro, N.C.
That's an easy one. Go like hell and turn left, come on! If it rains they stop! When I drive home from work I must turn right and left. Rain? No problem -- back off a little. Ovals are for the weak. I watch ROAD racing, tough game, down shifting , braking. On ovals many times they don't shift or brake! What kind of racing is that?! Tod Steinway Cincinnati, Ohio
When you are 'driving,' do you have the pedal to the floor and basically keep your hands in the same position or do you use your breaks and turn the wheel left and right? Ovals are not 'driving.' It's holding the car in one position trying not to hit a wall. It's about the car, not the driver. It takes talent and skill to maneuver a car around a road/street circuit. It's a beautiful thing to see a car come from 180 mph down to 50 in a split second to make tight right hander. Scott Senay Pittsburgh, Pa
The great road courses require cars and driving skill. The street courses have become a bore, as has oval racing. Tom Kennedy New Orleans, La.
Oval racing is boring, it's like looking at dogs chasing they own tales J-Man Skarstein Bergen, Hordaland, Norway
If one believes that racing should test the entire car (brakes, handling and all the gears in the gearbox, as well as outright speed), there is no real alternative to road courses. This coupled with the raw physical beauty of tracks like Elkhart Lake, Watkins Glen and Lime Rock make road racing the pinnacle of the sport. I was at Indy for the F1 race, and felt the support races on the road course were more fun to watch than even the top rung boys on an oval! Support road racing in the U.S, and you won't be sorry! Roger Conner Jr. Irvington, Ky.
Road/street circuits are better by far. Ovals don't require as much skill to drive, plus they promote frequent caution flags, which serve to bunch the field up and create an artificial feeling of competition. Bill Wade Richmond, Va.
The answer: Ovals
I enjoy both types of racing, but ovals are my favorite. Road courses are terrible to watch in person due to the limited view. IRL oval racing is the most exciting. David Hancock Maitland, Fla.
I may be kind of old school in my thinking but I always thought that ovals should be for racing on and streets and roads should be used strictly for getting there. If NASCAR wants to really test the drivers ability and the crew chiefs mettle, they should do away with Watkins Glen and Infineon and put a couple of the one-mile dirt ovals on the schedule like Duqoin or Syracuse. That would really be something to see. NASCAR going 300 or so laps in the dirt. Talk about driving a crew chief nuts with the setups on the cars. Rob Dobson Butler, Pa.
Ovals are far more exciting. If I wanted to watch follow the leader I would watch little kids play. NASCAR, and this year the IRL, put on great oval racing. There are lead changes among several drivers every lap. The winner can come from a pack of many cars. Tina Parks Chicago
I go to races to see close competition and passing. Also, I want to be able to see the whole track when this passing and close racing takes place. This can only be seen on an oval track --generally 1.5 mile or less. Warren Reynolds Cincinnati, Ohio
Jeff Fignar Indianapolis
Ovals are by far more exciting and viewer friendly. I prefer ovals but that does not mean I do not appreciate the level of skill required to drive the road courses. If they were to develop road courses that were wider with banked sweeping turns and more than one groove through them I think they would be much more fun to watch. Jim Lukanich Grapevine, Texas
I think ovals are better, they produce record-breaking finishes and tight side-by-side racing. It's action-packed! Jim Frazier Fairfield, Calif.
Ovals make for side-by-side action. Ovals are made for racing, street and roads are for driving. Jeanna Hammontree Dalton, Ga.
Auto racing is about speed, skill and courage. Side-by-side racing at 220 mph lap after lap inches apart or diving under a car after topping out at 240 mph into a turn only banked nine degrees is what oval tracks bring to racing that no other form can. I think oval vs. road racing demands unique skills for each from the drivers, but from a fan's perspective oval racing is far and away the most exciting. Ken McCoy Plainfield, Ind.
Road racing vs. ovals is like BMW vs Chevy. I'll take the Chevy. Ken Schulz Cleveland, Ohio
It is all about speed. Wheel-to-wheel excitement. Watching drivers play follow the leader and only pass in the pits is borrrring! Tim Sauer Warson Woods, Mo.
To me racing is supposed to be about speed and passing. I prefer ovals. The race is more fun to watch, unlike road and street courses where you pretty much know who won the race after the first couple of laps. Trenton McArtor Columbia, Tenn.
Oval racing is a better show for fans at the event. I attended the Long Beach Grand Prix a few years ago. My sightlines were extremely limited so I had a boring day wondering who was doing what and when. Every oval race I have attended allows me to get a greater sense of the overall picture during a race and definitely makes the experience worth the price of admission. Bill Jackson Las Vegas
The answer: Split decision
Road courses may have fewer on-track passes, but a spectator will appreciate each one that much more on a road course because it IS much more difficult than passing on an oval. For pure entertainment and close finishes, I prefer oval racing. For appreciating driver talent, I prefer road-course racing. Brian Pirrie Ann Arbor, Mich.
This whole debate is silly. I like both. I respect the close tight racing done by the IRL, or the restrictor-plate racing of NASCAR. At the same time, I appreciate the strategy and technology of F1 and CART. People who can't, or refuse to, appreciate the subtle differences of both, are narrow-minded and not worth my time. Brian Maynard Lubbock, Texas
Each has its benefits and entertainment value. Ovals require perfect car setup, a lot of horsepower, lightning-quick reflexes and car control. Road courses provide variables such as braking and shifting, as well as setup, control and knowing the right place to plan a move on a competitor. In my opinion, the truly world-class driver will exhibit the talents needed to excel on both. Don Rudolph II Youngstown, Ohio
I don't think that it is as simple as ovals or street/road courses. Both have a place in racing if they are properly designed and suited for the cars that race on them. My favorites are the nearly extinct, high-speed natural road courses. Unfortunately, safety and space constraints are forcing racing out of or severely modifying the Hockenheims, Monzas, SPAs and Road Americas of the world. High speed oval racing has been reduced to restrictor plate, RPM-limited events. The short, flat ovals develop into one-groove tracks, and city courses aren't wide enough to pass on. The most successful race events are not for the race itself, but the spectacle: Indianapolis 500, Monte Carlo, Long Beach and Daytona 500. David Everhart Chicago
It's a draw. I like ovals and road/street circuits equally which is why I am a CART fan. The best CART years were in the early '90s. The mix of races seemed perfect. One week you had to be flat out on a superspeedway, followed next by a road course with it's tight turns and twists and then you had to manage a well thought out race plan on a one-mile oval to come out on top in the third week. The atmosphere at a road race is totally different than what is experienced at an oval race, and I enjoy both. Paul Stenger Cincinnati, Ohio
I like the mix of street courses, road courses and ovals. I wouldn't want to watch just oval racing or just road racing. That's the reason why we attend races of all kinds, including airports (Cleveland). I truly think the best racing out there right now is the TransAm series. There's nothing like sitting on the hill at Mid-Ohio and watching the races. Patty Bittner DeKalb, Ill.
As far as stock cars are concerned, I gotta go with ovals. These heavy machines aren't designed to take the tricky turns of a road course too well; there isn't enough body roll and the races are often three-hour high-speed parades. Now, for open-wheel cars, it's a toss-up; I've seen great CART and IRL races take place on both ovals and road courses. Michigan, Laguna Seca, Richmond -- they're all fast. Jeff Cunningham Norfolk, Va.
If I was racing, road courses. If I'm watching, ovals. Mike Jones Indianapolis  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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