Martinsville Speedway lands runner-up spot in fan poll
The Sprint Cup Series is racing at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, but the California track isn’t the only NASCAR road course that has people talking on Friday.
Watkins Glen International was named the “Best NASCAR Track”, as chosen by readers of USA Today and 10Best.
NASCAR first raced at the track in 1957, but only held three races before it became a fixture on the Cup schedule in 1986. Thus, it’s a bit of a surprise that it beat out NASCAR landmark circuits Martinsville Speedway (2nd), Bristol Motor Speedway (4th) and Darlington Raceway (5th).
Another surprise is Daytona International Speedway, home of the season-opening Daytona 500, not even making the top 10 cut.
Perhaps it's just another bullet point on the long-winded debate of whether or not there should be a road course race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
RELATED: H2H: Should we add a road course to the Chase?
Here’s the full top 10:
1. Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen, N.Y.
2. Martinsville Speedway - Ridgeway, Va.
3. Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, Mich.
4. Bristol Motor Speedway - Bristol, Tenn.
5. Darlington Raceway - Darlington, S.C.
6. Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kan.
7. Dover International Speedway - Dover, Del.
8. Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, Va.
9. Talladega Superspeedway - Lincoln, Ala.
10. Charlotte Motor Speedway - Concord, N.C.
Other nominees that finished outside the top 10 included Atlanta Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Sonoma Raceway and the Texas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR next races at The Glen on August 9 for the Cheez-It 355 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN).