Which track is the "worled center of racing"?

Radio commercial for the Pepsi 400 refers to Daytona as the "world center of racing" (probably a trademarked slogan). Daytona stays busy and hosts a variety of series, but is it the world center?

What would be your pick(s) for the current and/or past world center of racing? Do the LeMans circuit or the Nurburgring have stronger claims or are they just older? Does a circuit's history count less if the track has less depending on the variety of series or lack of (Goodwood, Silverstone) or if the track is often idle?

Oof. Typo in post header. Also, edited to make the topic more clear.

Well the Nurburgring is really old, freaking huge, and pretty much never idle...so anything else that wants the title has to compete with that.

GameboyRMH wrote: Well the Nurburgring is really old, freaking huge, and pretty much never idle...so anything else that wants the title has to compete with that.

Indy likes to claim it's the center of all motorsport, too. It's older than the 'Ring, but it's idle an awful lot. Of course, it wasn't meant to be that way, it was originally meant to be a test track for automakers.

It's all about marketing. They call the Daytona 500 the "Great American Race", which is certainly debatable.

They also call the Indy 500 the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" which it may be.....but the Monaco GP and 24 Hours of LeMans may have something to say about that.

It's all marketing mumbo jumbo.......it doesn't have to be true.

For me it is Mid Ohio, but only because it is so close to me.

Scientifically, it would be the track lowest compared to sea level. That would make it the closest to the center of the earth.

Road America is around 800' above sea level. (Going by wiki for Elkhart Lake).

Probably going to be something in Florida...

In reply to Joe Gearin:

+1 and agreed. Its all BS.

The real "world center of racing" is going to be some po-dunk dirt oval in the South or maybe a drag strip in the Midwest if we're talking about how busy it is/how many races.

As far as "professional" series racing goes, I'd argue for one of those tracks with multiple surfaces/events (ie - drag strip and road course combined), so like a Sonoma or a Charlotte.

A lot of tracks have claim though. Mt. Panorama, Le Sarthe, Nurburgring, Silverstone, Goodwood, Pomona, Sebring, Daytona, Indy, Laguna Seca, Road America, Bonneville, and Road Atlanta certainly all come to mind.

I have to say the Dakar Rally or Baja 1000 would be the "world center of racing". Widest variety of vehicles drawn from the widest global spread driven by competitors from the widest walks of motorsport life.

Daytona has the 500, the Pepsi 400, the 24 hour race..

and Chumpcar...

so i think it wins..

My Garage!

IMHO, the "world center of racing" isn't going to be a track, but rather a city in which lots of race teams and associated industry are based. So it's probably either Charlotte, NC or somewhere around Oxfordshire. :)

In reply to codrus: Or Indy.......

I still think the most prestigious race is a toss up between the Indy 500 and 24hrs at le mans.

probably Nelson Ledges

yamaha wrote: In reply to codrus: Or Indy....... I still think the most prestigious race is a toss up between the Indy 500 and 24hrs at le mans.

Aren't most of the IndyCar teams based in Charlotte as well?

I think you need to put the Monaco Grand Prix in that list too.

westsidetalon wrote: probably Nelson Ledges

One of only a handful of tracks in the world that holds 24 hr endurance races.

Y'all are forgetting the motocross and superbike races that go on at Daytona as well. There's a reason they call it Speedweeks...

In reply to racerfink:

Yeah, as in multiple weeks of horrible traffic, even an hour away in a tiny-assed hick town.

Plus 1 for Nelson Ledges.... it's just a well kept secret.

novaderrik wrote: Daytona has the 500, the Pepsi 400, the 24 hour race.. and Chumpcar... so i think it wins..

The MIS road courses were designed by Sir Stirling Moss, that's gotta count for something.