Nelson Ledges Road Course
Nelson Ledges Road Course at a glance
- Location
- Garrettsville, Ohio
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 2 mi (3.22 km)
- Turns
- 7
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1958
- Owner
- Brian Ross Jr.
- Address
- 10342 State Route 305
- Phone
- +1 330-977-0111
- Website
- nelsonledges.com
Track map and layout
Nelson Ledges started life on a potato farm in northeast Ohio and still shows its rural origins: a compact, tree-lined 2-mile lap with seven major turns that winds through blind crests and natural elevation change rather than open, purpose-graded runoff. The circuit's signature section is the Carousel, a long, triple-apex right-hander that grew out of a 1970 expansion linking what was originally a shorter loop into the current layout. The track was the first in the United States fully lined with tire barriers, a safety innovation that became standard practice elsewhere, and it remains a demanding, old-school circuit that rewards precision over outright horsepower. A repaving and safety upgrade in 2018 brought the surface back to a standard suitable for modern club racing and endurance events after years of decline in the 1990s and 2000s.
Named corners and sections
- The Carousel. A long, mildly banked triple-apex right-hander created when the track was extended from Turn 4 to Turn 11 in 1970.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Full circuit | 2 mi | Standard clockwise layout used for all car and motorcycle events |
Events and race weekends
Nelson Ledges is best known for endurance racing: it hosted the 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges motorcycle race starting in 1968, billed as the only continuous 24-hour motorcycle race in the US at the time, and later the Longest Day of Nelson 24-hour car race starting in 1980. Today the track's marquee dates are ChampCar Endurance Series rounds, alongside a full calendar of SCCA and NASA club racing, time trials and driver schools.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChampCar Endurance Series round | ChampCar Endurance Series | — | Multi-hour club endurance race |
| SCCA club race weekends | SCCA | Spring-Fall |
Getting there and parking
Nelson Ledges sits in rural Portage County in northeast Ohio, about midway between Cleveland and Youngstown, and is close to the Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park after which it takes its name.
- Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) · about 45 min drive
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) · about 55 min drive
Hotels and camping near Nelson Ledges Road Course
On-site camping is the standard option for club racers and endurance-race teams staying multiple days, though it is deliberately basic; visitors wanting hotel comfort typically base in Warren, Kent or the greater Cleveland/Akron area.
Where to look
Warren and Kent, Ohio, and the wider Cleveland/Akron metro area, roughly 45-60 minutes away.
Camping
Primitive on-site camping is available Thursday through Saturday night during three-day event weekends; there is no electric, no RV hookups and no dump station, so campers must be fully self-contained, though restrooms are on-site.
RV
RVs can camp on-site under the same primitive, self-contained conditions as tent camping; no hookups are provided.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Nelson Ledges hosts a mix of SCCA and NASA club racing, HPDE days and driver schools, alongside its long-running endurance-racing calendar. The track's demanding, old-school layout and lack of run-off in places make it popular with experienced club racers looking for a technical challenge, and the primitive camping keeps the culture close to grassroots racing's roots.
Who runs days here
- SCCAcar
- NASAcar
- ChampCar Endurance Seriescar
Spectator guide
Nelson Ledges is a working club-racing facility rather than a spectator venue, with no permanent grandstands; fans typically watch from grassy areas along the fence line, with the Carousel section a popular vantage point for seeing cars work through a long, sustained corner.
Best places to watch
Grass areas around the Carousel offer an extended view of cars carrying speed through the triple-apex corner.
Weather
- Jun-Aug: warm, humid northeast Ohio summer conditions
- Sep-Oct: cooler, with increasing chance of rain toward the end of the club-racing season
History of Nelson Ledges Road Course
From potato farm to pioneering road course
Nelson Ledges Road Course traces back to 1958, when attorney Marvin Drucker built a dirt track on a small potato farm in rural Portage County, Ohio, near the Nelson-Kennedy Ledges rock formations that gave the circuit its name. The course was paved in 1962, and under Drucker's leadership it became a genuine pioneer of American amateur racing, introducing practices that later became industry standard, including full tire-barrier protection around the circuit, structured driver schools, member track days, and showroom-stock endurance racing formats.
Endurance racing and expansion
The track's identity as an endurance venue took shape early: it hosted the first 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges motorcycle race in 1968, described at the time as the only continuous 24-hour motorcycle race in the United States. In 1970 the layout was extended, roughly doubling in length to about 2 miles with the addition of the long, triple-apex Carousel corner, and the circuit briefly hosted the Trans-Am Series in the mid-1970s. In 1980 the Longest Day of Nelson, a 24-hour car endurance race, was added to the calendar, cementing the track's reputation as an endurance specialist.
Decline, new ownership and recovery
By the 1990s the facility had fallen into disrepair, and by the 2010s inconsistent management led to a brief suspension of racing in 2014. The track was purchased by Brian Ross Jr. in 2015, and after investment in the facility it held its first event under new ownership, a track day, in June 2016. A full repave and further upgrades followed in 2018 to support the ChampCar Endurance Series, and SCCA recertified the track in 2020. Today Nelson Ledges remains one of the more demanding, old-school club circuits in the Midwest, still running on primitive, self-contained camping and still built around the endurance-racing tradition that defined it from the start.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Nelson Ledges Road Course?+
The circuit is 2 miles (3.22 km) long with 7 major turns, run clockwise.
Who owns Nelson Ledges now?+
Brian Ross Jr., who bought the track in 2015 after a period of decline and reopened it for events in 2016.
Can you camp at Nelson Ledges?+
Yes, but camping is primitive — no electric, RV hookups or dump station — so campers must be fully self-contained; it's typically available Thursday through Saturday night during three-day weekends.
What is the Carousel at Nelson Ledges?+
It's a long, triple-apex right-hand corner added in 1970 when the track was extended from roughly one mile to its current 2-mile layout.
What is the 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges?+
A motorcycle endurance race first run in 1968, once billed as the only continuous 24-hour motorcycle race in the US; the track later added a companion 24-hour car race, the Longest Day of Nelson, in 1980.
Who runs track days at Nelson Ledges?+
SCCA and NASA both hold regular club-racing and HPDE weekends there, alongside the ChampCar Endurance Series.
Other tracks nearby
- Pittsburgh International Race Complex · 47 mi · road course
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course · 95 mi · road course
- Detroit Grand Prix · 126 mi · street circuit
- Grand Bend Motorplex · 142 mi · road course & oval
- Michigan International Speedway · 175 mi · oval
- Exhibition Place Street Circuit (Honda Indy Toronto) · 180 mi · historic circuit (defunct)
Facts checked against 4 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.