Race Tracks Near New York City
New York City sits between two of the Northeast's best road courses and a thick belt of short ovals and drag strips across New Jersey and the Hudson Valley. Lime Rock Park in Connecticut's Litchfield Hills and members-only Monticello Motor Club give drivers a pair of technical circuits within about ninety minutes, while Pocono Raceway's NASCAR tripleheader weekend and New Jersey Motorsports Park's dual-road-course complex sit a bit further out in Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Closer in, Wall Stadium Speedway and Riverhead Raceway keep Saturday-night short-track racing alive on the Jersey Shore and eastern Long Island, Orange County Fair Speedway runs Super DIRTcar modifieds on one of the oldest continuously operating dirt ovals in the country, and Island Dragway and Old Bridge Township Raceway Park cover drag racing and motocross. The city's own motorsport history runs deep, from Vanderbilt Cup-era road racing to the 1984 Meadowlands Grand Prix street race in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline. Karting fans can get wheel time at Oakland Valley Race Park in the Catskills.
14 venues listed across 7 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monticello Motor Club | Monticello, NY | 1 h 30 min | 4.1 mi | Private members-only "automotive country club" with a configurable 4.1-mile road course in the Catskills; also runs occasional public driving experiences. |
| Pocono Raceway | Long Pond, PA | 1 h 45 min | 2.5 mi | The 2.5-mile "Tricky Triangle" superspeedway hosts a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity doubleheader weekend plus an IndyCar road-course layout using the infield. |
| Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, CT | 1 h 50 min | 1.53 mi | Historic 1.53-mile road course in the Litchfield Hills hosting IMSA, NASCAR Modifieds and vintage weekends, plus the annual Memorial Day Trials. |
| New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, NJ | 2 h 20 min | 2.25 mi | South Jersey complex with two configurable road courses (Lightning and Thunderbolt), used for club racing, HPDE and the NJMP kart track. |
Ovals and speedways in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Stadium Speedway | Wall Township, NJ | 1 h 10 min | 0.333 mi | Banked third-mile paved oval on the Jersey Shore running weekly NASCAR-sanctioned modified, sportsman and street stock programs. |
| Riverhead Raceway | Riverhead, NY | 1 h 35 min | 0.25 mi | High-banked quarter-mile paved oval with an infield figure-8, the last operating race track on Long Island, running NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing. |
Drag strips in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Dragway | Great Meadows, NJ | 1 h 20 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile drag strip in northwest New Jersey running Test 'n' Tune nights, bracket racing and grudge-race events. |
Dirt tracks in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County Fair Speedway | Middletown, NY | 1 h 15 min | 0.625 mi | 5/8-mile dirt oval dating to 1919, one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in the country, running Super DIRTcar and Big Block Modified programs. |
Motocross and off-road in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bridge Township Raceway Park (Englishtown) | Old Bridge Township, NJ | 55 min | — | Long-running Central Jersey motocross and off-road facility on the former Raceway Park site, once also home to the famed Englishtown drag strip. |
Karting in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Valley Race Park | Cuddebackville, NY | 1 h 30 min | 0.75 mi | Catskills road-course kart track hosting club races and arrive-and-drive rental sessions on a 0.75-mile circuit. |
| Tempest Raceway (NJMP kart track) | Millville, NJ | 2 h 20 min | 1.1 mi | Full-size 1.1-mile karting circuit at the New Jersey Motorsports Park complex, used for club and shifter-kart racing. |
Closed and historic in New York City
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowlands Grand Prix (street circuit)Closed | East Rutherford, NJ | 15 min | 1.682 mi | Temporary street circuit around Giants Stadium's parking lots that hosted a single Champ Car/IndyCar race in 1984, closest a modern open-wheel race has come to Manhattan. |
| Roosevelt RacewayClosed | Westbury, NY | 35 min | — | Long Island fairgrounds site that hosted midget and stock car racing (and later a NASCAR-sanctioned road race) through the mid-20th century before closing. |
| Bridgehampton Race CircuitClosed | Bridgehampton, NY | 1 h 50 min | 2.85 mi | Storied Hamptons road course that hosted Can-Am and Trans-Am racing from the 1950s-1990s before closing; the site is now a golf club, with some pavement still visible. |
Major race weekends in New York City
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup/Xfinity tripleheader weekend | Pocono Raceway | July | NASCAR |
| IMSA Northeast Grand Prix | Lime Rock Park | July | IMSA |
| Lime Rock Memorial Day Trials | Lime Rock Park | May | Vintage/club |
| Fonda 200 weekend (day trip range via I-87) | Fonda Speedway | September | Super DIRTcar |
Track days and driving experiences in New York City
Drivers based in the city usually start with an HPDE or club day at Monticello Motor Club or New Jersey Motorsports Park, both roughly 90 minutes to two-plus hours out and used regularly by NASA, SCCA-area clubs and manufacturer driving programs; a day of instructed lapping typically runs $300-$600 depending on car class and organizer. Motorcycle riders track days most often gather at NJMP's Lightning or Thunderbolt courses. Karters can rent shifter or sprint karts at Oakland Valley Race Park or NJMP's Tempest circuit without owning equipment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest race track to New York City?+
Wall Stadium Speedway in Wall Township, NJ and Riverhead Raceway on Long Island are both roughly 70-95 minutes from Manhattan, the closest active weekly ovals. For road racing, Monticello Motor Club in the Catskills is about 90 minutes out.
Is Watkins Glen International near New York City?+
No — Watkins Glen is in the Finger Lakes region, roughly a 4-hour drive from NYC, well outside a comfortable day-trip radius, so it's not covered on this page.
Are Belmont Park or Aqueduct race tracks covered here?+
No. Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack are thoroughbred horse racing venues, not motorsport tracks, so they're outside the scope of this guide.
Where can I watch NASCAR near New York City?+
Pocono Raceway in the Pocono Mountains, about 1 hour 45 minutes from the city, hosts a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity weekend each July. Wall Stadium and Riverhead run NASCAR-sanctioned weekly short-track programs closer to town.
Can I do a track day near New York City without owning a race car?+
Yes — Oakland Valley Race Park and NJMP's Tempest kart track rent karts for arrive-and-drive sessions, and several driving schools at Monticello and NJMP offer instructor rides and rental cars for HPDE days.
What happened to the Meadowlands Grand Prix?+
A temporary street circuit around Giants Stadium hosted a single Champ Car/IndyCar race in 1984 before the event was discontinued; no permanent facility remains.
Venue list checked against 13 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.
Track guides within 120 miles of New York City
Pocono Raceway
Address: 1234 Long Pond Rd., Long Pond PA 18334 USA Website: https://www.poconoraceway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 570-646-2300...
Lime Rock Park
Address: 60 White Hollow Road Lakeville CT 6039 USA Website: http://www.limerock.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 860 435 5000 Hotel...
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Address: 8000 Dividing Creek Rd., Millville NJ 8332 USA Website: https://njmp.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: 8563278000 Hotels Near Ne...