Berlin Raceway, Oval

Berlin Raceway is a short paved oval located in Marne, Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids. The circuit broke ground in 1950 and opened in 1951 as a dirt track, before being paved in 1966 to become the 0.438-mile asphalt oval it remains today. Its four turns carry 13 degrees of banking while the straights are banked at 9 degrees, and the unusually short straightaways give the layout an almost circular feel. The track runs a weekly programme under the NASCAR Local Racing Series and has hosted touring events for the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, the American Speed Association National Tour, USAC stock cars and Silver Crown cars, and World of Outlaws sprint car and late model tours. It is notable for the absence of an outside wall on the back straightaway, a rare feature for a venue that stages national series races, and drivers have long described it as one of the most demanding short tracks in the country. The West Michigan Whitecaps baseball organisation purchased the facility in 2001 and invested in upgrades, and in 2017 dirt was temporarily laid over the pavement to allow several dirt touring series to compete. Graduates of the track include NASCAR figures such as Jack Sprague, Bob Senneker and Carson Hocevar.