Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Racing Circuit

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course nestles in the rolling countryside near Lexington in north-central Ohio, on a few hundred acres of former pasture in Morrow County. It was the brainchild of Les Griebling, who in 1961 persuaded a group of Mansfield-area business friends to back a road course for weekend sports car racing; ground was broken that year and a challenging circuit of his design was ready by 1962. From relatively modest beginnings it grew into one of the most significant permanent road courses in the United States. The natural-terrain layout climbs and falls through the wooded landscape and is best known for its signature corners, the Keyhole and the Carousel, along with the flowing Esses and the downhill Thunder Valley straight that replaced an early slow turn. Two main configurations are used: the original 2.4-mile, 15-turn course that includes a chicane before the Keyhole, and a 2.258-mile, 13-turn version that bypasses it. The venue holds an FIA Grade 2 classification and seats spectators on bleachers and grassy observation mounds. Its calendar features the IndyCar Series, which has visited regularly since the 1980s with the Honda Indy 200, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, MotoAmerica Superbikes and, in past seasons, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and AMA Superbike racing, plus SCCA and NASA club events. The compact, technical nature of the track makes it a favourite among drivers. Mid-Ohio remains a fixture of American road racing.

Operated by: Lexington Racing