Nelson Ledges Road Course
| Nelson Ledges Road Course | |
| |
| Location | Garrettsville, Ohio |
| Races | Bummin' Beaver Brewery Happy Hour |
Nelson Ledges Road Course is a 2-mile (3.219-km) motor racing circuit in Garrettsville, Ohio.
The track is known for its narrow racing surface, its fast and sweeping corners, and its barriers made primarily of tires and/or vegetation. The circuit lacks many of the modern accommodations and safety features found at larger American road racing venues, and as such it primarily hosts club racing events.
History[edit | edit source]
Nelson Ledges opened in 1954, with a layout that was approximately half the length of the modern circuit and surfaced with dirt. The track surface was paved for the first time in 1964.
In 1970, an extension was constructed that nearly doubled the length of the course. This extension includes the corner titled Oak Tree, The Carousel, and the entirety of the backstretch leading up to The Kink, where it rejoins the original circuit. The original short course continued to be used for several decades in addition to the full course well into the 1990s, but it has only served primarily as an access road since then.
The Kink was reprofiled in 2004, with the corner made shallower and the exit made wider. This allowed cars to carry much more speed through the turn and, by extension, into the braking zone for Turn 12.
In 2017, the circuit was repaved for the first time. Prior to the resurfacing project, the majority of the track surface was made of the original pavement from the 1960s.
Events[edit | edit source]
The circuit has hosted races in the past for a number of professional sports car, touring car, and motorcycle racing championships. However, few of these races continued beyond the 1990s, as the safety standards of the track as well as the trackside amenities had by then become outdated.
Club racing on the local level has continued into the present day, and the circuit is a notably popular venue with the many hobbyist and semi-professional auto racers whom it supports. Semi-professional motorcycle racing also continues at the circuit, as well.
The FARC Lowe Dollar Series currently contests an early-season race at Nelson Ledges on an annual basis, with the circuit currently serving as the first road course on the calendar. The upcoming 2021 race will see the introduction of a format unique to the track, as the event is scheduled to take place over a set amount of time as opposed to a set number of laps. The race will last one hour, plus two laps.
The AST Voltson Super Trucks, also sanctioned under FARC, contests an annual race at Nelson Ledges as well, typically in July. The series has visited the circuit each year since its inception in 2014, and to date it is the only road course that the championship made predominantly of short track teams and racers has visited.