USA TODAY 10Best
Baja 1000 defends their title of Best Motorsports Race
Best Motorsports Race (2017)
Take a look at the global motorsports racing calendar, and you'll find no shortage of high-octane events, from NASCAR and Formula 1 to hill climbs and drag racing. We asked a pair of motorsports experts to nominate their favorite events as the best in the world, and for the past four weeks, our readers have been voting for their favorites from a pool of 20 nominees. The results are in!
The top 10 winners in the category Best Motorsports Race are as follows:
- Daytona 500 - Daytona Beach, Fla.
- 24 Hours of Daytona - Daytona Beach, Fla.
- Isle of Man Tourist Trophy - Isle of Man
- 24 Hours of Le Mans - Le Mans, France
- Night Race at Bristol - Bristol, Tenn.
- Chili Bowl Nationals - Tulsa
- 12 Hours of Sebring - Sebring, Fla.
- Indianapolis 500 - Indianapolis
- Knoxville Nationals - Knoxville, Iowa
- Baja 1000 - Baja California, Mexico
Photo courtesy of Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
No. 10:
Most sanctioning bodies save their biggest race for the end of the season or the mid way point. NASCAR however hosts The Great American Race to kick off the NASCAR season in style in mid February. The 500 miles long Daytona 500 is preceded by nearly two weeks of preliminary events all collected under the banner of Speedweeks, so there is always something worth watching.
Photo courtesy of Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
No. 9:
Daytona hosts two of the biggest events in motorsports and they occur scarcely a month apart. The worldwide motorsports season unofficially kicks off in mid January, when the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads down to the winter haven of Daytona Beach for a grueling day long test of man and machine.
Photo courtesy of Isle of Man TT
No. 8:
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world and has its roots in street races held on the island since 1904. The race consists of time trials across many different classes of motor bikes on the old narrow twisty streets flanked by stone walls and hay bales, and the makeup of the track itself also makes it the most dangerous event on our list with 245 competitor fatalities since 1907.
Photo courtesy of Gabi Tomescu / AdrenalMedia.com
No. 7:
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was and still is the single greatest test of automotive tech in the world. For well over half a century, global auto manufacturers from Ford to Ferrari have waged war on the high speed 8.469 mile Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France in a battle of technological minds, driver will power and corporate egos.
Photo courtesy of Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6:
Having more in common with a hockey fight than a race, the Night Race at Bristol is no stranger to tossed helmets, flared tempers and more than a few expletives being hurled around. Five hundred laps at the World’s Fastest Half Mile make up this relatively speedy event in late summer, but it doesn’t help mitigate the torn sheet metal and bruised egos at the end of the night.
Photo courtesy of Joe Orth
No. 5:
Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks after Christmas may not sound like the best place and time for a race, but the Chili Bowl Nationals fixes this problem by hosting its race indoors at the Tulsa Expo Center. Inside is the quarter mile dirt track where drivers from all disciplines hailing from Australia to Florida duke it out across four days of qualifying races and one A-Main event on the last day to decide the king of dirt for that year.
Photo courtesy of Brian Cleary/Getty Images
No. 4:
Sebring International Raceway was originally an Air Force training base during World War II, but in the post-war years the base was bought from the US government and transformed into the cathedral of American endurance racing that it is today. Sebring hosts a twelve hour event in March that serves as one of the benchmark races to determine who has what it takes to win the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
No. 3:
Billed as the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the Indy 500 has been a cornerstone of American sports for over 100 years and serves as one of the biggest races in the world, raking in nearly 300,000 spectators on race day. Average lap speeds of over 220 miles per hour also make this race the fastest circle-track event on our list.
Photo courtesy of Knoxville Raceway
No. 2:
Nicknamed "the Granddaddy of Them All," the Knoxville Nationals is considered the premiere title in sprint car racing (with the highest paying purse), held on the second Saturday in August at the Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
Photo courtesy of SCORE International
No. 1:
The SCORE Baja 1000 is a rally race from one end of the California peninsula to the other that changes configurations from year to year. Most of the time, the event consists of a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico, but a slightly shorter loop race beginning and ending in Ensenada is also a popular choice by organizers.
Congratulations to all these winning races! Be sure to mark your calendars so you don't miss out on these Readers' Choice high-octane events.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Brant James
Brant James is a motorsports writer for USA Today... Read More
Brant James is a motorsports writer for USA Today Sports, frequently seen in the garages of both NASCAR and IndyCar. He's landed on an aircraft carrier with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and ridden nervously up Mt. Washington with Travis Pastrana. He was admittedly nervous, but both turned out all right.
Brant James
Brant James is a motorsports writer for USA Today Sports, frequently seen in the garages of both NASCAR and IndyCar. He's landed on an aircraft carrier with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and ridden nervously up Mt. Washington with Travis Pastrana. He was admittedly nervous, but both turned out all right.
Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson is a racing enthusiast living in... Read More
Matthew Henson is a racing enthusiast living in historic Greenville, SC. Having spent every summer of his childhood going to local racetracks with his grandfather and uncle - both of whom drove race cars they built themselves - Matthew developed a love of NASCAR and all motorsports early on.
Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson is a racing enthusiast living in historic Greenville, SC. Having spent every summer of his childhood going to local racetracks with his grandfather and uncle - both of whom drove race cars they built themselves - Matthew developed a love of NASCAR and all motorsports early on.
