Homestead-Miami’s Turns 1 and 2

Homestead–Miami Speedway is a fun and fast track. It’s definitely one of the best oval/road course combos out there. In my mind, it’s second only to Daytona’s 24-hour course—especially if your group is running the so-called “Grand-Am” configuration, which utilizes the NASCAR 3 and 4 bankings. For the track’s Grand-Am layout, after the infield section, you get sent out of a left-hand hairpin onto the beginning of the oval track’s back straight. Then, instead of dipping down into a slightly fiddly complex that ends with a slow corner onto the front stretch, the Grand-Am layout sends you flying through the NASCAR 3–4. It’s great fun—and will open your eyes a bit regarding what a Sprint Cup driver must do with an undertired, big h.p. racecar.

Anyway, since you’re coming off the banked turns (and your right foot’s been matted since the apex of the hairpin!), that means you’re carrying some mighty speed down to the Turn One–Turn Two complex. T1 is a very fast left-hand dive off the straight; T2 is a slightly more than 90-degree left.