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Homestead-Miami’s Turns 1 and 2

SportsCarDigest

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.

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Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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