Making it worse is that ruts can form in the corners, which can flip a car over if it hits them at a bad angle. Following drivers may find it difficult to see where they're going, and this - combined with the fact they're drifting their cars as well - adds to the danger of dirt-track racing. On dirt, cars are often slid sideways around turns in a two- or four-wheel 'drift,' which makes them more difficult to control and can throw up a lot of dust. Racing on dirt is far different than racing on pavement. In the early days of NASCAR racing, all tracks were dirt, except for the Daytona Beach & Race Course, which was only partially paved. In fact, in NASCAR stock car racing's inaugural 1949 season (when it was called NASCAR Strictly Stock division), all the tracks were dirt except for the 4.15-mile Daytona Beach & Road Course, only part of which was paved. Today's tracks are all paved, but it wasn't always that way. Only two races are held on road courses, which feature numerous left- and right-hand corners with little or no banking.

The majority of ovals have a curved frontstretch, and these are known as 'tri-ovals' or 'D-shaped tracks.' Those with four distinct turns (such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) are sometimes referred to as 'quad ovals.' All the oval-track races are run counterclockwise, meaning they have only left-hand turns.

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