Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

Track Info

Location	Braselton, Georgia
Type	Permanent Road Course
Length	2.54 miles (4.088 km)
Turns	12
Surface	Asphalt
Capacity	~150,000
Opened	1970

Track Characteristics

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is the spiritual home of American sports car racing and the venue where the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship crowns its champions each year. Set on 750 acres of rolling Georgia hills northeast of Atlanta, the 2.54-mile circuit packs more drama per lap than almost any track in the world. The combination of significant elevation changes, blind crests, high-speed corners, and one of the most iconic finishing sections in motorsport makes Road Atlanta a track that rewards bravery, precision, and raw talent.

The lap begins with a plunge downhill from the start-finish line into Turn 1, a tight right-hander where braking is complicated by the downhill approach. Turns 3 through 5 are the famous Esses - a fast, flowing sequence of left-right-left direction changes that climb uphill through the trees. The Esses are the make-or-break section of the lap. Getting them right requires carrying maximum speed through each transition while keeping the car balanced on the changing camber. A mistake here costs time through the entire middle section of the circuit.

Turn 7 sits at the highest point of the track and is a fast, blind left-hander over a crest that demands total commitment. The back straight that follows is one of the longest on any North American road course, allowing GTP prototypes to reach well over 180 mph before the heavy braking zone into Turn 10a, a tight right-left chicane complex that is the primary overtaking zone.

But the section that defines Road Atlanta is the run from Turn 10b to the finish. Turn 12 is a dramatic downhill right-hand plunge where the track drops sharply while turning, compressing the car's suspension and testing the driver's nerve. The corner empties onto the short front straight with the pit wall on the left and grandstands on the right, and during the closing hours of Petit Le Mans, this section produces some of the most dramatic moments in all of endurance racing. Cars arrive at Turn 12 in the dark, headlights sweeping across the hillside, diving downhill with the championship on the line.

For the 10-hour Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta's compact layout means heavy traffic management is critical. With GTP prototypes lapping significantly faster than GTD cars, the closing laps always feature intense multiclass traffic that can decide championships. The race starts in daylight and finishes well after dark, and the transition to night racing on Road Atlanta's narrow, undulating circuit is one of the great challenges in endurance racing.

Getting There

Nearest Airport	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is about 60 miles southwest. It is one of the busiest airports in the world with flights from everywhere. Gainesville-Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport is about 15 miles west for private aviation.
Nearest City	Braselton, GA. The track sits in the rolling hills of northeast Georgia, about an hour north of downtown Atlanta via I-85.

Series That Race Here

• IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Motul Petit Le Mans (season finale, 10 hours)
• IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
• IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
• MotoAmerica Superbike Championship
• Historics and club racing events throughout the year

2026 IMSA Event Info

Race Name	Motul Petit Le Mans
Date	October 3, 2026
Duration	10 hours
Start Time	12:05 PM ET (finishes 10:10 PM ET)
TV	Peacock (full race), NBC / NBCSN
Endurance Cup	Round 4 of 4 in the Michelin Endurance Cup (season finale)
Championship	Season finale - WeatherTech Championship decided here

Notable Past IMSA / Sports Car Races

• 1970 - Opening Race: Road Atlanta opened on September 13, 1970, built on 750 acres of Georgia farmland by David Sloyer, Earl Walker, and Arthur Montgomery. The circuit quickly attracted top-tier racing series including Can-Am, Formula 5000, and IMSA's Camel GT series.
• 1998 - First Petit Le Mans: Don Panoz, who rescued the track from bankruptcy in 1996, launched the Petit Le Mans as a 10-hour endurance race modeled after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The event immediately became one of the most prestigious sports car races in North America and the cornerstone of Road Atlanta's identity.
• 2018 - First as Michelin Raceway: Michelin acquired naming rights to the facility, and the first Petit Le Mans under the new name saw a thrilling finish with championship implications across multiple classes.
• 2023: The Petit Le Mans served as the GTP class championship decider in the inaugural season of the new prototype regulations. Porsche, Cadillac, and Acura fought through 10 hours of racing on the demanding circuit, with the outcome uncertain until the final stint.
• 2024: The season finale once again delivered championship drama under the lights, with multiclass battles through the darkness at Turn 12 providing some of the most dramatic racing of the entire IMSA season.

Track Facts

• Road Atlanta opened on September 13, 1970, and has been a cornerstone of American road racing for over five decades. The track was rescued from bankruptcy by entrepreneur Don Panoz in 1996.
• Turn 12 is one of the most iconic corners in motorsport - a dramatic downhill right-hander where the track drops sharply while turning. It has been the scene of countless dramatic moments during Petit Le Mans.
• The Esses (Turns 3-5) climb uphill through the trees and are considered one of the most challenging flowing sequences on any North American road course. Getting them right is the key to a fast lap.
• Petit Le Mans is the third leg of the unofficial "Triple Crown of Endurance Racing" along with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Winning all three in a single season is one of the rarest achievements in sports car racing.
• The track sits on 750 acres of rolling Georgia countryside and can accommodate approximately 150,000 spectators spread across hillside vantage points and general admission areas.
• Michelin acquired naming rights to the facility in 2018, and the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta bookend the GT-focused portion of the IMSA calendar.
• The October 2008 Petit Le Mans drew a four-day crowd of 113,000 people, demonstrating the event's status as one of the biggest draws in American sports car racing.

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