A Good Question & With A Good Answer

Why Do Oval Tracks Have Painted-On Lane Lines?

For Texas Motor Speedway, the decision to mark off lanes was part driver aid, and part aesthetic.

“It gives some drivers reference points on the asphalt in the turns,” Texas Motor Speedway VP of Media Relations Mike Zizzo told Jalopnik.

The track also hosts a number of driving schools, and these lines help drivers figure out where they are on the wider sections of the track, and know when to enter and exit the turns.

You may hear announcers refer to different “grooves” on the track that racers run in—top, or bottom, for example. These lane lines help racers figure out which groove they’re in. Otherwise, the really wide sections kind of look like one big mass of asphalt.

Lest we forget that cars running flat-out on an oval course are fast, the lines also help emphasize the cars’ speed.

“It is an aid for TV coverage in the fact that it better exemplifies the speed of the cars when they speed past the white stripes as opposed to plain black or gray asphalt,” Zizzo noted.

(Jalopnik.com)