A speedway is a racetrack designed for high-speed motor racing, typically with a paved oval or circular shape that lets drivers reach tremendous speeds as they compete lap after lap. The most famous speedway in America is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, where the Indianapolis 500 has been held every May since 1911. These tracks have steeply banked curves, meaning the track tilts inward like a bowl, which helps race cars maintain their speed through turns without sliding off the track.

Speedways can range from massive facilities that seat hundreds of thousands of spectators to smaller local tracks where amateur racers compete on weekends. Some speedways feature NASCAR stock car racing, while others host IndyCar open-wheel racing or motorcycle competitions.

The term also appears in everyday life. You might drive on a street called “Speedway Boulevard,” or hear someone describe a highway as a speedway when traffic is moving unusually fast. But the word truly belongs to racing, where drivers push their machines to the limit, navigating at speeds that would make ordinary highway driving seem like a crawl.