Motor racing arrived at Reims-Gueux in 1926 with the second Grand Prix de la Marne, relocated from the square-shaped 22 km Circuit de Beine-Nauroy east of Reims. The original layout measured 7.816 km and placed the start/finish line on road D27 approximately 1.6 km east of the Gueux village centre. This initial configuration consisted almost entirely of long straights, flat-out kinks, two tight angular corners, and a sharp hairpin — characteristics that imposed extreme stress on mechanical components and fuel loads. The circuit length was revised slightly to 7.826 km following track-widening work at the Garenne-Gueux and Thillois corners prior to the 1932 Grand Prix de France. The layout remained essentially unchanged until further widening of the Thillois-Gueux straight before the 1938 Grand Prix de France, a process that reportedly required felling trees and demolishing structures. The circuit hosted the championship editions of the French Grand Prix in 1938 and 1939, concluding its pre-war Grand Prix chapter at that point.
Racing resumed in 1947 with the 16th Grand Prix de Reims, effectively ending the Grand Prix de la Marne series — a final edition was still held in 1952, but the event had been superseded. Formula One machinery appeared at Reims-Gueux for two non-championship rounds in 1948 and 1949. The circuit was part of the inaugural 1950 World Drivers' Championship, hosting its sixth round that season. The demands of accelerating Formula One technology made further renovation unavoidable, and for 1952 the track was reconfigured to bypass the village of Gueux via the new D26 road section, shortening the circuit from 7.826 km to 7.152 km; after this change the venue was formally renamed the Circuit de Reims and became known simply as Reims.
Further modifications arrived ahead of 1953, the inaugural year of the 12 Hours of Reims endurance series. A new D26 track extension was added from the Virage de la Hovette (subsequently called the Annie Bousquet corner) to a new purpose-built intersection with the La Garenne straight at the Muizon corner, producing a preliminary circuit length of 8.372 km. The final significant alterations came before the 1954 season, when the Muizon and Thillois corners were re-profiled to larger, faster radii, establishing the definitive length of 8.302 km. This final configuration, adding three fast sweepers to what had previously been a pure-straight layout, made the circuit even faster than before — by an estimated four to five miles per hour per lap.
Formula One raced at Reims for the last time in 1966. Sports car competition continued until 1969, and motorcycle racing ran for a further three years before the circuit closed permanently in 1972 owing to financial difficulties. A historic event planned for 1997 was cancelled for technical reasons some months before it was due to take place. Demolition work began in 2002 when bulldozers removed sections of the track.
Despite this, physical traces of Reims-Gueux have not been entirely erased. The old pit building, grandstands, and portions of the circuit remain visible, particularly around the pit lane and at the D26/D27 roundabout. The old Route nationale 31 straight between Muizon and Thillois is now a wider dual carriageway that follows the same alignment as the original two-lane road. It is still possible to drive a lap approximating the original 1926 layout through the centre of Gueux, and the 1952 variant remains driveable with one exception — the Garenne junction was demolished during RN31 modernisation. The 1953-onwards circuit cannot be completed because the tarmac between Bretelle Nord and Muizon has been removed. Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux, a non-profit preservation organisation, works to maintain the surviving pit building and grandstands and supports historic meetings using the 1952 Circuit d'Essais.
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