Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.258-mile road circuit in its main IMSA configuration, running 13 turns with a bypass of the original chicane section. The track opened in 1962 as a 16-turn, clockwise course. After just one year, the "Oak Tree Bend" series of slow turns in the northeast corner was removed and replaced by the "Thunder Valley" downhill straight, establishing the fundamental character of the circuit that persists today. The track is classified as an FIA Grade Two facility and holds grandstand seating for 12,000 spectators, with observation mounds raising the total capacity above 75,000.
A significant refurbishment in 1990 included full resurfacing, widening, and the paving of concrete through turn apexes to prevent deterioration, as well as the addition of a straight through the chicane that enabled the shorter layout. A second major renovation in 2006 saw the removal of the concrete apex patches, the creation of new short course configurations, and the addition of a motocross facility. The circuit was fully repaved again at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
The track's layout features back-section speeds approaching 200 mph on the Thunder Valley straight, while the Keyhole section and the surrounding technical turns demand precision and commitment. A separate start line and flagstand on the backstretch allows for safer rolling starts on the main series events. Mid-Ohio is considered a driver's circuit where overtaking is possible but difficult, rewarding mechanical balance and tactical positioning.
Mid-Ohio first hosted sports car racing in 1963 as part of the United States Road Racing Championship, with the inaugural race won by Ken Miles over 168 miles. The USRRC event ran until 1968 when the series ended. IMSA GT Championship racing came to Mid-Ohio in 1972 with a six-hour enduro format, and the track continued to host IMSA GT through 1993, building a multi-decade relationship with sports car racing.
After an absence from top-tier sports car competition, Mid-Ohio returned with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2000, followed by the American Le Mans Series from 2001. For several years both Grand-Am and ALMS appeared on the same weekend, offering fans two distinct sports car formats. ALMS departed after 2012 and Grand-Am followed in 2013. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returned to Mid-Ohio in 2018 as the Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, and the event has remained on the schedule since then.
Beyond sports car racing, Mid-Ohio has been a consistent fixture across multiple disciplines. The circuit held its first CART open-wheel race in 1980, won by Johnny Rutherford in a Chaparral, and hosted CART and later IndyCar events for decades. The IndyCar Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio remains a regular event, with Scott Dixon holding the record of seven victories. NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series also races at the circuit. In 2013 the track hosted its first NASCAR Xfinity Series race, with that event ultimately moving to the Truck Series in 2022.
The track was purchased in 1982 by Jim Trueman, founder of Red Roof Inns and an accomplished racer himself, who added permanent grandstands, hospitality facilities, and significant infrastructure before his death from cancer in 1986. Green Savoree Racing Promotions purchased the track in 2011, ending Truesports' 29 years of ownership and continuing to develop Mid-Ohio as one of the Midwest's premier permanent road courses.