The circuit measures 2.238 miles (3.602 km) with 11 turns and an 180-foot (55 m) elevation change across hillside terrain formerly part of Fort Ord military land. It holds FIA Grade 2 certification. Built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5 million to replace the dangerous Pebble Beach Road Races held on public roads, the track underwent a significant reconfiguration in 1988 when an infield section was added to extend the layout and meet MotoGP safety requirements.
The Corkscrew (Turn 8/8A) is the defining feature: a blind crest leads into a left-right combination with a 59-foot drop in elevation across a gradient of up to 16%. Drivers arrive at the Turn 8 apex unable to see the exit, requiring a commitment into the unknown that makes it among the most demanding sequences on any permanent circuit. The layout otherwise features a long front straight, a technical uphill first sector through the esses, and a flowing back section leading back to the Corkscrew descent.
The track opened on 9 November 1957 with Pete Lovely winning the inaugural race in a Ferrari. [[indycar-series|CART/Champ Car]] raced at Laguna Seca from 1983 through 2004. The United States Grand Prix for motorcycles (predecessor to [[motogp|MotoGP]]) ran from 2005 to 2013, before the date moved to [[circuit-of-the-americas|Circuit of the Americas]]. The [[world-superbike-championship|World Superbike Championship]] used the circuit from 1995 to 2004 and again from 2013 to 2019. [[imsa-sportscar-championship|IMSA]] and its predecessor series have been fixtures for decades. IndyCar returned in 2019 and continues to race the Grand Prix of Monterey there annually.
The most celebrated moment in the circuit's history came during the 1996 CART race: [[alex-zanardi|Alex Zanardi]] passed Bryan Herta on the inside of the Corkscrew on the final lap to win — widely considered one of the greatest overtaking moves in American open-wheel racing. In 1999, Uruguayan driver Gonzalo Rodríguez died after crashing at the Corkscrew during CART practice. Beyond motorsport, the venue hosted a mass by Pope John Paul II attended by 72,000 people in 1987, and five Grateful Dead concerts the same year. Laguna Seca is a fixture in the [[gran-turismo|Gran Turismo]] video game series, where the Corkscrew is among the most recognised corners in sim racing.
[[imsa-sportscar-championship|IMSA SportsCar Championship]] — current headline series at the circuit
[[indycar-series|IndyCar Series]] — Grand Prix of Monterey, current fixture
[[world-superbike-championship|World Superbike Championship]] — used the circuit 1995–2004 and 2013–2019
[[motogp|MotoGP]] — United States GP held here 2005–2013
[[circuit-of-the-americas|Circuit of the Americas]] — venue that inherited the US MotoGP date after 2013
[[alex-zanardi|Alex Zanardi]] — 1996 Corkscrew pass, one of motorsport's great overtakes
[[gran-turismo|Gran Turismo]] — video game series featuring Laguna Seca prominently