The circuit follows a triangular path along public roads — primarily the A2, B185, and A29 — connecting Portstewart, Coleraine, and Portrush in County Antrim, within the Causeway Coast and Glens district. Racing runs anti-clockwise. Three speed-reducing chicanes have been added over the years to moderate the highest-speed sections, and the route passes through residential areas and past private homes. For race day, street signs are removed at critical sections and lampposts and telegraph poles are wrapped in bales of hay to improve roadside safety.
The start and finish line is located between Juniper Hill and Millbank Avenue in Portstewart, a position established in 1973. The elevation of the circuit ranges from 6 to 75 metres (20 to 245 ft) above sea level. The first lap of each race covers a slightly shorter 8.834 miles (14.217 km) to account for the rolling start.
The North West 200 was first held in 1929 and was organised initially by the City of Derry and District Motor Club, though the intended north-west of Ireland location was moved to the north coast before the inaugural running. The event has been administered by the Coleraine and District Motor Club since 1964.
The circuit underwent its first major changes in 1973, when the Portstewart Promenade was excluded and the start-finish moved to its current location; Station Road (B185) was incorporated for the first time and York Corner was introduced. Shell Hill Bridge, a long-standing feature of the original layout, was used for the last time in 1979. A new link road from University Corner to Ballysally Roundabout was added in 1980. A chicane near Juniper Hill was introduced in 1983 to reduce approach speeds, and a start-finish chicane at Primrose Hill was added in 1988. The Mather's Cross section was widened in 2009 and a new purpose-built chicane at that corner introduced for 2010 to further reduce speeds.
Jack Brett recorded the first 100 mph (160 km/h) lap in 1957 on a Manx Norton 500 cc. The fastest recorded lap on the original course configuration was 127.63 mph (205.40 km/h), set by Tom Herron during the 1978 North West 200. Peter Hickman holds the outright lap record for the current four-chicane configuration at 124.799 mph (200.845 km/h), set during the 2022 Superbike event. In 2004, Michael Rutter became the first rider to exceed 200 mph (320 km/h) at a speed trap on the circuit. During Tuesday practice at the 2012 event, Martin Jessopp recorded 208 mph (335 km/h) on the approach to University Corner.
Alastair Seeley from Northern Ireland holds the record for most wins at the event with 29 victories. Robert Dunlop held the record previously with 15 wins. Michael Rutter has 14 wins, Joey Dunlop won 13 races, and Michael Dunlop and William Dunlop — sons of Robert — have also won multiple times. The early decades of the event were dominated by British motorcycle manufacturers, particularly Norton. Honda claimed their first victory in 1964. BMW won for the first time in 2010, the first non-Japanese manufacturer to win since 1997. Yamaha is the only manufacturer to have achieved a clean sweep, winning all five races in 1979.
The North West 200 was originally run as a handicap event over two hundred miles but evolved to its current format of separate class races, each covering four to six laps on a Saturday afternoon. Practice sessions take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Unlike the Isle of Man TT, which is run as an individual time trial, the North West 200 is a mass-start circuit race with riders competing directly against one another. From 2012, all practice sessions moved to daytime and an extended programme added racing on Thursday evenings.
The first recorded competitor fatality at the event was Norman Wainwright in 1939. The darkest day in event history came on what became known as Black Saturday in 1979, when crashes claimed the lives of Tom Herron, Brian Hamilton, and Frank Kennedy. Robert Dunlop died during 250 cc practice in 2008, thrown from his motorcycle at approximately 160 mph (260 km/h) near Mather's Cross after his machine seized. Subsequent deaths include Mark Young in 2009, Mark Buckley in 2012, Simon Andrews in 2014, and Malachi Mitchell-Thomas in 2016. In May 2026 Czech rider Kamil Holán died following a crash at the fast Station Corner during Superbike qualifying.
The North West 200 circuit features in TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing Championship (2008) for PlayStation 2, developed by Jester Interactive, and in Milestone's Ride 2, Ride 3, Ride 4, and Ride 5.