Several drivers labeled the New England racetrack an unsafe venue, complaining that flat tracks with long straightaways and very sharp turns post serious problems should the throttle become stuck, which is what many believe led to the Petty and Irwin crashes. With little banking, a driver can't run uphill to decrease speed and minimize contact with concrete walls. Its turns are banked 11 degrees in Turns 1 and 2 and 9 degrees in Turns 3 and 4. The front stretch measures 1,179 feet and the back stretch is 1,551 feet. The New Hampshire track has 1,500-feet straightaways and is banked 12 degrees in all four turns.
Phoenix is a very safe racetrack.
Turn 3 is a big sweeper. New Hampshire has really tight corners and really long straightaways. Jeff Gordon and Robby Gordon believe PIR's turns are less troublesome than New Hampshire's. Unlike New Hampshire, PIR is D-shaped, thanks to a dogleg bisecting the back straightaway. Although the dogleg doesn't necessarily force drivers to scrub speed, it does help make for a more sweeping dive into Turn 3.