It was long known around the world as the home of the United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for 20 consecutive years (1961–1980) but since 1948, it has been home to road racing of nearly every class, such as Formula One, the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, the NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.

The circuit's current layout has more/less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix.

The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers.

[2] After one hour and thirty-two minutes of racing, Billy Wade managed to defeat LeeRoy Yarbrough by six seconds in front of 10,000 live spectators (approximately 24% of the racetrack's modern capacity).

Some of the more notable crew chiefs were Bud Moore, Mario Rossi, Louis Clements, Dale Inman, Vic Ballard and Jimmy Helms.