If you've been asking us "where's the track walk?" over the past few days — good news, it's finally here! With the 2026 Vintage Off-Road Nationals kicking off this weekend, we took you out on the track for a full walkthrough of the all-new layout before things get hectic with practice and qualifying.
This is our third year hosting the Vintage Off-Road Nats, and this time around we didn't just tweak the old layout — we started from scratch. Here's everything you need to know about the track before you roll in.
A Fresh Layout Built From the Ground Up
In past years, our approach to the Vintage Nats layout was to take the existing track, give it a slight revamp, and adjust a few pipes here and there while keeping the bones of what was already working. Not this year. For 2026, we built an entirely new layout from ground zero, designed specifically to capture that classic vintage feel while still giving drivers a taste of modern racing.
That means smaller, more scaled-appropriate features than you'd see on a modern national-level track, run on a smooth, high-bite surface rather than blue groove — all while keeping cars on bar-style tires for that authentic vintage look and feel. It's the best of both worlds: old-school layout philosophy with just enough of a modern twist to keep the racing exciting.
Track Section Breakdown
The Front Straight and Option Lane
The layout kicks off with a long, wide straightaway that sweeps into the front side, with the grid painted out to 12 cars — yes, a 12-car main is absolutely possible on this track if the entry count calls for it. Coming out of turn one, drivers hit the first wild section of the track: a brand-new option lane. One side runs into a tabletop, while the other offers a bigger takeoff both two-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles should be able to clear. Expect qualifying to reveal which line is faster, but during mains, this option lane is built for late-race, nose-to-tail passing on the last lap.
Off-Camber Turn and Chicane Switchback
After the option lane, drivers roll into a turn with a bit of off-camber built in thanks to the downside of the tabletop, followed by a chicane-style switchback section. Unlike a traditional chicane with a straight shot through the middle, this one requires drivers to actually steer through a center tabletop, adding a layer of technical variation. The edges here were intentionally built soft, so a clip or a mistake won't damage vintage cars that are tougher to source parts for.
Double Rollers and "The Pinch"
Next up are two large double rollers — roughly a foot and a half to two feet tall — designed primarily for rolling rather than jumping, though four-wheel drive cars with enough speed might find a way to send it. From there, the track pinches into just past a 90-degree turn and into a small double jump. It's a subtle nod to how real vintage tracks were built at true scale, without giant, high-risk jumps.
The Alternator Section
A fan-favorite feature on every vintage layout we've built, the alternator returns bigger than ever. Where past years had four and then six humps, the 2026 layout features nine — five on the inside line and four on the outside — specifically designed with no single "perfect" line through it. By loading more bumps onto the inside, we're hoping to see real variation in racing lines rather than everyone converging on the same fast line by Saturday morning. Watching the Comet class bounce through this section is going to be a highlight of the weekend.
The Trip Skips
Coming out of the alternator, drivers hit the "trip skips" — three connected jumps that offer a ton of runup and multiple jump combinations: double-single, single-double, or single-single-single, depending on how a driver wants to attack it lap to lap.
Elevated Backside Chicane
The final section of the track is an elevated backside chicane, built with the far side of the track intentionally higher than the inside line. That elevation change gives drivers standing at the driver's stand the best possible view of their car on the far side of the layout. A straight line is possible here, but the off-camber will require some quick steering corrections as the car naturally settles into the turn.
Built for Racing Each Other, Not the Track
A common thread through every section of this year's layout is intentional variation — multiple lines, multiple jump combinations, and features sized to challenge drivers without punishing the cars. As always with vintage racing, the goal is to keep everyone racing each other, not fighting the track itself.
See You This Weekend
Final prep is underway — a bit more moisture and rolling to firm up the surface, plus some last cleanup before doors open. We're looking to beat last year's entry count, and after seeing this layout, we think this could be one of the best Vintage Off-Road Nationals yet.
Have questions about the layout, classes, or event schedule? Drop them in the comments on our YouTube video or send us a message on Facebook. We'll see everyone rolling in this weekend at Adrenaline RC Racing!
Tags: Vintage Off-Road Nationals, RC racing track walk, Adrenaline RC Racing, vintage RC racing, RC dirt oval, RC track layout 2026