Located around 80 km to the south of San José in California, Laguna Seca Raceway was constructed at a cost of £1.5 million in 1957. The local Pebble Beach Road Races had become too dangerous and a permanent racing circuit was required.

Until the late 1980s, the original circuit, owned by Monterey County Parks Department since 1974, was largely unchanged, save for modifications to the width and runoff areas.

In 1988 a major modification was made, with Turn 2 transformed into a tight hairpin, along with the addition of the now Turns 3, 4 and 5, extending the circuit length by half a kilometre.

The last major revision came in 1996, when Turn 10 was tightened and the run to it shortened, creating a new straight to the final corner of the lap, which was moved back, creating a longer start-finish straight and improving runoff.

The circuit is renowned for its sportscar races, with the famous Corkscrew section at Turn 8 providing the highlight of the circuit with its steep 18% drop.

Whilst the layout has remained unchanged since 1996, improvements to facilities have continued to be carried out over the years.