The Best Open Track Day in the Pacific Northwest
There are a lot of track days in the PNW. HPDE events, time trials, open lapping days, club events. The calendar fills up fast from April through October, and if you're an enthusiast with a few events under your belt, you've probably done a handful of them.
Most are good. A few are great. And then there's Skip Day Trackdays.
What Makes a Track Day Actually Good
Ask any intermediate driver what frustrates them most about track days and you'll get variations of the same answer: too much time in the paddock, not enough time on track.
The standard run group format makes sense for beginners. You need structure, pacing, and supervision when you're learning. But once you've got experience, run groups start to feel like a ceiling. You're on track for 20 minutes, back in the paddock for 45, out again, back again. At a full-day event you might log 2.5 to 3 hours of actual seat time if everything runs on schedule.
It's not a bad day, but there is a better way. Skip Day figured this out and built something different.
Open Lapping, Done Right
Skip Day runs intermediate-only, open lapping days. No run groups. No instructors. No passengers. Just a group of experienced drivers who know what they're doing, sharing the track on their own schedule from morning until late afternoon.
You go out when you want. You come in when you want. You manage your own brakes, your own tire temps, your own fatigue. The paddock feels more like a club gathering than a managed event, because everyone there has enough experience to not need hand-holding and enough respect for the format to keep it clean.
It's the kind of track day that reminds you why you got into this in the first place.
Oregon Raceway Park Is the Right Track for This
Not every track suits open lapping. ORP does.
Located in the high desert outside Grass Valley, Oregon, ORP is 2.27 miles of flowing, technical layout with real elevation change. It's one of the most unique and underrated tracks in the Pacific Northwest. It rewards smooth, committed driving and has enough variety to stay interesting lap after lap. The setting, wide open desert, minimal crowds, clean air, makes the whole day feel like an escape rather than just another event.
If you haven't been to ORP, you're missing one of the genuinely special tracks this region has to offer. If you have been, you already know why it's worth the drive.
The Details That Actually Matter
Skip Day doesn't cut corners on the experience outside the car either.
Free overnight camping is included. Gates open Friday evening so you can drive in the night before, set up without rushing, and wake up at the track. For anyone coming from Portland, Seattle, or further, that changes the whole character of the weekend. It stops being a long day and starts being a proper trip.
There's a motorized track tour before open lapping begins, which is genuinely useful if it's your first time at ORP. The day closes with a post-event happy hour, the kind of paddock culture that makes you actually want to stick around when the session ends.
The event runs rain or shine.
Who Skip Day Is For
This isn't a beginner event, and Skip Day is clear about that. The open format works because everyone on track is operating at a similar level. Drivers who've done their HPDE time, understand their car's limits, and are ready for something more open.
If that's you, there isn't a better format running in this region.
Their Next Event Is June 6th at ORP
Skip Day's next open lapping day is June 6th at Oregon Raceway Park. Seven hours of open track time, free overnight camping Friday, post-event happy hour.
If you've been looking for a reason to finally get to ORP, or you're ready to step up from the run group format, this is the one to put on the calendar.
More at skipdaytrackdays.com
TrackReady supports the Pacific Northwest track driving community. Skip Day Trackdays is one of the events we genuinely recommend.
All photos by Chris Trask. Check out his full gallery from the last Skip Day event at ORP.