i know ive got like 15-20 circle tracks within 5hours of me, like 3 less than 20 minutes away. but only two decent road courses within 5 hours.
oval racing doesnt interest me much, but i have a huge amount of respect for those guys, and unlike most people, i understand how much talent there is. ive raced with people from europe, been to europe and seen the racing scene there(not racing myself though) and i gotta say the oval racing in america is tougher and has more talent than any other racing scene in the world that ive seen IMO.
i know of circle track guys from around here who are literally on track every day. in their late 20's now, been doing it since they were 5, and still mid pack drivers. to really make it big requires an insane amount of dedication and skill.
that being said i think open wheel drivers have a more well rounded skill set and are better overall drivers.
i just wish indycar would be as big as it used to be, i think the format of ovals and road courses is the best overall test of a driver there is.