Why do they go counter-clockwise instead of clockwise around the track?

May be...

I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Man, you really like Tide...

Because we are in the northern hemisphere...
Down under, racing is done to the right.. Really..
Don't you feel more comfortable making left turns??

im surfin the channels on tv and stopped at a nascar race.. and realized that ive always wondered that. do you know why they dont go clockwise?

Because of the position of the steering wheel.

When NASCAR started the fuel tank could have been on either side depending on the model.

They also started racing before the walls were in place.

because the fuel tank is on the left side of the car

The reason for the counter clockwise direction for some sport like NASCAR is fairly obvious. Since the driver is on the left side of the car (in this country at least) driving counterclockwise provides a lot of physical advantages: drivers are shielded from the wall on banked turns, they have better visibility on the left side of the car where most people pass and the position of the driver is conducive to the effect of centrifical force. Since the boys from down under (Australia) have the steering wheel on the right side of the car it only makes sense that they would drive clockwise.expidair