Watkins Glen International
Race:
#22 8/14/2011 Heluva Good! at The Glen 1:00PM ESPN
In 1948, Watkins Glen International Speedway was the realization of a dream of law student, Cameron Argetsinger. He dreamed of bringing racing to the little town where he spent his summers. On October 2, 1948 the first road race after World War II in the United States was held in Watkins Glen. For the next five years this race was held in this little village. Top names from racing came here to race. In 1953, a temporary race track was the scene for the raceway until 1956 when a permanent track was built. It was 2.3 miles long. The next year the first NASCAR Grand National Stock Car race was held. The winner of this race was Buck Baker who faced tough competition from Fireball Roberts. The seventies brought expansion to Watkins Glen and big name racers such as Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, and Bruce McLaren won races there. However after the 1980 U.S. Grand Prix, the track experienced difficulties financially and was closed in 1981. For two years the track was basically neglected until it was purchased in 1983 by Corning Enterprises. Corning formed a partnership with the International Speedway Corporation and Watkins Glen International was born. The Glen was reopened on July 7, 1984. The return of the NASCAR Cup Series on August 9, 1986 drew fans to see Tim Richmond’s win. Some of NASCAR's greatest drivers including Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have raced and won at the track. Terry Labonte won the first NASCAR Nationwide Series race in 1991 and went on to win four of the first six Nationwide Series races at The Glen. Other NASCAR drivers to win 3 consecutive races include Mark Martin 1993-1995 and Jeff Gordon 1997-1999. In 1991 after the death of NASCAR driver J.D. McDuffie in a crash in turn 5, the track was reconfigured. A chicane with quick right and left turns was added at the end of the back straight to slow the cars down heading into turn 5 also known as the loop. In March of 2007, the Glen Club, which was an exclusive meeting place for race fans was destroyed by fire. Among the things lost in the fire were original art that had been given to the club by the artists. Memorabilia from racing past was irretrievably gone. No cause was ever found for the fire that totally destroyed the building. 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of NASCAR’s inauguration at Watkins Glen. Over the years fans have enjoyed some of the best races ever run. The track consists of 2.45 miles of asphalt track with eleven left and right hand turns. The turns range from 6 to 10 degrees.
Also included in the Pit Terrace Grandstand are seats accessible for wheel chairs. For general admission seating there are also handicap areas as well. Parking lot and restroom facilities have handicap access. During the NASCAR race weekend, the grandstands are available on Thursday and Friday for general admission ticket holders. This does not include the Pit Terrace or the Front Stretch. Grandstands are reserved for those ticket holders on Sunday. No general admission seating is available on Sunday. The viewing is limited to non-restricted areas outside, such as the viewing berm which is outside turn 11. As only certain items are allowed to be carried in, before you go it is best to call and find out what you can and can not take in with you. Accommodations are available for staying in the area if you want to attend a race. There are several highly rated hotels and lodges as well as camping at Watkins Glen International. Weekend camping is an option for racing fans. For true race fans, there is a Thunder Road Tour available for twenty five dollars. You can enjoy following the pace car on the track in your own vehicle for three laps to get a close up view of what the drivers see when they are racing. These tours are available every day at noon from May through October. Today there only two road courses on the NASCAR Cup Series, Watkins Glen is one and the Infineon Raceway is the other. So come out to Watkins Glen International and watch NASCAR drivers turn left and RIGHT!
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