Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen," is a car race track situated in the town of Dix, only southwest of the town of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake.
It was, for quite some time, referred to as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it facilitated for twenty back-to-back years (1961–1980).
However, the site has additionally been home to street racing of practically every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association, and the IndyCar Series.
At first, public streets in the town were utilized for the racecourse. In 1956, a lasting circuit for the race was constructed. In 1968, the race was stretched out to six hours, turning into the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.
The circuit's present design has pretty much been the same since 1971, with minor adjustments after the deadly crashes of François Cevert in 1973 and J.D. McDuffie in 1991.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American street hustling and is an exceptionally mainstream scene among fans and drivers. The facility is, as of now, owned by the International Speedway Corporation.
The Watkins Glen International racecourse has gone through a few changes throughout the long term, with five general designs broadly perceived over its set of experiences.
As of now, two unmistakable formats are utilized - the "Boot" design (long course) and the "NASCAR" format (short course).
The circuit went through a significant update for the 1971 season. The "Huge Bend" and the turns paving the way to it were eliminated and replaced with another pit straight. The pits and start/finish line were moved to this new straightway. "The 90" presently became Turn 1 rather than Turn 8.
At the point when NASCAR got back to the track in 1986, they decided to utilize the short course format. IMSA initially utilized the "Boot", yet in the end, that arrangement additionally started utilizing the more limited 1971 format.
The short course was somewhat extended in 1992.
Location | Watkins Glen |
Operator | International Speedway Corporation |
Former Names | Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit (1956–1971) |
Major Events | NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR Xfinity Series Zippo 200 at The Glen NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Bully Hill Vineyards 150 ARCA Menards Series East Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 6 Hours of Watkins Glen |
Length | 2.454 mi (3.949 km) |
Most Wins | Tony Stewart (5) |
Most Starts | Jeff Gordon (24) |
Most Poles | Jeff Gordon (4) |