Watkins Glen International

The historic road course at the southern tip of Seneca Lake, home of the United States Grand Prix and current NASCAR venue.

Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in Dix, New York, United States, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen for which it is named, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It is the former home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years from 1961 to 1980. The facility is currently owned by NASCAR.

Quick Facts

Defending winner: William Byron

Lore & Background

The course was opened in 1956 to host auto races previously held on public roads in and around the village. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, with minor modifications after the fatal crashes of François Cevert (1973), Helmut Koinigg (1974) and J. D. McDuffie (1991). The site has also hosted several music concerts: the 1973 Summer Jam, featuring The Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead, and The Band and was attended by 600,000 fans; and two Phish festivals: Super Ball IX in 2011 and Magnaball in 2015.

Reader's Guide

Currently, two distinct layouts are used: the "Boot" layout (long course) and the "1971 Six Hours" layout (short course). The short course was slightly lengthened in 1992. The "Long/Boot" course was also slightly lengthened in 1992. NASCAR events have never used the Boot layout. When NASCAR returned to the track in 1986, it used the short course layout.

Did You Know?

The first races in Watkins Glen were organized by Cameron Argetsinger in 1948 on a 6.600 mi course over local public roads.
The original street course is listed in the New York State Register and National Register of Historic Places as the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, 1948–1952.
The first permanent course, designed by Bill Milliken and engineering professors from Cornell University, was 2.350 mi and used from 1956 to 1970.
The Boot segment was finished in time for the Formula One race in 1971, measuring 3.377 mi.