. watkins glen international racetrack travel guide, ny + nascar event tickets

Where we headed this time?

watkins glen international racetrack, ny - The Glen

Venue Physical Address: County Line Road, Watkins Glen, New York, 14891 U.S.A.

Hotels Accommodations near Watkins Glen Racetrack?

For Hotels / Motels and resort Accommodations Lodgins near Watkins Glen International Circuit see Hotels near Watkins Glen NY

> What's the nearest major airport?

(ROC) Greater Rochester International Monroe County Airport NY:
(BUF) Buffalo Niagara Internationl Airport NY:
Find Hotels near New York Airports + Buffalo BUF & Rochester ROC

Find Find Hotels near all major U.S. Airports

Shop for the cheapest airfare to Rochester, Buffalo or New York Airports for your trip to Watkins Glen Auto Racing or the Finger lakes region of New York state with my online travel store or get your flight tickets from the Airline online and save. See my listing of Airlines of the World Links.

> Is there camping at the track?

Yep. You can camp right beside the track, contact the glen. Campground Websites (not the circuit): Watkins Glen/Korning KOA; Wakins Glen State Park

Got Directions to Watkins Glen?

Driving
If you're driving from Canada or across the United States and plan to pass through Niagara Falls, remember to keep lots of change handy as you'll pay bridge and thruway (particularly New York State thruway) tolls along the way. While most of these are less than 2USD, I don't like your chances showing up at a toll booth with a large denomination note. Note too that stopping on the thruway for supplies is not a good idea, EVERYTHING (including gas) is overpriced, and then there's the TAX. Fill up way ahead. From the thruway you'll take exit 42 along the west bank of Lake Seneca. I've never been along the East bank of the lake, if you have experience and this is easier (although locals asked tended to think not) let me know. Let me know too about good routes from the South. Note traffic becomes inwards bound on race day and outwards bound after. The official website has specific maps regarding this.

Parking Parking is copious. The circuit is set apart from everything else in the area and surrounded by fields that are used for parking on event days.

> Where's the Map of Watkins Glen NY?

> Check out this Watkins glen satellite and road map (with hotels close by)

> Got Watkins Glen weather and radar?

> What else is there to do close by Watkins Glen?

Tips - Do/Don't

TIP #1:
Don't expect to drive up at the last minute Sunday morning from the North. If you do make sure your tank's gassed up well before you hit the traffic jam on the small (but scenic) country roads beside Lake Seneca. All traffic on Serius race day is one way inwards in the AM and outwards after the event.

A FEW NOTES ABOUT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

Hallowed Ground. The Glen, Watkins Glen, Thunder Road, Racing with a twist, no matter what you call it, along with Laguna Seca and Elkhart Lake Road America, it one of the most interesting and challenging road courses in the United States. Watkins Glen is a 3.4 mile winding circuit, on which U.S. Formula One Grands Prix were run from 1961-1981 (from 1977 onwards it was one of two grands prix held in the U.S. each year, the other location being Long Beach. Famous racers know to U.S. race series fans who won these events are Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, and Emerson "Emo" Fittapaldi. (see right column for a full list of USGP at Watkin's winners.).
The Circuit's NASCAR configuration is 2.5 miles approx, excluding "the boot" section of the former Formula One Grand Prix Course, as it was considered too tight for a modern stock car to negotiate. For a short but illuminating history of racing at the circuit visit silhouet.com.
Download vintage racing movie clips from Robert Gillespie's glenspeed.com
Coming from the North down along Lake Seneca towards the small town of Watkins Glen, you already know that you're headed for an old-fashioned American resort town, part mythical main street, but part, and this is the good part, home of American road racing, and in it's modern guise, with the track now perched up above the town instead of through the streets as it was between 1948-52, a unique experience for America's favourite racing series, NASCAR, and a full schedule of other race events during the year.

The big event at The Glen, or America's Thunder Road, is of course the NASCAR Serius at the Glen weekend in August. The Town puts on a street parade to welcome the 100,000+ visitors there to vacation and enjoy the region, it's wines, it's beautiful scenery, and of course, the unique brand of thunder.

Very many small accommodation businesses have sprouted in the area to cater for the race fan visitor but the real experience is to camp at the track and enjoy the camaraderie of the world wide racing family, with watersports, hunting, and resort facilities near by.

And the town's not a racing anomoly in New York state, a place too often identified with the big city that shares it's name. It's real rural America, and as that should suggest it's a place enthralled with racing of all kinds. A little known fact is that the biggest race crowds (per year) in this part of the world, are not for NASCAR but for dirt track, which is offiically the biggest spectator sport in Central New York. And a short drive (60 miles) will get you to the Dirt Track hall of fame and Dirt Track, and a little further east you'll find Rochester, which holds the biggest dirt track event of the year.

What's on offer at Watkins Glen. Racing with a twist in a pretty lake-side resort town? pack up the grill and Hook up the camper, we're going racing!

Other events at Watkins Glen
> NASCAR Nextel Cup
> Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
> Zippo U.S. Vintage Grand Prix
> Historic Racing
> Porsche Clash
> Sahlen's Sports Car Grand Prix
> SCCA Glen Nationals
> Grand American Rolex Sportscar Series
> Details and Schedules:
Watkins Glen International Circuit Official Website Link
> For other race tracks in New York State, check out my growing guide to New York State Racetracks

Other events of interest
> Finger Lakes Wine Festival
> Racing Thunder in the Glen Steet Parade, Franklin Street, (Main Street) Watkins Glen
> Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival - Streets of Watkins Glen Town
> See Watkinsglen.com for other festivals dates in the town and region.
Also of Interest
> Read about Beemaster's relaxing vacation in WG.

Got Watkins Glen Tickets NASCAR?

See my guide to Hotels near Watkins Glen NY

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> u.s. racing venue hotels + guides

watkins glen Picture

Here I am at Watkins Glen NASCAR Track but formerly the site of US Formula 1 Grand Prix events. Check out my guide to Htoels near Watkins Glen

nascar racing features

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> buy nascar stuff
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US Track and Speedway Guides

Atlanta Motor Speedway GA
Bristol Speedway Tennessee
California Speedway Fontana, CA
Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Ill.
Cleveland GP Airport Circuit OH
Darlington Raceway SC
Daytona International Speedway
Denver GP Street Circuit CO
Detroit Belle Isle
Dover Speedway Delaware
Elkhart Lake - Road America
Homestead-Miami Speedway FL
Indianapolis Motor Speedway IN
Infinion Raceway -Sonoma CA
Kansas Speedway MO
Kentucky Speedway Sparta, KY
Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway
Las Vegas Speedway Nevada
Long Beach GP Street Circuit CA
Lowes Motor Speedway NC
Miami Downtown GP Circuit FL
Michigan International Speedway
Mid-Ohio Road Course OH
Milwaukee Mile WI
New Hampshire Intl Speedway NH
Phoenix International Raceway AZ
Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Pocono Raceway Pennsylvania
Richmond Intl Raceway Virginia
Road Atlanta Georgia
Sebring Raceway Florida
Talladega Superspeedway AL
Texas Motor Speedway TX
Watkins Glen "The Glen" NY

For a complete list of u.s. & international travel guides offered at grand prix cities click here

USGP Winners at the Glen:

1961 Innes Ireland
1962 Jim Clark
1963 Graham Hill
1964 Graham Hill
1965 Graham Hill
1966 Jim Clark
1967 Jim Clark
1968 Jackie Stewart
1969 Jochen Rindt
1970 Emerson Fittipaldi
1971 Francois Cevert
1972 Jackie Stewart
1973 Ronnie Peterson
1974 Carlos Reutemann
1975 Niki Lauda
1976 James Hunt
1977 James Hunt
1978 Carlos Reutemann
1979 Gilles Villeneuve
1980 Alan Jones
...
There used to be some great pictures of Watkins Glen Champions, Scheckter, Hunt, Andretti, at a web page called "Watkins Glen Memories" (on a GeoCities site) but that's gone now unfortunately. If you've got a good historic Watkins Glen website address to send me, or even some old pictures of Grand Prix Racing as it should be, I'd love to add it here.

BLOGS TO CHECK OUT

airport hotels (some humor for your airport time)
sports travel hotels and tickets blog @ hnbtv
My new wonderful Motorcycle Gear Store blog. The coolest stuff on 2-wheels for the biker in us all!