"A 2.45-mile road course in New York's Finger Lakes, born from a 1948 street race, where the Cup Series has raced every year since 1986 except 2020 and where it joins the Chase in 2027."
Location: Watkins Glen, New York Track Type: Road course Length: 2.45 miles (the NASCAR course) Surface: Asphalt Opened: 1956 (current site) First NASCAR Cup Series Race: August 4, 1957 Owner: NASCAR
Quick Answers
How long is Watkins Glen? The course NASCAR uses is 2.45 miles. It has been that length since 1992, when a chicane called the Inner Loop, also known as the bus stop, was added on the back straight.
Where is Watkins Glen International? In Watkins Glen, New York, near the southern tip of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes.
Who has won the most Cup races at Watkins Glen? Tony Stewart, with five (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009). Jeff Gordon is next with four.
Who won at Watkins Glen in 2026? Kaden Honeycutt won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on May 8. Connor Zilisch won the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on May 9. Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series race on May 10, his second straight win at the track.
When does NASCAR race at Watkins Glen in 2027? September 18 and 19. The Cup race moves from May to September and becomes part of the Chase, NASCAR's playoff. Full dates are below.
Watkins Glen Schedule: 2027 NASCAR Dates
| Date | Day | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18 | Saturday | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series |
| Sep 19 | Sunday | NASCAR Cup Series |
Dates are from NASCAR's 2027 national series schedule. The Truck Series is not scheduled at Watkins Glen in 2027. Race names and start times have not been announced. Confirm at theglen.com before you travel.
Overview
Watkins Glen International is a road course in upstate New York, near the southern end of Seneca Lake. NASCAR races on a 2.45-mile layout. The May 2026 Cup race was the 43rd at the track, and it was decided by a comeback: Shane van Gisbergen left pit road after his last stop about 29 seconds behind the leader and still won by more than seven seconds.
In 2027 Watkins Glen becomes the second race of the Chase, NASCAR's 10-race playoff, following Richmond Raceway. The other nine Chase races that year are all on ovals, so The Glen will be the only road course in the Cup Series playoff.
History
Road racing came to Watkins Glen in 1948, when Cameron Argetsinger, a Cornell University law student whose family had a summer home on Seneca Lake, persuaded the local chamber of commerce to stage a race on a 6.6-mile course of public roads through the village. The race ran on village streets until a 1952 crash killed a young spectator and injured several others. After a few years on a temporary course outside town, a permanent 2.3-mile circuit designed by Cornell engineering professors opened in 1956.
NASCAR's top series first raced there on August 4, 1957, when Buck Baker won. It returned in 1964 and 1965. From 1961 through 1980 the track hosted the United States Grand Prix in Formula One. In 1973 it held Summer Jam, a rock festival featuring the Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead and The Band.
After 1980 the track went bankrupt. In 1983 Corning Enterprises and International Speedway Corporation formed a partnership to run it, and racing resumed in 1984. The Cup Series came back in 1986 and has raced at The Glen every year since, except 2020, when the race was not held during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Inner Loop chicane was added in 1992, setting the NASCAR course at 2.45 miles. International Speedway Corporation became sole owner in 1997, and NASCAR became full owner in 2019, when it merged with the company.
The entire racing surface was repaved after the 2015 NASCAR weekend.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1948 | First Watkins Glen Grand Prix on the village streets |
| 1956 | Permanent road course opens |
| 1957 | Buck Baker wins the first Cup race at the track, August 4 |
| 1961 | First Formula One United States Grand Prix at The Glen; the race stays through 1980 |
| 1984 | Racing resumes after the track's bankruptcy |
| 1986 | The Cup Series returns to stay |
| 1992 | Inner Loop chicane added; NASCAR course becomes 2.45 miles |
| 1997 | International Speedway Corporation becomes sole owner |
| 2015 | Track repaved after the NASCAR weekend |
| 2019 | NASCAR becomes full owner |
| 2020 | No Cup race, the only year missed since 1986 |
| 2026 | First Cup race held in May; Shane van Gisbergen wins at the track for the second straight year |
| 2027 | Cup race moves to September as part of the Chase |
Key Drivers
Tony Stewart, five Cup wins (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009), the most at the track.
Jeff Gordon, four Cup wins (1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001).
Mark Martin, three straight Cup wins (1993, 1994, 1995).
Shane van Gisbergen, back-to-back Cup wins (2025 and 2026).
Chase Elliott, two Cup wins (2018 and 2019). The 2018 win was the first of his Cup career.
Kyle Larson, two Cup wins (2021 and 2022).
2026 at Watkins Glen International
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen (Friday, May 8): Kaden Honeycutt passed Connor Zilisch in Turn 1 on the first lap of overtime, NASCAR's extra laps that let a race finish under green, and won by 0.902 seconds in the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota. It was his first career Truck Series win. Hours earlier he had won the ARCA Menards Series race at the track, making him the second driver to win an ARCA race and a Truck Series race on the same day, after Sam Mayer at Bristol in 2020. Shane van Gisbergen was third.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Mission 200 at The Glen (Saturday, May 9): Connor Zilisch took the lead from Jesse Love on the final lap and won by 0.262 seconds in the No. 1 Chevrolet, his 13th career O'Reilly Series win. Taylor Gray was third.
NASCAR Cup Series, Go Bowling at The Glen (Sunday, May 10): Shane van Gisbergen started on the pole, led 74 of 100 laps and beat Michael McDowell by 7.288 seconds in the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. After his last pit stop he left pit road about 29 seconds behind leader Ty Gibbs and caught him in 18 laps, taking the lead with seven laps left. It was van Gisbergen's seventh Cup win, all of them on road or street courses. Gibbs finished third and Chase Briscoe fourth. It was the first Cup race held at the track in May.