Watkins Glen International will make history when it hosts a NASCAR Cup Series playoff event for the first time later this year. This weekend the focus is on giving back to community members, many of whom who will be at the track in September.
The Schuyler County road course is set to host its annual opening weekend, in which one of the main attractions is fans having the opportunity to drive the 3.45-mile road course Saturday and Sunday. Cost is $30 and tickets are available from theglen.com.
A community pep rally at the track's Jack Daniels Club will kick off the weekend from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at a cost of $20 ($10 for Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce members) and features pace-car rides from ARCA Menards Series driver Andy Jankowiak.
Also scheduled is a mini-career day for 30 students from an automobile technology class at Watkins Glen High School that is in the process of building a Camaro.
"We just want to link closer to the school and community," said first-year track president Dawn Burlew of Erin, who said a couple schedule additions will be announced Friday.
Burlew, president since Jan. 3, said the weekend gives the track an opportunity to show its appreciation for the community and those who help the track operate. As part of that mindset, proceeds this year will benefit the Schuyler County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, the Montour Falls Fire Department and the Beaver Dams Volunteer Fire Department, in addition to continuing to help others through the track's RACE (Racing and Community Enrichment) Foundation.
"It’s our introduction to some of our community members who have never been to the track," Burlew said. "We want to show that the track is more than just two races and our wine festival. There are things going on at the track all the time and people that attend the track come downtown, they use hotels, have dinner, they utilize all our other services, so we want our local residents to be able to see we’re an economic driver for the community all year long. This year I think we’re at 177 days we have activities that are booked at the track."
Watkins Glen's first race weekend will be the SCCA Majors Super Tour from May 31 to June 2, followed by the HSR Classic from June 6-9, the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen from June 20-23, Ferrari Challenge North America from July 10-14, the Hilliard U.S. Vintage Grand Prix from Aug. 22-25, and NASCAR's Go Bowling at The Glen weekend from Sept. 11-15. The popular Finger Lakes Wine Festival runs from July 26-28.
Cup weekend, which includes the Mission Foods 200 Xfinity Series race and the General Tire 100 ARCA Menards Series event, moved to September from the traditional August spot it held since the track became an annual stop for NASCAR in 1986. The move makes The Glen the second playoff race of 10. This will be the first time New York state has held a playoff race and Watkins Glen will be the first playoff event at a purpose-built road course.
Burlew talked about her first three months as track president and what's ahead for the track this year.
Question: What was your priority early as track president?
Answer: My word of the year is just a refresh, just a refresh and polishing of events. We changed opening weekend a little just to give the event a different flavor, try to give people some more collaborative space, make it more of an experience. People want to come and drive the track. That’s the beauty of it, but we also want them to spend time with people of like experiences and things like that.
We’re building a new office building (on the corner of Bronson Hill Road and County Route 16 next to the track), so we’ll all be able to be together. We hope to move in there mid to late May so we’ll be ready for the season. Right now we’re on two floors in this building over here (downtown). It’s been great, but it will just be nice to have everybody in one building, one floor to converse, collaborate a lot easier.
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Q: Anything unexpected so far?
A: I love the fast pace, which I knew it was going to be a fast pace, but everybody on the team is in it 150%. There’s not anybody that is not part of it, isn’t running 150 and giving their all. Coming on new, you’re always wondering where everybody is going to shape up on the playing field and where everybody is going to land. Everybody just jumped in. We haven’t skipped a beat I feel. If anything we’ve been able to take on that much more because everybody hit the ground running.
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Q: What's it like working for NASCAR?
A: I think they’re a great organization. Interestingly enough, as I started to meet everybody the entire organization refers to the team as a family. You’re joining a family. You don’t get the true concept of that until you’re part of that family, and it truly is because that’s how everybody talks about it, everybody treats everybody that way, there’s an incredible level of respect, there’s a high level of camaraderie, collaboration.
Q: What kind of feedback do you get from fans driving the track?
A: We have some people that come back year after year. One example would be The Little Speed Shop, which is out of Rochester. They have a huge following, so what they do is they put it out on their website, they announce it, and they come, they get a ticket they put on their windshield. They’ll bring anywhere from 300 to 600 cars that are part of the Little Speed Shop.
Q: What has fan reception been to a September Cup race?
A: Our sales are on par, our camping is doing well. We’ve had some pretty positive comments. Some people are still trying to figure out the school situation as a family event and how that’s going to play in, but all-in-all we’ve had some very positive feedback. I think the biggest piece of it is because it’s the playoffs and for the fan base that’s a big thing to follow and have it right here in their back yard, which they’ve never had access to.
Q: How does the playoff change the dynamic of Cup weekend?
A: I think there’s going to be a ton of energy. I think the excitement is going to be off the chart. Being our first time in the playoffs, it’s a change of date, so there’s a whole bunch of changes and I think the fan base is ready for it.
Q: What excites you about the overall track schedule?
A: One, we’re busy. Like I said, we’ve got 177 days of our season our track is booked. IMSA is at the end of June, which is fast approaching after opening weekend, followed by the Finger Lakes Wine Festival. Then we have an extra month to plan for the Cup, which actually makes it really nice for us to have the extra time to plan and be ready for our Cup event.
Follow Andrew Legareon Twitter:@SGAndrewLegare.You can also reach him atalegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, pleasesubscribe or activate your digital account today
