This past Sunday, me and my father took our annual trip to Watkins Glen for the Cup Race on Sunday (minus a few years around 2020 of course). This article is a huge departure from what I normally write, and is more of a personal reflection of the trip throughout the day. All images are also my own, so please enjoy!
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We started going back in 2018, taking a one-day bus trip to the track (thank you Niagara Scenic tours!). This package is for the Cup Series race on Sunday, so for under 200 dollars one can get two tickets, a bus parking spot right by the track.
We leave around 7:30am that morning from our pickup spot, head to another about 20 miles away to pickup the other half of our tour group…then it’s off to a three hour trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York where Watkins Glen International Raceway is located. We arrive around 11:30am/Noon, and have until race time to experience the merch trailers, sponsor tents, food etcetera.Â
Also, I would like to acknowledge the McDonald’s we stopped at as a rest stop, and a very scared girl behind the counter when a bus pulled up….that all went fine however and she handled it great for 9 in the morning. We did not use a typical rest-stop on the highway like in the past, as this McDonald’s was in the middle of a town.
This year, the organization of everything by the track was incredibly on point. Granted it is indeed a lot of walking, depending on where you would like to go but it is all well worth it. Merch trailer organization was the best I’ve seen since going in 2018, as they were all close and forward facing to the track mid-way. Merchandise prices are what one would expect, so be prepared to spend some money. This year trailers included RFK Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, RCR, Trackhouse, JR Motorsports/Legacy Motor Club, Penske, a separate Chase Elliott trailer, as well as two NASCAR trailers and a few Watkins Glen International locations.
Time can slip by very quickly with such a crowd, so after shopping the various trailers and touring the midway…it is suddenly 1 in the afternoon (with the green flag dropping around 3:30pm). So we head back over the bridge from the midway to the grandstand area for lunch…shoutout to Brick Oven Pizza for some great chicken strips (prices again are what one would expect for everything). There are also quite a few food vendors on the mid-way itself, but it’s nice to get away from the full crowd a bit.
The best place to eat for me personally is right under the grandstands, where there are many picnic tables and other places to sit down and enjoy some food and shade. Around 2:30pm, we head to our front stretch seats, which is a decent climb to row 26 this year.
Watkins Glen is one of those tracks where you will need your sunscreen, as there is zero shade for the grandstands, with the exception of under them. Seats were in a great place this year as well, situated just to the left of the flag stand, and being only 26 rows up, viewing was fantastic as well, including direct eyes on all of pit lane.
Just after 3pm, opening festivities begin with driver introductions, the Canadian and American anthems, pyrotechnics, as well as the flyover. One little funny side story is the somewhat badly timed pyro mixed with a very low flyover….you can use your imagination to see how that could be a problem with a low flying plane and fireworks (at least it appeared that way).
Now it is time for the green flag to drop…and things can get very noisy and very hot quickly. I definitely walked away with some color this year. One of the unique issues with Watkins Glen and its natural design is that you can only really see directly where you’re sitting, but the track has done well to mitigate this. Along with the NASCAR scanner apps, you can rent scanners at the track, along with multiple Jumbotrons and the MRN Broadcast over the loudspeakers during the race (which admittedly you cannot really hear once cars are moving at speed).
The front stretch seats are some of the best, because you can see all the action on pit lane, which TV does not always catch, so seats here are quite worth it. The bus stop seats also seem to be some of the best action-wise. What you do also get to see from our seats is the winner’s celebration on the front stretch…although William Byron decided to burn outs everywhere but there this year.
This year’s fast-paced race meant we departed early evening from the track for home. This is really where the advantage of having a bus right outside the gates helps. Leaving from the various lots can be its own challenge it appears, as almost everyone leaves at once. Â
The trip home, about equal time-wise with a small traffic delay, usually lends itself to a nap, and a stop for food and bathrooms (we returned to that same McDonald’s again), and movie/nap time again. Personally, I made it home around 11pm that night…so it is a full day trip for sure.
Overall, the trip was excellent this year. Weather was not an issue as in 2022 with rain and lightning, and that McDonald’s (the town escapes me), handled a full bus load of customers twice that day, which is not something they were necessarily prepared for.
Ive been going every yr since 15, i wish they ran in 20. i camped in the boot, and my seats are in risbeck so its an easy walk. the track seems to have less and less to do every yr, even with a lot more space than other tracks in the midway. last yrs weather was like days gone by at the track, i grew up in nearby elmira so i had the same weather as the track. i rem for a period of time there was rain majority of the time nascar came to town. mother nature doesnt like nascar at times haha. i was disappointed with harvick, at the end he didnt do a last lap for the fans like gordon and stewart did a few yrs ago. he had the loudest cheers.
Im just south of Buffalo, so we are not that far haha….yeah, last year was indeed a rainy mess, and we got back VERY late last year. Nice to see someone local here 🙂