17 November 2025— J.J. O’Malley, Sunday Group Management historian and contributing writer, will be a guest presenter at this weekend’s ninth annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History.
O’Malley’s presentation, “The Renaissance of Watkins Glen in the 1980s,” will focus on how the dream of racing at the Glen was kept alive after the upstate New York bankrupt circuit shut down.
Locally-based international conglomerate Corning Enterprises helped to resurrect the circuit and bring it back into the international spotlight in partnership with the International Speedway Corporation. Two years of successful competition, highlighted by the IMSA Camel GT Series, led to the historic circuit being awarded a NASCAR Winston Cup Series date in 1986.
After reporting on the Glen as a writer for several Pennsylvania newspapers, O’Malley worked as News Editor under Chris Economaki for National Speed Sport News. His work covering events at Pocono International Raceway led to becoming Press Director for Watkins Glen International, giving him an insider’s view of the transition from a defunct circuit to a thriving, family friendly circuit featuring NASCAR, sports car and vintage competition.
The symposium will be held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, NY. The event is held annually by the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) in partnership with the Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) and Gran Touring Motorsports (GTM).
Currently a Sunday Group Management content contributor, O’Malley has written 13 books on racing, including Daytona 24 Hours: the Definitive History of America’s Great Endurance Race, Volumes 1 and 2, and co-authored two books on the history of Watkins Glen with Glen historian Bill Green. O’Malley is an honorary member of the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club.
The Symposium will again be live streamed by GTM to an international audience. YouTube videos of each 2025 presentation, as well YouTube videos from the earlier Symposiums, will be available for post-event viewing through GTM’s publicly accessible archive.
