Watkins Glen International is shifting its annual NASCAR race weekend festivities to September in 2027.
The announcement was made on May 7, 2026, by track president Dawn Burlew at an event that welcomes campers to Watkins Glen’s grounds. It also comes as NASCAR’s top three national touring series (Craftsman Truck, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Cup) prepare to compete at The Glen this upcoming weekend on May 8-10. The three series will compete alongside the ARCA Menards Series division, the latter of which competes on Friday, May 8, before the Truck event.
“People actually really liked that recognition for The Glen as well as all our fans that come here,” Burlew said. “So being in [The Chase] going forward, I think they’re going to be thrilled that we’re at the first part of that and really kind of set the stage for the rest of the playoff season. So again, if we can be part of that and kick it off, there’s no better place than to do it at The Glen.”
The 2027 season will mark the 44th time that NASCAR competes at Watkins Glen International. NASCAR first competed at The Glen in 1957. The track did not host NASCAR competition from 1958 to 1963. However, it returned on the schedule during back-to-back seasons in 1964 and 1965. During NASCAR’s first three competitions at The Glen, the racing events occurred on the course’s original configuration layout that spanned 2.3 miles.
Since 1986, after the track did not host NASCAR competition from 1966 to 1985, NASCAR has competed on The Glen’s 2.428-mile layout. It is a shortened and does not include the course’s “Boot” corner that excludes Turns 6 to 9. The lone season in which NASCAR did not compete at The Glen was 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watkins Glen primarily hosted an annual NASCAR weekend within the month of August, including this past season, on August 8-10. It was a Playoff (“Chase”) event for the first and only time ever on September 15, 2024. Chris Buescher won the race following a late duel and last-lap overtake on Shane van Gisbergen.
Van Gisbergen is the defending Cup winner at The Glen. He became the 27th competitor to achieve the feat of winning on the course in NASCAR’s premier series. Van Gisbergen will attempt to become the seventh competitor ever to win consecutive Cup Series races at The Glen. The weekend’s festivities mark the earliest month in which NASCAR races at The Glen, as the events occur during the second weekend of May.
An exact date for Watkins Glen’s shift to September 2027 has not been revealed. However, the event will return as one of 10 races in the Chase. The only event officially confirmed for the 2027 season is the 69th running of the Daytona 500 on February 21.
This year’s events commence with the ARCA Menards Series’ General Tire 100 at The Glen. The ARCA race will begin Friday, May 8, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS2, MRN Radio and SiriusXM. The Craftsman Truck Series’ Bully Hill Vineyards at The Glen follows suit at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Mission 200 at The Glen is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN and SiriusXM. The Cup Series caps off the weekend with the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM.
