No NASCAR at Watkins Glen This Year, Race Moved to Daytona

Watkins Glen will not be hosting their NASCAR weekend that was scheduled for August 13th through the 16th according to WENY.

Due to restrictions put in place because of the Coronavirus, Watkins Glen International was trying to get a waiver from New York State that would allow residents who live within 150 miles of Watkins Glen to attend the race. They were not granted the waiver as of Wednesday, so NASCAR decided to move the race to Daytona’s road course.

Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup told WENY that he is disappointed that NASCAR will not be in New York this year, but that they must focus first on everyone's safety.

If you have purchased tickets for the race you will automatically receive a credit for your ticket price plus an additional 20 percent within the next week. That can be used for future NASCAR races either this year or next year. If you would rather just get your money back, you must request a refund by August 7th. You can get more information on that here.

Even if the race was to take place, even with limited attendance, it still would have created a financial boost for the small town of Watkins Glen. It wouldn't be near the amount of revenue that the NASCAR race usually generates for the small Upstate town, but after this year and all the restrictions from the Coronavirus, any Financial impact would have been better than nothing.