Watkins Glen adds to NASCAR track
International Speedway Corp. has approved $3 million for capital improvements at Watkins Glen International.
The project includes four new grandstands, a new club to replace the original Glen Club that was destroyed by fire in 2007, and permanent showers in the infield.
The most noticeable improvement will be the addition of permanent grandstands in the final two turns of the 11-turn circuit, another next to the pedestrian bridge, and one at the outside of the first turn, a 90-degree right-hander at the end of the front straightaway.
Track president Michael Printup said in a year in which NASCAR suffered hits in both track attendance and television viewership, attendance at WGI's Sprint Cup race in August remained solid and that it was one of the last races of the 2010 season to hold its own.