Memories of Watkins Glen Past

Watching the rain drops fall on the Cup and Nationwide series so far this weekend brought back a flood of memories of my first visit to The Glen.  Several years ago, my family and I were following a Camping World East level team (which unfortunately no longer exists) and went to Watkins Glen  for the first time.

Watkins Glen is a beautiful area in upstate New York, picturesque with all of the finger lakes, bed and breakfasts, and small wineries in the area.  When we arrived, amazingly, it was raining, just as it is this weekend. 

And believe me; being at the race track in the rolling, and chilly, hills of New York is actually not so fun.  Our family hit the local Walmart as soon as we arrived to buy sweatshirts and heavier shirts and pants as the weather was so damp and chilly. 

 Because this team and driver were running on such a low budget, we actually had the opportunity to help out behind the scenes. 

My job was counting laps and checking tire pressures and my husband’s job was going over the wall with the catch can to fuel the car.  Our daughter, a lovely teenage girl, had the job of distracting all the rest of the young men in the pit crew area.

Life is different when you are at a “lower” level of racing.  There are motor homes, but they are more likely attached to trucks or campers.  There are crew chiefs and pit crews, but they are more often than not friends and those related by blood or marriage. 

There are fans too, but just a few who are hoping to snag that autograph of a young up and coming future star that they can eventually sell on E-bay, saying they knew him “way back when”.

The Glen is a huge complex, complete with all the twists and turns of a road course.   When we first entered the track, we knew we had to get into the pit area, where we were meeting our driver and team. 

We kept driving and driving, getting waved through the throngs of haulers and race cars.   The next thing we knew, we were right on pit road with the race cars and teams themselves, not a place where a gray Saturn filled with a fan family should be. 

Our driver spotted us and, in a most mortified whisper, asked us to please get off pit road immediately.  We were only too happy to comply and finally found the designated parking area where we were should have been in the first place.

After re-connecting with our driver and crew, we were put to work, getting the car ready for the race.  In the midst of this chaos, the team realized that this was – surprise - a road course and having one spotter simply would not do. 

Sheepishly, the driver turned to me and asked if I could at least help out in one of the turns.  Sure, that sounded like fun and off my daughter and I went to the spotters’ meeting before the race.

When the pre-race activities were completed and our driver had made his usual mad dash to the port-a-john, a nasty habit that we were trying to encourage him to break, it was time to find our spotting places in the first turn.  This was easier said than done as every track security person turned us away, saying we needed a weekend race ticket to enter. 

Since the ticket booth was literally miles away and the race was going green any minute, getting a ticket was not a viable option.  So, my daughter went with the oldest trick in the books, she let the tears flow.   And of course, we were ushered right in, with a fabulous view of the first turn.

Unfortunately, my job as a spotter was short-lived.   With the cars racing through that turn, many of them spinning and colliding, all I could say was “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh”.   Apparently, this was not helpful to the driver and the crew chief quickly took over spotting that turn.

When the pressure was off, we had a great time and our driver came in the top ten that day.  As we were loading the car back in the hauler and briefly celebrating our success, we were all looking forward to the promised hot chocolate (and yes I admit it, the large glass of wine) that awaited us at our bed and breakfast down the road.

These memories have come rushing back as we watched the raindrops fall and wash away practice and qualifying for the Cup series.  I had only to take one look at a picture of Jeff Gordon in his heavy jacket at the track to remember just how cold and damp The Glen can be.

But I hope too that every driver and team comes away with most special memories as we did – Watkins Glen is a wonderful place to race.  So, grab a jacket and some hot chocolate and enjoy the road race that is The Glen.