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Denny Hamlin and William Byron lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International in 2023.

NASCAR officials were already hard at work at Watkins Glen International before cars officially hit the track this weekend, conducting a thorough inspection of the historic road course as preparations ramped up for one of the most anticipated race weekends of the season.

The inspection comes ahead of a packed weekend schedule featuring the NASCAR Cup Series, O’Reilly Series, Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series at the iconic New York circuit.

Officials inspected multiple areas around the facility, including portions of the racing surface, barriers, curbing, runoff areas, fencing, and other key safety elements before on-track activity begins.

Watkins Glen Preparing for Busy NASCAR Weekend

Watkins Glen remains one of the most technical and demanding tracks on the NASCAR calendar, with teams navigating high-speed corners, elevation changes, heavy braking zones, and narrow racing sections throughout the 2.45-mile road course.

Unlike many traditional oval tracks, Watkins Glen requires an entirely different setup approach from teams, placing added importance on track conditions entering the weekend.

According to local outlet MyTwinTiers.com, NASCAR officials arrived ahead of the weekend to ensure the facility was fully prepared for race operations, team activity, and fan attendance.

“Driver safety is the very top of our list and doing the inspections basically all week long just to make sure the track is ready and prepared and safe and ready to go for the race,” said Joe Green, the Senior Director of Facilities and Operations at W.G.I.

The outlet also reported that NASCAR officials checked multiple sections of the track and surrounding infrastructure as part of the inspection process.

NASCAR’s Director of Competition Operations, Tim Bermann, also explained that officials closely evaluate safety access points and emergency movement routes throughout the facility during inspections.

“We’re looking where the cut outs are, where the safety equipment goes back into, how they can maneuver through the infield during a race back home in case you send them a different way,” Bermann said according to the outlet. “It’s a total lay of the land very slow moving, which you’re not gonna get from a car.”

An inspection of this scale is standard before major NASCAR weekends, particularly at road courses where curbing, runoff areas, drainage systems, and barrier conditions can play a major role throughout the event.

Weather Could Become Major Storyline

Weather forecasts have also become an early storyline entering the Watkins Glen weekend, particularly with rain chances increasing during portions of Saturday’s schedule.

Unlike NASCAR oval events, road course races can continue in wet conditions thanks to rain tires and windshield wipers used by Cup Series teams. However, heavy rain, standing water, lightning, or visibility concerns can still impact sessions throughout the weekend.

That makes early track preparation especially important before teams officially take to the circuit.

Changing weather conditions have historically created unpredictable strategy calls at Watkins Glen, with crew chiefs often forced to quickly adapt tire strategy, fuel windows, and pit timing throughout races.

Watkins Glen Holds Unique Place on NASCAR Schedule

Watkins Glen continues to hold a special place on the NASCAR calendar as one of the sport’s premier road courses.

The track first hosted NASCAR Cup Series competition in 1957 before returning permanently to the schedule in 1986. Since then, the facility has become known for aggressive road course racing, dramatic finishes, and some of the fastest average speeds seen at any road course in NASCAR.

This weekend’s event once again places Watkins Glen in the national spotlight as drivers battle for momentum during a critical stretch of the NASCAR season.