NASCAR at Watkins Glen: Just utilize “The Boot” already
By Asher Fair
“The Boot” not utilized in NASCAR
None of the 35 NASCAR Cup Series races, none of the 24 Xfinity Series races and even none of the five Truck Series races, which were held at the track between the 1996 season and the 2000 season, have utilized “The Boot” portion of Watkins Glen International.
Right now, the eight-turn, 2.454-mile (3.949-kilometer) Watkins Glen International road course that the Cup and Xfinity Series currently utilize is literally nothing more than a clockwise-running oval track with a few elevation changes and two slight left-hand turns (not including the inner loop).
The inner loop, also known as the “Bus Stop”, portion of Watkins Glen International is, in fact, utilized by NASCAR, but “The Boot” is not. That second statement needs to change.
Formula 1 raced at Watkins Glen from the 1961 season through the 1980 season. From the 1971 season through the 1980 season, “The Boot” was utilized as a part of the track. IndyCar raced at Watkins Glen from the 1979 season through the 1981 season, from the 2005 season through the 2010 season and in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Neither one of those series is racing at Watkins Glen this year, and the likelihood of either one of them doing so in the near future is not high. Therefore, the likelihood of any tires from the car of any major racing series touching the pavement of “The Boot” is also not high…