NASCAR’s decision to move Watkins Glen to the spring will not last, as the historic road course confirmed plans to move the Cup date to the fall in 2027.
WGI will be part of the Chase for the Championship, and unless there is a dramatic change to the schedule, it will likely be the only road course in the Chase. This year, there are no road courses in the ten-race Chase after the Charlotte Roval’s late removal from the schedule.
Why May date was questionable
This is a remarkably quick announcement for next year’s schedule, and comes after controversy surrounding the decision to move the race into early May for 2026 — the earliest in the year NASCAR has ever raced at Watkins Glen. Not only is the weather far more volatile (with snow melt and spring rains making for muddy conditions in the campground that fans are already battling), but it’s an odd time for CNY and the Finger Lakes region.
Many local residents keep their campers in storage until Memorial Day Weekend, and the main Gorge trail at the popular Watkins Glen State Park is not even open yet as it’s one of the slowest times of year in the region for tourism. Most seasonal businesses are not yet open and various local tracks (like Oswego Speedway) don’t even begin their racing season until the end of the month.
Watkins Glen is also one of the more visually stunning tracks on the schedule, but many trees are still barren in early May as they just begin to grow spring leaves.
NASCAR first raced at Watkins Glen in 1957, and has been going back every year since 1986. The race has never been run earlier than July 18 … until this year.
The decision to put the race in early May was part of an effort from the Sanctioning Body to spread out some of the road courses, but this September date will achieve the same goal.
No official date has been set for The Glen’s 2027 date, but the confirmation for September means that it will be in the first-half of the Chase. Watkins Glen was part of the Chase in 2024, taking place on September 15 as the 28th round of the season.
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