MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Springtime in New York is a well-regarded Bob Dylan compilation album. Springtime in New York is also a NASCAR compilation, with its top-three national touring series all competing this Mother’s Day weekend at Watkins Glen International.
After Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, the headlining NASCAR Cup Series rolls Sunday with the Go Bowling at The Glen.
It will be the 45th Cup Series race at the iconic road course in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region, but the first time away from its traditional summertime slot.
“Watkins Glen in late summer is what we’re all used to. We’re creatures of habit. Being up there when there’s just buds on the trees and a little chill in the air is going to be a little weird,” said Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Jacob Construction Chevrolet.
“But it’s still The Glen – a great track that we all really like, or at least I really like.”
Watkins Glen is known as the “birthplace of American road racing,” hosting the first post-World War II road race in 1948 on local streets. It transitioned from a village street circuit to a purpose-built road course in 1956.
It was home to Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix from 1961 to 1980, but it was NASCAR that was initially at The Glen. Buck Baker beat Fireball Roberts on Aug. 4, 1957, in the inaugural NASCAR Grand National race. NASCAR ran just two more races at Watkins Glen in 1964 and 1965 before going on a 20-year hiatus at the track, finally returning in 1986.
Today, the 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course is a NASCAR staple. Its undulating layout rewards the aggressive, where curbs are attacked and racecars are launched on two wheels as they bicycle around the apron.
“Watkins Glen has a lot of elevation changes, more so than other road courses we visit,” Ware said. “It’s definitely a place where the commitment factor and the confidence level have to be high.”
Before becoming a Cup Series regular, Ware raced sports cars. On his way to becoming the 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Rookie of the Year, Ware scored his first victory at Watkins Glen.
“We ran the full course in the Super Trofeo cars, so it was definitely a little bit different from the Cup car,” said Ware, referring to “The Boot” section of the track that is not used by NASCAR. “I think the long course is just a little too technical. There are a couple of places where it’s really slow through there that just wouldn’t make for great racing in a Cup car, so it’s the right call running the short course at Watkins Glen. We just run the carousel straight into the short chute, and I think that layout is way better for stock cars.
“There’s nothing like racing a stock car at Watkins Glen. It’s definitely the most fun car to drive there, for sure.
“Almost every corner is an opportunity for passing. It’s a very wide track with a lot of grip. You can run offline fairly easily at Watkins Glen, so turn one, going into the bus stop, going into the carousel, going into the lefthander after the short chute, you have a lot of opportunities to pass around the whole racetrack. To be able to do that is what makes racing at Watkins Glen so good.”
One element of Watkins Glen that drivers can’t pass on is a plan for mom, as the Go Bowling at The Glen falls on Mother’s Day. It is one of many holidays those in NASCAR must navigate when 38 weekends are spent at a racetrack.
“We’re a racing family, so there’s a little bit more understanding in the Ware household because my grandfather was in it, and my dad’s been in it for decades, and my mom married into it. Like my father says, she knew what she was getting into, marrying a racing fanatic,” Ware said.
“So we plan ahead and we’re flexible. We’re not always able to celebrate a holiday on the exact day, but we still find a way. Instead of having Friday to Sunday for our days off, it’s a little bit of like Monday to Thursday. It’s like our weekends are the weekdays, so we just plan our lives around that. We have a great family and a great support system, and we just figure out a way to make it happen. It just looks a little different.”
The commitment it takes to make it to the Cup Series, and then stay there, is monumental. It is not done alone. In the case of Ware, it’s his mom, Lisa, who has been one of his staunchest supporters.
“From day one, whether I wanted to be a doctor, a painter or a racecar driver, she has supported me 100 percent,” Ware said. “And for all the chaos that racing can bring, and all the weekends away from home, and the travel and the stress of it all, she’s been a supporter and a champion of mine, just an amazing mother from day one. I couldn’t ask for a better cheerleader and supporter. I’m just blessed to have the mom that I do, who puts up with a lot of what racing throws at us. I can’t thank her enough.”
