Opening Weekend kicked off a 2025 season at Watkins Glen International that will be highlighted by NASCAR's return to an August date.
Festivities included the Green Grand Prix and a pep rally Friday, followed by laps around the road course on a rainy Saturday.
Proceeds from the weekend go to the track's R.A.C.E. (Racing and Community Enrichment) Foundation, which benefits underserved populations in the community, with a focus on youth-oriented support.
Highlights of the track's 2025 season include seven spectator race weekends and the F.L.X. Summer Fest at The Glen from July 18-20. Summer Fest evolved from what was previously known as the Finger Lakes Wine Festival.
Watkins Glen's NASCAR weekend will be held Aug. 8-10, a return to the traditional month it occupied on the series' calendar since 1986 before the Go Bowling at The Glen was part of the Cup Series playoffs last year in mid-September.
A full Trans Am Series weekend has been added July 11-13, and the long-running Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen IMSA weekend returns June 19-22.
Other race weekends: Historic Sportscar Racing from June 12-14, SCCA Majors Super Tour from June 27-29, Ferrari Challenge North America from July 23-27, and the Hilliard U.S. Vintage Grand Prix from Sept. 4-7.
Tickets for all events are available through theglen.com.
Dawn Burlew, in her second year as Watkins Glen International president, talked Friday about what's ahead for the track this year.
Question: What did you take away from year one as president and how excited are you to get the season going?
Answer: I think one of the biggest things I took away from year one is that I jumped into an incredibly talented team here at The Glen and we produced some phenomenal events last year. It gave us the energy to look at our schedule for this year and see what else we could do. We've added some new events this year simply because of the breadth of the team and what they can produce. I'm excited about that.
We've got the Kyle Petty Charity Ride coming in in May, Trans Am has pulled off to its own weekend this year, the wine festival has turned into a festival not just for wine, but other things included.
