Round 16: IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen, Watkins Glen, NY Sep 1-3.
When last year's Grand Prix of Boston, which was scheduled for the Labor Day weekend was cancelled, Watkins Glen stepped in and made a welcome return to the IndyCar calendar after 6 years.
Once the home of the United States F1 Grand Prix, from 1961 - 1980, the idea of having a race track at Watkins Glen was down to a young, Ohio law student Cameron Argetsinger a member of the Sports Car Club of America, SCCA. The first event to be held was the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, in October 1948. It took place on a challenging 6.6 mile course that included asphalt, cement and dirt roads in and around the village of Watkins Glen.
After two terrible accidents in 1951 and '52, New York State banned racing on state highways and a new 4.4 mile course was created a short distance away in the town of Dix, using town and agricultural roads. However, drivers complained about the lack of run-off and poor visibility. It became clear that a permanent facility was needed and construction began on a new 2.3 mile long course on a section of land that overlapped part of the old course. The new circuit opened in 1956 and began establishing itself as a major national and international venue. NASCAR first raced there in 1957 and the first United States F1 Grand Prix was held in 1961.
For several years, concerns had been raised about the safety of the chicane on the inside of The Loop. Not to be confused with the bus stop chicane or Inner Loop added in 1992. Everything came to a head when Graham Hill was severely injured in the 1969 F1 GP. The track therefore underwent a major overhaul and redesign for the 1971 season.
With the costs of the 1971 redesign still not paid off and the F1 sanctioning fee increasing, the track was in financial trouble. When the sanction fee for 1981 could not be paid, the FIA decided to remove the race from the 1981 calendar. The circuit found itself in administration and for two years was effectively closed, hosting a handful of SCCA events without spectators.
In 1983 Corning Enterprises, a subsidiary of glass company Corning Inc., in partnership with International Speedway Corporation bought the track and renamed it, Watkins Glen International.
The circuit was renovated and the chicane at the Esses was removed completely. In 1984 sportscars returned with the IMSA series and in 1986, NASCAR returned, though only racing on the short course.
Since opening in 1956, the track has undergone several layout changes. The most significant was in 1971, with the track undergoing a major redesign at a cost of $2.3 million. The "Big Bend" and the turns leading up to it were replaced with a new pit straight. A new extension was built and was nicknamed 'The Boot' due to its shape. The track was also resurfaced and widened. As a result of Francois Cevert's fatal accident in the 1973 US Grand Prix, in which the armco barrier was uprooted on impact, a temporary chicane was installed in 1975 at the Esses.
Increasing speeds and the close proximity of the Armco barriers, continued to be a problem. In 1991, two accidents at The Loop, one of which was fatal forced a change. A bus stop chicane was therefore added to the back straight in spring 1992, known as the Inner Loop, establishing the current layout.
The IRL IndyCar Series made its debut at Watkins Glen in 2005, the first season in which the IRL added road courses to the calendar. The race was held on the full circuit, which includes the "Boot" and the "Inner Loop" and was won by Scott Dixon, for Chip Ganassi Racing, driving a Panoz G-Force-Toyota Indy V8. The last race was held in 2010. However, the following year Watkins Glen left the calendar, citing low attendance figures.
During qualifying last year, Scott Dixon took pole, shattering the lap record. On race day, Dixon lead from the start, pulling away from Power. There were two first turn incidents, with first Bourdais going into the tire wall and then Montoya and Mikhail Aleshin coming together but all cars continued and no full course yellow was needed.
Race leader Dixon was the first front runner to make a scheduled pit stop on lap 14, which would be a huge advantage as the first caution came a lap later, when Aleshin's left-rear tire deflated at Turn 4, spinning him and into the wall. This forced the other front runners to pit under caution, losing track position. Power, who was second had a surprisingly slow stop putting Chilton and Montoya into second and third respectively.
Racing resumed on lap 19 but after only one lap, the second yellow came out when Kimball and Rahal collided exiting Turn 1, sending Rahal into the barrier. The race resumed on lap 24, and by lap 28, Dixon had extended his lead by five seconds over Montoya, who had passed Chilton for second place.
The second round of scheduled stops came around lap 30. Dixon pitted on lap 31, handing the lead to Montoya, who pitted the next lap, handing the lead to Hinchcliffe. On lap 33, Hinchcliffe came in for his stop, which handed the lead to Hélio Castroneves. Castroneves managed to stay out until lap 36, givinging the lead back to Dixon.
On lap 39, the third and final caution came out when Kimball and Power made contact at Turn 4, sending Power into the outside wall. Following a medical examination at the infield care center, staff stated that Power had displayed concussion-like symptoms and would not be cleared to drive at the following race until he underwent further tests. During the caution period, most drivers made their final pit stops of the day. During the pit stops, Castroneves was able to leap frog Dixon, giving him the lead.
The race resumed on lap 42, with Dixon almost immediately overtaking Castroneves. Only two laps later, Dixon had passed all those drivers who had stayed out during the caution, retaking the lead.
Despite the last round of stops, teams became concerned about fuel and finishing the race, with some drivers attempting to conserve fuel. This caused the field to be shuffled, with Pagenaud dropping back through the field, while Castroneves, Chilton, and Kimball were forced to make a splash and dash in the closing laps of the race.
With no such problems, Dixon cruised to his 40th IndyCar win. However, there were last lap dramas, as Juan Pablo Montoya spun at Turn 3, ruining a good finish, ending up 13th. Hinchcliffe, who was now second, ran out of fuel grinding to a halt two turns from the finish. Daly also ran out of fuel but managed to cost to fourth and despite the late splash and dash, Castroneves finished third.
Some trivia:
Driver with most wins: 4
Scott Dixon, 2005-2007, 2016
Team with most wins: 4
Chip Ganassi Racing, 2005-2007, 2016
Track layout:
Original layout: 1956-1970
Grand Prix layout: 1971-1980
Current full layout with inner loop:
Length: 3.450 miles / 5.552 km
Turns: 11
Lap record: Scott Dixon, September 4, 2016. 1:22.5259, 146 mph (230 km/h). Chip Ganassi Racing, Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6. Verizon IndyCar Series.
Last year's winner:
Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing,
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet Indycar V6
Laps: 60
Distance: 204 miles (328.306 km)
Race Time: 1:41:40
Average Speed: 119.334 mph (192.049 km/h)
Cautions:
3, laps 9
TV broadcast:
NBCSN, 1:00PM EST