IMSA Six Hours of The Glen 2026 | Schedule & Sessions | MotorSportRadar

Next International Motor Sports Association Race - Six Hours of The Glen

26 - 29 Jun

Watkins Glen International

Watkins Glen International

Practice 1
22:25 - Fri, 26 Jun
Practice 2
21:05 - Sat, 27 Jun
Qualifying
02:40 - Sun, 28 Jun
Formation Lap
23:00 - Sun, 28 Jun
Race
23:10 - Sun, 28 Jun

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Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen, New York, USA

America’s road-racing icon in the Finger Lakes - clockwise - 3.450 mi / 5.552 km Grand Prix course with 11 turns (the Boot) and a 2.454 mi / 3.949 km NASCAR course with 7 turns (no Boot)

First Race
15 Sep 1956
The first meeting on the new permanent circuit was the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, run only weeks after construction finished.
Circuit Lengths
GP 3.450 mi / 5.552 km • NASCAR 2.454 mi / 3.949 km
GP layout has 11 turns and uses the Boot; NASCAR uses the short course without the Boot.
Turns
GP 11 • NASCAR 7
Signature corners: The 90 (T1), Esses, Inner Loop Bus Stop, Outer Loop/Carousel, Toe and Heel of the Boot.
Lap Records
GP: 1:23.9166 - S. Bourdais (IndyCar), 2017 • DPi: 1:29.657 - O. Pla, 2019
Official race-lap benchmarks on the 5.552 km GP layout. Series list below for more.
USGP Heritage
Formula 1 hosted 1961–1980
The United States Grand Prix called The Glen home for 20 consecutive years.

When was the track built?

After post-war races on public roads from 1948, a purpose-built circuit opened on the hilltop in 1956. The layout was comprehensively reworked for 1971 to create today’s long course with the Boot. Safety chicanes have come and gone: the Scheckter Chicane calmed the Esses from 1975–1985, and the permanent Inner Loop Bus Stop was added in 1992 at the end of the back straight.

When was its first race?

The venue’s first race day on the permanent course was 15 September 1956 for the Watkins Glen Grand Prix. NASCAR first visited in 1957, and in 1961 The Glen debuted as the home of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

What’s the circuit like?

  • High-speed flow: The 90 feeds the uphill Esses flat in most modern cars, then a long back straight slings you into the Inner Loop and Outer Loop/Carousel at huge speed.
  • The Boot matters: On GP layouts, the Heel and Toe corners add braking-and-traction complexity that decides stint pace and tyre life in IMSA and IndyCar.
  • Two personalities: NASCAR’s 2.454 mi short course keeps the pack tight and emphasizes brake conservation, while IMSA/IndyCar’s long course rewards rhythm and aero efficiency.
  • Benchmark pace: IndyCar’s 1:23.9166 and DPi’s 1:29.657 headline modern race-lap speed on the GP layout.

Lap records and benchmarks (by series)

  • IndyCar - GP race lap: 1:23.9166 - Sébastien Bourdais, Dallara DW12, 2017.
  • IMSA DPi - GP race lap: 1:29.657 - Olivier Pla, Mazda RT24-P, 2019.
  • LMP2 - GP race lap: 1:32.444 - Giedo van der Garde, Oreca 07, 2022.
  • Historic IMSA GTP - GP race lap: 1:39.011 - Juan Manuel Fangio II, Eagle MkIII, 1993.
  • NASCAR Cup - course & specs: 2.454 mi short course, 7 turns, 6–10 degrees of banking; annual Cup race since 1986.
  • SCCA class records - GP layout: Current long-course club benchmarks maintained by Glen Region SCCA.

Why go?

You get big-league speed with sightlines to match. IMSA’s Six Hours of The Glen is a North American endurance classic, NASCAR brings a packed August festival, and historic weekends fill the calendar. Off track, the Finger Lakes wineries and lakeside camping make it a full getaway.

Where’s the best place to watch?

  • The 90 (Turn 1): Heavy braking and divebombs after the pit straight with pit action opposite.
  • Inner Loop Bus Stop: See prototypes attack the curbs at top speed and set up the Carousel.
  • Heel of the Boot: Prime pass zone on the GP layout as tyres fade late in stints.

Not just one series - headline events at The Glen

Formula 1: United States Grand Prix host from 1961 to 1980.

IMSA WeatherTech: Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen anchors the summer endurance season.

NASCAR Cup & Xfinity: Annual August show on the 2.454 mi course, with modern fields and festival atmosphere.

IndyCar: Most recently raced here in 2016–2017 with record-setting pace on the GP layout.

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