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 (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. 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.

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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RFK Racing has announced plans to appeal the penalties NASCAR issued against Ryan Preece this week.

The driver of the No. 60 Ford Mustang was involved in an incident with Texas Motor Speedway where he spun Ty Gibbs into the outside wall. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver suffered significant damage.

Radio chatter from before the incident seemed to indicate that he intended to turn the driver of the No. 54 Toyota, saying: “All right, when I get to that 54, I’m done with him,” Preece said after a tense battle with Gibbs.

After a review, NASCAR docked Preece 25 points and fined him $50,000. The points penalty dropped him from 12th to 13th in the standings, and moved him from +63pts above the cut-line to just +38 above.

"RFK Racing has decided to appeal the penalties by NASCAR against Ryan Preece," a statement from the team read. "We appreciate the opportunity to share our findings with the National Motorsports Appeals Panel at the appropriate time. Additionally, our organization respectfully embraces the forum provided by NASCAR to present our case."

A three-person panel independent of NASCAR will hear both sides with representatives for Sanctioning Body and the race team. For a full understanding of the NASCAR appeals process, CLICK HERE.

Big trouble for Ty Gibbs! https://t.co/UwuzcizHbHpic.twitter.com/q9QfjhUoJy

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 3, 2026

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The racing at Watkins Glen International will look a bit different this weekend, as NASCAR introduces some new track limits.

No longer will we see the entire field driving off into the Turn 1 runoff on starts/restarts, as NASCAR has made some significant changes there and to the exit of the Carousel.

They're essentially building a new wall via tire packs to keep the racing line closer to the actual racing surface.

Track limits exiting Turn 1

At the exit of Turn 1, there will be four tire packs. The first is 11ft away from the racing surface, the second is 9ft away from the racing surface, while the third and fourth are 6ft away from the racing surface. The bundles are spaced out with 180ft between each one, and drivers will no longer be able to venture far beyond the outer curbing.

Track limits exiting Carousel

As drivers race through the bus stop chicane, and then wind through the Carousel (aka the Outer Loop) onto the next straightaway, they won't be able to use the runoff there either. A large, connected tire pack is now lining the track in that area. At the exit of the corner, it is 20ft away from the racing surface, moving progressively closer at an angle until it is just 5ft away. 

The exit of the Carousel was the site of a major accident during last year's NASCAR O'Reilly race. Michael McDowell and Austin Hill were using the runoff and battling for space as they turned back towards the racing surface. McDowell got turned into the guardrail, and over a dozen cars were involved as McDowell's car came back across the track. There was a red flag for cleanup and barrier repairs, lasting close to an hour.

This change is likely motivated by that wreck and other major incidents in that area in recent years, as cars fought each other for room as they moved back onto the track -- all while rapidly approaching a guardrail. However, tire packs have previously been at the center of some fairly violent crashes in Watkins Glen history too, as they have a tendency to spit cars back in front of oncoming traffic (Ex: 2009 Hornish/Gordon). In fairness, those tire packs were positioned differently than the new ones exiting the Carousel, but the concern remains among some drivers.

The real unknown are the four tire packs stationed at the exit of Turn 1, and how they may impact the race both through the way drivers attack the corner, and what happens if an unfortunate driver hits one. We can also expect some sort of penalty if drivers go wide and end up moving around the tire packs as well. 

Anthony Alfredo posted a rendering of what the exit of Turn 1 will look like from the ground level:

Welcome @WGI track limits 👀 #NASCARpic.twitter.com/bxSPTAW6N8

— Anthony Alfredo (@anthonyalfredo) May 5, 2026

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