Watkins Glen International has long been a crown jewel of American Road racing, nestled in the scenic Finger Lakes region of New York. The annual Go Bowling race has been held nearly every year since 1986, with the current layout spanning 2.45 miles and featuring seven turns. More importantly, one of the playoff races has been honored by being held at The Glen.

This seems to be right up Shane van Gisbergen’s alley, as he is the king of road courses. All eyes will be on him to see if he can win his fifth race in the NASCAR Series. However, it is Ryan Blaney who cannot help but appreciate the road course as the NASCAR Cup garage heads there. Extremely happy with the track, Blaney is beaming with joy.

“It’s one of the better ones,” says Blaney about his love for Watkins Glen

The permanent circuit, designed with the help of Cornell University engineers in the mid-1950s, replaced earlier street courses and officially opened in 1956. Since then, it has hosted historic events, including Formula One from 1961 to 1980, making it one of the most storied racing venues in the United States. Watkins Glen International has earned its reputation as a road course temple, thanks in part to its storied past and challenging layout. Originally constructed after several unsafe street races in town, the track features sweeping elevation changes and multiple configurations, most notably the Boot section, for which NASCAR typically uses the shorter setup. The complete repave in 2015 was massive, laying thousands of tons of fresh asphalt and significantly improving the racing surface for stock cars.

Over the decades, The Glen has been the scene of legendary cup series winners. Tony Stewart leads with five victories between 2002 and 2007, followed by Jeff Gordon with four, and Marcos Ambrose dominating with 2 Cup wins and four Xfinity wins. However, last year’s race delivered no shortage of drama. Held in September as part of the playoff, Chris Buescher clinched his first win of the season in overtime by driving past Shane van Gisbergen at the Bus Stop chicane, after SVG clipped the inside barrier on the final lap. But for Ryan Blaney, it was a week to forget. He started 30th and was caught in a Lap 1 wreck, ending his race immediately after contact at the Bus Stop chicane damaged his steering column. Yet, Blaney has an entirely different view of the track.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney went off. He said, “I love The Glen for multiple reasons. The track, No. 1, is really unique as far as like there’s not as many corners, but it’s like a super fast, pretty small road course, so I enjoy that. The bus stop difficulty is, you know, unique in its own right, and then the area itself and the fan atmosphere is second to none. Personally, like those folks up there, love coming out, they love camping, and love having a good time.”

Ryan Blaney’s best-ever finish at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Cup Series is a 5th-place result, which he achieved in 2019. In that race, Blaney started from 19th position and made a steady climb through the field to reach the top five by the end. It can be said with no doubt that he is still hunting for his first ever Glen win.

The Team Penske driver goes on to say, “So I feel like we’ve always gotten an amazing crowd at the Glen. So I appreciate everybody who always comes to that. And so yeah, it’s definitely up there. I’d say top couple for me just from like an overall atmosphere, perspective, racetrack. It’s one of the better ones, I think.”

Watkins Glen is a fan favorite for its mix of scenic beauty, tactile racing action, and iconic vibe. Many NASCAR fans consider it the most prestigious road course date on the schedule. The elevation changes and technical layout reward precision, while the in-person experience, which boosters call “magical,” makes it a prime destination for a race weekend. And now, as Blaney is definitely looking for a win here, he has opened up about post-race celebrations, and hopefully, we get a glimpse of his parties this weekend if he wins.

Ryan Blaney is adamant about getting “Old Iowa” back

This season, Ryan Blaney once again voiced his push for a complete resurfacing of Iowa Speedway, praising the success of the asphalt mix used in the recent partial repave. The team Penske driver noted that the new material has aged well and would serve as an excellent foundation for further upgrades. Currently, the 0.875-mile oval only has the lower two lanes in each corner paved, while the straightaways still feature the original 2006 pavement.

Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney called Iowa’s progressive banking perfect but stressed that a consistent racing surface from end to end is essential. He believes that completing the resurfacing would enhance the track’s versatility and create more strategic possibilities during races.

He goes on to say, “I would repave the whole thing. I think you kind of have to. That place, if they keep the progressive banking that it has, I think it’s perfect. For some reason, that place seems to have a little bit bigger steps in the progressive banking as you go up than other racetracks that I’ve seen have it. And so it allows you to really run up. And I think we would just continue to push it up and up and up and it would be like old Iowa where you were running everywhere.”

He predicts that with a fully repaved surface, a third racing groove could become active within a year or two, dramatically altering the race’s character. Several drivers have criticized the partial repave, arguing that it has hurt the racing product by limiting the choices and creating inconsistent grip between corners and straightaways. Reflecting on the approach taken, Blaney said last year, “In my mind, you either leave it or you pay the whole thing … and they went with the third choice.” His opinion carries added credibility, given that he captured the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win at Iowa Speedway, dominating the race by leading 201 of 350 laps. And now that NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen, Ryan Blaney will be pushing for another win.