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28-399: The first Watkins Glen Grand Prix was held in 1948 on a 6.6-mile course around Watkins Glen State Park and the village of Watkins Glen . Cameron Argetsinger , a Cornell law student and SCCA member, organized the event along with the local Chamber of Commerce. The 8-lap, 52.8-mile race was won by Frank Griswold in a pre-war Alfa Romeo 8C . In 1950, three spectators were injured during

56-725: A historic property or district in Schuyler County , New York , that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . United SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship , currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by

84-614: A name submitted through a contest won by Louis Satterlee of Florida, a racer in the Florida Karting Championship Series. On August 9, 2013, Fox Sports 1 announced it had signed a TV contract with IMSA to televise the entire USCC season between 2014 and 2018. Later, on September 12, 2013, Tudor was announced as the title sponsor for the series, which was named the United SportsCar Championship. On August 8, 2015, WeatherTech

112-587: A second three-hour event. By 1986 , the event was shortened altogether, and became a single 500 mile race, then shortened once more in 1987 to just 500 km. For several years IMSA kept the Continental as a 500 km race for prototypes in the summer, and the 500 km New York 500 for grand tourers in autumn. IMSA chose to drop the New York 500 in 1992 , retaining the Continental as an event just for prototypes until 1995 . In 1996, IMSA restored

140-471: A support race, and driver Sam Collier was killed during the Grand Prix. The 1951 event became a part of the new SCCA National Sports Car Championship series. In 1952, twelve spectators were injured and one killed when a car left the circuit in the village. This led organizers to move the course to a hillside southwest of Watkins Glen for 1953. Drivers complained of poor visibility and run-off, prompting

168-689: The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It is a result of a merger between two existing North American sports car racing series, the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series . At its inception, the name was United SportsCar Championship , which subsequently changed to IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2016. Rolex SA 's Tudor brand was the championship's title sponsor in 2014 and 2015, and since 2016 WeatherTech has served as title sponsor. The season begins with its premier race,

196-833: The Rolex 24 at Daytona , the last weekend of January and ends with the Petit Le Mans , another North American Endurance Cup race, in early October. On September 5, 2012, it was announced that the Grand-Am Road Racing sanctioning body would merge with the Braselton -based International Motor Sports Association , and as such, both bodies would merge their premiere sports car series, the Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series respectively, with plans to debut in 2014. On November 20, 2012,

224-643: The United SportsCar Championship after the merger and is somewhat comparable to the old Trans Am Series . There are four classes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship series, featuring two sports prototype categories and two grand tourer classes. Some races may only use selected classes of cars, for example: Any class car may be permitted entry at Daytona , while at the Northeast Grand Prix only

252-714: The 2017 Le Mans Prototype LMP2 cars. Previously, the DPi's had competed against their base LMP2 counterparts in the Prototype class from 2017 to 2018. Starting in 2019 the LMP2 cars were split into a separate class. The Prototype class had originally consisted of Grand-Am 's Daytona Prototypes with the American Le Mans Series LMP2 prototypes , and the DeltaWing , before the original Daytona Prototypes, and

280-406: The 2020 race to be moved to Road Atlanta , as New York state authorities would not allow NASCAR Holdings to host events. ^1 Race record for distance covered. Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, 1948%E2%80%931952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, 1948–1952 is a historic Sports Car Club of America auto race track located at Watkins Glen in Schuyler County, New York . It includes

308-572: The American Le Mans Series would continue as is, although the cars were to switch to Grand-Am's Continental Tires . The GT class of the American Le Mans Series would remain unchanged, while Grand-Am's GT class will form another GT class, and be combined with the American Le Mans GTC category. The only category of cars not represented in the new series is the American Le Mans Series' P1 category. The reveal date for

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336-578: The DPi class (2019–2022), it features pro-am driver lineups. The class features cars built by Automobile Club de l'Ouest 's (ACO) 4 licensed manufacturers ( Riley - Multimatic , Ligier , Oreca and Dallara ) to the specifications of the FIA /ACO 2017 Global LMP2 regulations. A class that utilizes the FIA GT3 specifications that replaced the GTLM class starting in the 2022 Season. No driver class restriction in

364-748: The DeltaWing were phased out of competition at the end of 2016, and replaced by the new DPi cars. Starting in 2023, the DPi class was replaced by the Grand Touring Prototype ( GTP ) class in an effort to further improve the racing in the Prototype class, as well as create a closer bond to the FIA World Endurance Championship . The former flagship class of the championship from 2014 to 2018 before splitting into two separate classes in 2019, featuring cars built to which included classes of prototypes carried over from

392-539: The GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) and GT Daytona (GTD) are entered. Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes are compatible with regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans . The flagship class of the championship that replaced the DPi (Daytona Prototype International) class starting in 2023, featuring cars built to IMSA's LMDh and Automobile Club de l'Ouest 's Le Mans Hypercar regulations. A class introduced since 2019 after being split from

420-579: The GTD Pro class. A class since 2016 that uses same specification cars as GTD Pro, but at least 1 silver or bronze driver must be in a team. And more than 1 platinum driver in a team is prohibited. There were five classes formerly used in the IMSA SportsCar Championship series, featuring four sports prototype categories and one grand tourer class. The former flagship class of the championship from 2019 to 2022, featuring cars built to IMSA's Daytona Prototype International regulations, which are based upon

448-634: The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, this class of prototypes features cars built according to ACO's 2020 LMP3 Generation II ruleset specifications from manufacturers such as Ligier , ADESS , Ginetta & Duqueine Engineering. The class was removed after the 2023 season due to the growth in grid sizes. A continuation of the ALMS GT class, it consisted of cars matching the ACO's GTE specification and competed in

476-663: The WSC from 1968 until 1981 , traditionally held during the summer. With the track's bankruptcy and the FIA 's decision not to return the World Championship to the United States in 1982, the event was not held again until 1984. It returned as an event for the IMSA Camel GT Championship . Under the control of IMSA, the event was radically altered and shortened. In the 1984 running, a break

504-595: The Watkins Glen event to its historic format, combining prototypes and grand tourers once again. By 1998 , Watkins Glen chose to schedule the Six Hours as part of the new United States Road Racing Championship . This championship change was short lived, as the USSRC folded during the 1999 season prior to their second running at Watkins Glen, leaving an FIA GT Championship event as the year's sportscar headliner. In

532-691: The cable home to the series. Originally based on a Canadian series before being acquired by Grand-Am, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (originally known as Grand-Am Cup) is a production-based touring car series. The series is split into two classes known as Grand Sport (GS), intended for large capacity GT-style cars, and Street Tuner (ST), consisting of smaller sedans and coupes, some of which are front-wheel drive . The IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge until 2013 supported some Rolex Series races but also headlined some of its own dates. This series continued with

560-639: The construction of a permanent circuit, today called Watkins Glen International , in 1956. In 1963, the race switched to the SCCA 's new series, the United States Road Racing Championship . In 1968, the race was expanded to six hours, and joined the World Sportscar Championship . Along with the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring , the Six Hours of Watkins Glen served as an American round of

588-479: The following season in 2019. This was a one-make spec class in which all cars that drivers and teams used were Oreca FLM09 LMPC's powered by 6.2L Chevrolet V8 engines which made 430 hp each. This class would be used from the 2014 season until the end of the 2017 season. Introduced in the 2021 season, having been in the IMSA Prototype Challenge category as one of the feeder series to

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616-471: The merger committee announced that SME Branding were selected to develop the name, logo and identity of the new series. On January 8, 2013, the two series' announced a preliminary class structure for the new merged series. Grand-Am's Daytona Prototype category and IMSA's P2 would combine into a single-prototype class, with allowances for the unique DeltaWing to also compete in the new class. The Le Mans Prototype Challenge class of single spec cars from

644-528: The new series was March 14, 2013 at the Chateau Élan Hotel and Conference Center at Sebring International Raceway , two days before the 12 Hours of Sebring . American Le Mans CEO Scott Atherton announced the new sanctioning body would remain IMSA while Ed Bennett revealed the new titles for the series' five classes. SME Branding Senior Partner Ed O'Hara then announced the new United SportsCar Racing title and logo,

672-628: The previous motorsport category series of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series . These cars were Daytona Prototypes , LMP2 prototypes & the Nissan DeltaWing . Starting in 2017 the original Daytona Prototypes, and the DeltaWing were phased out of competition, and replaced by the new DPi cars. At the end of the 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season this class would be split into two separate classes, DPi & LMP2 for

700-418: The public rights of way that constituted the route of the original 6.6-mile (10.6 km) Watkins Glen Grand Prix course used from 1948 to 1952. After a car left the road in the 1952 race, killing one spectator and injuring several others, the race was moved to a new location on a wooded hilltop southwest of town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. This article about

728-587: The wake of USRRC's collapse, the Grand American Road Racing Championship took control of the event, and retained the Six Hours since 2000 as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series . In 2014 after the merger of Grand-AM and the ALMS sports car series, IMSA regained control of the event under the United SportsCar Championship . The format of the race remains the same as it was under Grand-Am operation. The COVID-19 pandemic caused

756-647: Was announced as the new title sponsor for the series, renaming the series to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, starting with the 2016 season. Beginning with the 2019 season, the series is covered exclusively by NBC Sports in the United States. The NBC broadcast network will air nine hours of coverage annually, with the majority of the coverage airing on NBCSN . CNBC and the NBC Sports app will provide supplemental coverage. Beginning with 2022, USA Network replaced NBCSN as

784-541: Was held after three hours before the race began again and completed the next three hours. This event became known as the Camel Continental . A second event later in the year was also held lasting for just three hours or 500 kilometers, and was known as the New York 500 . The Continental was modified once more in 1985 , this time running sports prototypes in one three-hour event, and grand tourer cars in

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