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Southern Tier Life // ISSUE 06
WGI PRESIDENT WELCOMES RACE FANS BACK Written By: CHRIS BREWSTER
WGI, perennially one of the most popular venues for both fans and drivers, hosts four races starting Friday, Aug. 4, and culminating in the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at the Glen on Sunday, Aug. 6. That race marks the return of NASCAR’s biggest series, and the key word for Printup is excited. “Our team’s excited, the fans are excited, everyone’s ready,” he said. “We’re working with a short window – usually these take 6-8 months – but our team feels excited. “When you talk to the drivers, owners, corporate sponsors every year, they can’t wait to get to Watkins Glen. We always hear the same things – it’s so pretty, the track’s great, the fans are great. Everybody missed that last year, so the resounding statement is that they can’t wait.” The short turnaround time from the announcement by New York State allowing full attendance has accelerated the timetable, which has been felt more in one area than the others. MICHAEL PRINTUP WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
When you say someone wears their heart on their sleeve, it means they show how they feel rather than keeping them hidden.
“The hardest part has been recruiting help,” Printup said. “Staffing has been going through a very difficult period, and that’s everywhere. It’s been that way since January, and we just didn’t have a long enough runway to recruit.
It’s fair to say that Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup fits that description when talking about both the return of NASCAR to the track in 2021 and missing out on the race and its festivities in 2020.
The solution: Bringing in outside help. Printup said workers will be bussed in from as far as New York City and Buffalo, to make sure everyone in attendance – from fans to corporate sponsors – gets the experience they’ve come to expect at WGI.
“Obviously it’s a great feeling,” said Printup, track president at WGI since 2009, “because honestly, last year was borderline depressing.”
“The important thing is that we are not going to short-change the fans,” Printup said. “We’re not going to have 100% of the revenue but you’re
