Gary Sawtelle

Camping at The Glen was always our family vacations since I and my brother were very young – no matter what racing (F1, Indy, Cart, IMSA, Historics) was happening.  IndyCar ceased racing there in 2017 so I took Pops there in 2018 to do all the scenic things he never did (boat tour on Seneca Lake, museum downtown, beers at Rooster Fish, and of course: drive the old course) because our home base was always the track and we never ventured ‘outside’ the entire race weekend. It was all about the Glen experience!

We met some SCCA racers that night at the Lodge in 2018 and we went to see them race on Saturday.  I remember Pops telling me that he thought 2017 was his last year of seeing racing (F1, Indy, Cart, IMSA, Historics) at the Glen, and it would have been his 50th consecutive year of seeing racing at the Glen! but those awesome SCCA friends gave him one more race for his final goodbye to the Glen. It was truly heartwarming and gratifying to see his face light up driving him into the track. It is forever etched in my mind.

1967 — Watkins Glen Grand Prix (my Pops is just 16 years old, taller kid with brown curly hair just behind the right side of Jim Clark’s head- left side as you look at the picture).

2018 — a daughter-father weekend trip to stay at the fabulously famous Seneca Lodge.