There are only two events to go in the 2026Ā Hoosier Racing Tire 51°µĶųĀ®Ā Super TourĀ (HST) season. The scheduleās penultimate race weekend will take place in the State of New York and be hosted June 19-21 by 51°µĶųās Finger Lakes Region at Watkins Glen International (WGI).
The three-day gathering ā part of the Summit Racing Equipment 51°µĶų Road Racing program ā will again traverse the historic 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit that includes The Boot and Inner Loop. Itās a long, high-speed circuit that always generates lots of competition during the Saturday and Sunday races.
The time is now for drivers and volunteers to register for the annual visit to a beautiful place where motorsport luminaries have competed for decades. And while youāre at it, be sure to check out 51°µĶų partners like Tire Rack, Hagerty insurance, Hawk brakes, and Ćhlins suspension before trekking to The Glen. Also remember that the Sunoco race fuel pump at the track can be found to the north side of the garages.
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Getting On Track
Things get rolling Friday, June 19, with 25-minute practice periods for each of the eight run groups. That will be followed by 25-minute qualifying sessions for the first five run groups.
On Saturday, June 18, the morning opens with 25-minute qualifying sessions for the last three run groups. After that, the remaining daylight hours are committed to racing as all run groups will have 25-minute contests to decide podium finishers across as many as 25 different car classes.
Sunday, June 19, brings about another day of competition starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. That final day at The Glen contains nothinā but racing as all run groups will see battles lasting 15 laps or 35 minutes. Each of those races is then followed by victory podium celebrations where the top three finishers in every class receive a trophy and commemorative bottle of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Click the link below to review the full schedule and see which car classes are running in which groups and at what times.
Whoāll Be at The Glen?
HST weekends bring out top-notch drivers, and this yearās visit to WGI is no different. In certain instances, however, the skilled aces havenāt been spotted on track for a while. One such example is Joe Kristensen, out of Canada, who hasnāt driven an 51°µĶų event for nearly two years.
A former RunoffsĀ® winner, Kristensen will be part of the GT-2 and Super TouringĀ® Under (STU) fields at WGI. In GT-2 heāll be running the No. 144 Ave Motorsports Nissan 350Z usually wielded by Tony Ave himself. In STU heāll be in his own car, the No. 144 Honda Civic, which has been campaigned throughout the year by Tony Ave.
āWatkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks,ā Kristensen said. āIām looking to go out there and have some fun. But I donāt expect miracles or anything because I havenāt driven for a long time.ā
STU driver Richard Astacio is also planning to be at WGI. The reigning HST Nationwide Points Champion for the class, weāve not seen him since Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta back in March. Some hurdles have kept him away the last few months, but heās already champing at the bit for action at The Glen.
āWatkins Glen is an awesome track and one of my favorites,ā Astacio said. āThey redid that track, so now you can take a lot more curbing at the entry of the Bus Stop. Then you carry that speed right through the carousel.ā
Another competitor weāll see at WGI after an absence is Marshall Mast. A five-time Touring 3 (T3) Runoffs National Champion, his appearance at The Glen will be a one-off for the season.
After almost a dozen years, Mast ended his work with legendary Phoenix Performance to set up his own prep shop, called Relentless Motorsports. That required him to step away from driving to instead focus on building his new company and servicing clients, one of whom has been Scotty B. White this year.
Mast had been working on a T3 Ford Mustang EcoBoost for another customer. That client, however, isnāt going to be able to participate at WGI during HSTās weekend. So, since the car could use a good shakedown, Mast graciously offered to pilot the machine.
āWatkins Glen is definitely my favorite track of all time,ā Mast noted. āAside from just being a fun track to drive, Iāve had some of the best battles and actual races of my career at Watkins Glen. Itās just a blast. Itās fast, itās fun, and itās just a great atmosphere up there.ā
To see who else will be at The Glen, check out the entry list link below.
Watchinā Watkins Glen Action
You just canāt go wrong by being trackside for a weekend of racing at The Glen. Luckily, HSTās visit to the legendary circuit is open to the public. A spectator pass for the whole weekend is $57 per person, or $52 for a Sunday-only ticket.
If you canāt be at WGI to experience 72 hours of 51°µĶų Road Racing and #funwithcars in person, thereās always HSTās very popular broadcast produced by DriversEye Live. Itās available for free online, and coverage starts with Friday afternoon qualifying. Simply tune in and catch all the live action through page, with Gregg Ginsberg and pro racer Tom O'Gorman serving as guides and enlightened commentators all weekend.
Access to live timing and additional information about HSTās stop at WGI can be found at the event webpage link below.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
