The first serious attempt to revive sports car racing in the U.S. after WWII was at Watkins Glen, NY in 1948. Here the cars lined up, side-by-side, on the main street of this Finger Lakes resort town for the start of the race on public streets. For the first few years, they ran the race on a 6.6-mile course through the town. Many of the ARCA competitors came there to race and formed the Sports Car Club of America to sanction events. After a spectator fatality in 1952, they set a new course up outside of town, also using existing roads.
In 1956, they unveiled a permanent course, and the track is one of the premier racing facilities in the world. They still use Watkins Glen today as a major road course race on the NASCAR circuit.
