Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.
The first practice session was held on Friday, August 10, at 11:20 AM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3]Ricky Rudd, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.714 and an average speed of 122.989 miles per hour (197.932 km/h).[4]
The second practice session was held on Saturday, August 11, at 10:45 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3]Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.859 and an average speed of 121.056 miles per hour (194.821 km/h).[5]
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 11, at 12:10 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes.[3]Ron Fellows, driving for NEMCO Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:13.004 and an average speed of 120.815 miles per hour (194.433 km/h).[6]
Qualifying was held on Friday, August 10, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]
Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.884 and an average speed of 122.698 miles per hour (197.463 km/h).[8]
