Fireworks will again fly when Watkins Glen International and the IndyCar Series team up for the fifth annual Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen in 2009. The July 3-5 event will mark the third straight year the premier open-wheel series in North America will compete at the Glen on Independence Day weekend.
The Glen was part of an 18-race 2009 schedule announced by the Indy Racing League last Wednesday. The Glen’s return comes after a strong showing with its IndyCar race earlier this month.
“We’ve just seen steady improvement at our Watkins Glen event,” Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the IRL, said during a conference call Wednesday. “(WGI President) Craig Rust and his team do a great job promoting that.”
By most accounts, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s victory at the Glen capped the most well-attended and best-organized IndyCar event held there thus far.
“This past Fourth of July we hosted one of our best IndyCar Series events to date and we are looking forward to working with the league, our sponsors and the community on building the momentum and continuing to grow the event in 2009,” Rust said in a news release. “Everyone from the league, especially the drivers, truly enjoys racing at the Glen and not only appreciates our famed racing heritage, but all the fans from around our region that come out and support this event.”
While the full 2009 schedule is similar in size to this year’s, it has grown in stature thanks to IndyCar’s unification with the Champ Car World Series in February.
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