Ahead of the race weekend at Watkins Glen, NASCAR has added a few new surprises for the fans and drivers. NASCAR fans have become used to seeing cars fly wide on Turn 1 at The Glen. Not sure that’s going to happen anymore.
NASCAR has added new barriers to Turn 1 and to the Carousel sections. Turn 1 will have tire bundles placed at different lengths away from each other and in relation to the track. As for the Carousel, that will be one long tire wall. That wall is angled and tapers from 20 feet off the racing surface down to only 5 feet off the racing surface.
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One of the heavy favorites this weekend, Shane van Gisbergen, has weighed in on the changes. When it comes to Turn 1, he believes that is all fine and dandy. It should help police the drivers and keep late-race restarts more controlled. The Carousel is where he has concerns.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) drives during the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
“The exit to the Carousel is a bit of a worry, the angle that it comes back on – my experience with those [tire] walls is that they grab cars and spit them out,” SVG told V8 Sleuth in Australia. “I don’t like the look of that, but smarter people (than me) have come up with those things.”
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For SVG, he will get a lot of lap time with these new barriers. He will race Truck, O’Reilly, and Cup Series races. It is his first triple-duty weekend. He wasn’t the only one who noticed the changes for this weekend.
Anthony Alfredo, driver for Viking Motorsports and a Hendrick Motorsports simulator driver, also noted the changes at Turn 1. He didn’t have any concerns exactly, but the new Turn 1 barriers were a little eye-opening for the driver. Not to mention, there are fans reacting online to how terrible the idea is, how great the idea is, and everything else in between.
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So, how many wrecks will end up in those barriers? To be fair to the NASCAR drivers themselves, NASCAR has let them get away with a lot. As a driver trying to win a race, you take every corner and shortcut you can get away with. In recent years, the sport has started to mind itself better on these road courses.
The tire barriers will keep drivers honest, but should some be worried? Hopefully, it ultimately means the racing is improved and we see great action throughout the entire weekend at Watkins Glen.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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