Watkins Glen NASCAR weekend changes as expected

The 2010 season at Watkins Glen International has not yet come to an end but the excitement continues to build for 2011. Officials for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule earlier today and confirmed that the Zippo 200 will join the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on the new event weekend, August 11-14, 2011. The Zippo 200 has been paired with the Sprint Cup Series since 2005 and will be held on Saturday, August 13. Tickets are scheduled to go on-sale to the general public in November, while fans that purchased tickets in 2010 can renew their seats or camping in September.

Marcos Ambrose claimed his third consecutive Zippo 200 on Saturday, August 7, and joined Terry Labonte as the only drivers to capture three straight NASCAR Nationwide Series at The Glen. The Tazmanian-native started from the pole in the No. 47 Kwik Fill/Red Apple/Zippo Toyota and dominated the field by leading over half the laps in route to crossing the finish line 2.834 seconds ahead of runner-up Joey Logano. Labonte’s winning streak in the then NASCAR Busch Series race ran from 1994 through 1996.

During this year’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen event weekend, Zippo Manufacturing Company announced that they will renew their partnership with WGI and remain the title sponsor for the Zippo 200. The three-year agreement continues a partnership between Zippo and the legendary road course that started with the annual U.S. Vintage Grand Prix in 1993.