FAQ

Common questions

MEMBERSHIP

The Inner Loop will be limited to 60 driving members. After that, we will keep a waiting list, and new members will only be admitted if and when an existing member resigns.
The Inner Loop charges one flat fee for the entire season, currently $11,000 for the 2027 season. That flat fee covers the expenses for everything that happens at the track on Club days, including track fees, track support services (see other FAQ for description of these), driving coaches, catering and beverage services, concierge services, and clubhouse comfort services such as chair massages. The optional Arrive and Drive services (see other FAQ for description of these) is currently $700 per month, or $3,000 for the season, subject to any price changes by the third party providing them. Most all the services will be available day one, although a few will await until we reach our target membership for economic reasons.
There is no initiation fee for members who join in 2026. After that, an initiation fee may be implemented, the amount of which will be determined by demand and market norms. Why take the chance?
The biggest reason to join early is to secure a garage. Garages are assigned by seniority, and there aren't enough garages for every member. Also, there is no initiation fee for the inaugural members - members who join in 2026. That won't last as the word spreads about the Inner Loop.
Yes, the Inner Loop will have reciprocity with Drivers Clubs at other major racetracks on the east coast. As of 8/1/26, we have confirmed reciprocity with the members-only clubs at Road Atlanta, Virginia International (VIR), and Lime Rock. And we are optimistic that more will be coming.
Half the annual fee is due upon being accepted as a member, and the balance is due by March 31 of the current season. For renewals, half the annual fee will be due by November 1, and the balance due by March 31. For the convenience of our members, we hope to implement soon auto-deduct payment plans for renewals. Details to come during our inaugural season in 2027.
The Club will publish the track dates for the coming year as soon as they are finalized by WGI, typically by late Sept or early October. A preliminary schedule is on our website and WGI has indicated they will do everything they can to keep our dates consistent from year to year. However, year-to-year changes to the NASCAR schedule, IMSA Schedule, and other major events can change our target schedule, so nothing is final until the dates are locked in the Fall.

That all said, the reality is that not all members are going to make every Club track event date. The annual fee of the Club was set to provide a competitive daily price per track day even if the member ends up missing a few Club track days. Also, the annual renewal deadline of Oct 31 was chosen so members can see the schedule before deciding to renew for the coming year. Members can decide then whether the number of days they are likely to attend are worth the annual fee. Members are also advised that, should they decide to resign, they will forfeit their seniority as it relates to garage assignments, and they will be subject to any membership waiting lists should they desire to return at a future date.

Driving On Track

We will provide a minimum of 6 hours of track time each and every Club Day. Some days will be 7 hours. There are no defined run groups, and advanced drivers can go out as frequently and however long they want and feel safe doing. Intermediate drivers will be limited to the intermediate/low power time periods, even if they have a high-powered car, until such time as they are cleared by the Chief Instructor to run with the Advanced drivers. Even then, there will be at least three hours of Intermediate time allocated every Club Day. And The Club will have HPDE instructors and coaches on staff to facilitate the intermediate driver’s development into the Advanced group.
There are no fixed track sessions and no run groups. This is Open Track. The track goes green at 9AM until lunch, and then green again after lunch until 5PM. Drivers can go out at any time, as many times as they like, and stay out as long, or short, as they wish.
In general, there are typically 10-15 cars on track at any one time. With no set schedule, cars will be going on and coming off track all the time, and never will all cars be out on track at once. With only 60 member drivers, we will see that traffic ranges from a low of three or four cars on track to a high of 25 or so cars on track at one time. Compare that to 30-minute run groups with 60+ cars per group!
It is in everyone's interest, both for safety and for driver enjoyment, to manage the speed differentials of the group. We do so without fixed run group times by encouraging intermediates and lower powered cars to gravitate toward specific times, and leave advanced drivers to choose whether to adjust their times accordingly. The advanced driver may choose to avoid slower traffic altogether or maybe start toward the end of the intermediate time period and warm up the car and tires. With only 60 members on an open track schedule, there aren't that many cars on track at any one time so a lot of this is unnecessary. However, it helps to establish the expectation just in case. If this sounds new to you, have confidence that we have been running this format for over a decade and it works incredibly well and is very safe. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about it.
The Inner Loop is not really a place for novices. We would encourage drivers that are new to the sport to take advantage of the many great HPDE organizations that have explicit novice run groups. Once they get to intermediate level at a recognized HPDE organization they are welcome to join The Inner Loop as an intermediate, subject to the Chief Instructor's sign off. As a member, we will provide access to coaches and mentors to assist in that driver's continued development into an Advanced Driver so that he/she may enjoy all the privileges thereof. If you have any question about your qualifications to join the Inner Loop, we'd invite you to discuss it further with our Chief Instructor.
Garages are assigned each year based on member seniority. Once assigned a garage, a Member will have the same garage for the balance of the club year. As there are only 50 garages available, not all members will have a garage. Members without a garage assignment are encouraged to park together near the south end of the garage (the Little Speed Shop end of the garage) to receive their paddock support services.

If a member with a garage is unable to attend that event, their garage may be assigned to another member without a garage for that event only, again based on seniority. Guests will not be assigned garages, but can double up in the garage of their sponsoring member.
Yes, there is a professional race shop right in the garages of WGI, provided by The Little Speed Shop. Their racing services team are top notch, used by professionals and enthusiasts alike, with experience across a wide range of performance brands and models. They are a full-service mechanical shop and are quite good at getting cars back on track if something goes wrong. They can do tire work, brake work, suspension repairs/adjustments, fluid changes, drive train diagnostics and more, all on site. There is only so much they can do same day without parts supplies, but that's why track car guys carry spares. For a two-day event, they have been known to arrange overnight shipping of parts so a breakdown on Day 1 doesn't mean the entire loss of Day 2. They can also arrange transport of your vehicle to their full race shop in Rochester - about 90 minutes away - if your car needs more extensive work than can be done on site.
Absolutely. Each member is given four driving-guest passes a season. The daily fee for a driving guest is currently $575 per day, subject to change from time to time. That's less per day than a member pays, we know, but we also know how nice it is to share great driving experiences with your friends. So guest privileges are also a member benefit. We will limit the number of driving guests allowed to attend any single club day just so we don't crowd the track. And driving guests should have some track experience - we are not an organization for novices. For intermediates, we can provide in-car instructors if needed for a modest fee, and they will be limited to track times that are prioritized for less experienced drivers. Driving guests will be limited to a maximum of four guest days in his or her lifetime. If they want to come any more than that, we will welcome them as a member of The Inner Loop when slots open up.
Yes, Members and their driving guests can bring a passenger in their right seat. Passengers must be another member or registered guest, and sign the necessary waivers and releases of both WGI and the Club before getting their passenger wristband. The Driver is responsible for ensuring that the Guest has the appropriate equipment for the guest’s safety.

Member Services

The Club Concierge is available to assist Members with any dining, lodging, entertainment, or logistic needs connected to schedule Club Events at WGI. The Concierge can also help you find a pro-coach for a full day, or arrange transport or service for your track vehicle.

The Club Concierge is available to Members or their designated representative during the business day from mid April through the end of the Club Season, typically late September. While the Concierge can assist with activities for your Guests, we kindly ask that guests go through the Member with the initial requests (if not a live request made during a Track Day), and that Guest be mindful that the needs of other Members take priority.

The Concierge may not take a Member’s credit card information or password-protected account information (e.g., Resy or Open Table). If the concierge is unable to secure reservations without such information, the Concierge will confirm availability and provide the Member with necessary information and contact details to complete the reservations themselves.
The Paddock Support personnel are there to take care of the light support work of a track day so you have more time to enjoy the Club House and the company of the other members. In between sessions, they will make sure you car’s tire pressures are set, assist with refueling, make sure your chillout system had ice. As you prepare to go out, they’ll assist you with your safety gear, and getting strapped in to your vehicle, and pause traffic for you as you exit the garage. When you come in, they’ll help you unstrap and exit the vehicle, get you a water, and hail the shuttle to the club house. Paddock Support personnel cannot perform any mechanical service and won’t be authorized to drive your car, but they can meet you at the fuel pump so you don’t have to get out, and can arrange for the Little Speed Shop to move your car to the service bay if you need immediate maintenance service. We intend to have one Paddock Support person for every 10-12 drivers.
The Arrive and Drive service is provided by and contracted with The Little Speed Shop directly. They are the race service shop located at the end of south end of the Paddock Garage. For a flat monthly fee, currently $700/mo in 2026, they will store your track car in between events and have it in your garage bay at your next WGI event – washed, inspected, and ready to go. They will also keep and manage your parts inventory (tires, brake pads, spare parts) so you don’t need to bring anything with you to your track days. If your track car needs maintenance service between events that can’t be performed at their WGI location, your monthly fee includes any transportation needed to/from their race shop in Rochester, NY. And, there is no extra charge to have your car ready and delivered to other WGI track days you might participate in outside of the Inner Loop Club. If you want to have your car available for an event other than WGI, they can arrange transport for you, or you can collect the car yourself and then bring it back when convenient. A full season of support works out to about $3,000…an absolute bargain, especially for drivers from southern states that might consider making Watkins Glen their home track for the summer.
Absolutely. The Inner Loop Club was designed to revolutionize the Guest experience at a track day. Traditionally, track days were not all that enjoyable for guests. Guests were often relegated to a camp chair in the paddock, exposed to the sun and heat (or rain), with nothing to really do while you went out on track or worked on your car. At the Inner Loop Club House, guests have a place to relax, eat and drink, and engage with others. They can enjoy the climate-controlled comfort of the Club House, including its premium catering, wandering between the seating indoors and the covered decks and seating outdoors as their mood – and the weather – dictate. They can chat with others over a beverage, or grab a chair massage, or find a comfortable lawn chair for some alone time to read a book or take a call. They can also work with the Club Concierge to arrange an enjoyable day of activities in the world-famous Finger Lakes region, and find a great place for dinner nearby (they do exist if you know where to look.) The modest daily guest fee covers everything for your guest to have a great day.
Inner Loop Club track events are going to be scheduled as Monday/Tuesday events. This way, Members living as much as 5 – 6 hours driving distance from WGI can arrive Sunday night, drive on track for two days, and get home Tuesday night in time to put the kids to bed.

With the Arrive and Drive service, those even further afield can easily fly in for a Club Event and fly home when it’s over. The Rochester, NY airport (ROC), about 90-minute drive from the Glen, has nearly 50 arrivals a day, direct flights to/fr over 25 cities, and is served by every major commercial airline. A Member can drive on track until 330PM on Tuesday, leave their track car in their garage bay for the Little Speed Shop to handle, and easily catch the last flight home that night.
While not included as part of the annual membership fee, the Inner Loop Club intends to arrange a variety of non-driving events throughout the year based on members’ interests and geographic concentration. In the Finger Lakes area, we envision curated food and wine events during Club track events, tickets and hospitality tied to the major races at WGI, private art events, and group outings to see musical talent and theater performances. In the larger metropolitan areas where we have critical mass of members, we are envisioning additional food and wine events, auto collector events, and maybe some special interest events around common interests of our members, such as fine watches or fashion or wellness. We expect a club of this nature will attract Members with a wide range of passions, along with the intellectual curiosity to explore the interests and hobbies of fellow members. The non-driving activities of the Club will develop organically as the membership and the club’s culture evolves. We look forward to seeing this aspect of the Club experience evolve with it.