Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart says that Watkins Glen was a unique stop off for F1 drivers more used to a jet-set lifestyle and glamorous locations.
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There was tragedy too, though. Stewart's Tyrrell teammate Francois Cevert was killed after crashing during qualifying for the 1973 US Grand Prix.
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Many of the sports most famous drivers won at Watkins Glen including Canada's Gilles Villeneuve who took the checkered flag in 1979.
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Spectators would turn up in their thousands, Stewart recalls -- the Scot likened the atmosphere at Watkins Glen to a music festival.
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Mario Andretti never won the US Grand Prix at "The Glen" but he was crowned F1 world champion in 1978.
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Andretti remains the last American to win motorsport's premier race series.
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James Hunt won back-to-back US Grand Prix in 1976 -- the year he won the F1 world title -- and the following year.