SpeedWeek: Hamburg native set for his first race weekend as president of Watkins Glen International
Hamburg's Printup revved up at the Glen
How excited is Hamburg native Michael Printup about his first job as the top man at a race track coming at Watkins Glen International? Take your pick of metaphors or similes.
It’s “like a dream.” It’s a “goose bump moment.” It’s the “perfect milkshake.” To ascend to the role of president at the state’s only major venue of big-time auto racing is, “the gravy, the whipped cream, the cherry.”
Printup, 44, graduated from Hamburg in 1983 and attended Fredonia State until he bought his own business— the former Red House Inn that stood at the entrance to Allegany State Park—in 1986. He’s worked at major league sports venues all over the country, and for the last nine years he’s worked for International Speedway Corporation, which owns the Glen as well as 12 other tracks. His last stop was at Michigan International Speedway, where he was senior director of facility development.
This week he’ll play host as track president for the first time as the Glen holds one of its premier events, the Indy Car Series’ Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.
“I put this in the ‘unbelievable’ category,” said Printup, whose mother, brother and sister all still live in Hamburg while another brother lives in Oneida. “When I joined this company in 2000, I didn’t have a dream of where I wanted to be. There are only 22 tracks that host Sprint Cup events. When you look at what happened, what a place to get it. Being here is just fantastic.”
Printup says his family has lived “from California to Boston to Providence to Michigan to New York City,” but for now his home seems to be “Northwest Airlines, Delta or USAir.” He’s staying at hotels either in Corning or Watkins Glen while commuting back and forth to Michigan to see his wife of 16 years, Stephanie, and two boys, Brendan, 11, and Matthew, 5. The family will eventually move to the area encompassing Corning, Watkins Glen and Horseheads.
Before becoming president of the Glen, Printup hoped his permanent return to his home state would tie in with what had been his most high-profile job. That was as the point man for International Speedway Corporation’s attempt to build a NASCAR-ready track in New York City.
ISC purchased 700 acres on Staten Island—which it still owns and Printup still monitors—where it hoped to build a track for Sprint Cup events. That was, until planning got bogged down in politics. ISC made the decision in mid-2007 to abandon the project.
“It was beyond a learning experience,” said Printup, whose experience included a caricature of himself being printed in the New York Post. “I think it was ignorance that people [in New York City] don’t realize the economic impact of a speedway. We could have added a $500 million economic impact to New York City. If we would have walked in there last month and were pushing this, perhaps people would have listened. I think we were ahead of our time, and many people just didn’t understand our sport.”
Printup said his lobbying battles in the Big Apple might lead to help for the Glen.
“There’s very large potential there—I would meet [in New York City] with sports car guys down there who were driving at Watkins Glen,” said Printup, who would drive upstate to the Glen to attend races with his eldest son when he lived in New York City. “I met a lot of contacts and corporations, through my lobbying friends in Albany and New York City. Hopefully that can give us a push here in Watkins Glen.”
And the other corner of the state is his home turf. Printup would love to get his hometown teams involved with the Glen.
“Let’s get Trent Edwards and T. O. on the starting grid,” he said. “I’m a huge fan of the Bills and Sabres. With Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton, we have a complete horseshoe around us here at the Glen. We have a great opportunity to tap into different markets. Hopefully I can talk to some old friends in Buffalo.”
This weekend Printup will have a personal guide to the presidency during race week in Craig Rust, who has moved on to the president’s office at Chicagoland Speedway after seven years leading the Glen.
“The best way to describe [my approach this weekend] is to stay out of everybody’s way,” Printup said. “Craig did an unbelievable job up here and his team is unbelievable. I’m lucky enough that Craig will be here this weekend, so it will be a handoff weekend.”
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