This is the reason I did not attend last year (2016). My wife and I attended the Phelps Mustang Rally in 2014 and 2015, and this has become our favorite show car event - more so than the Carlisle Ford Nationals. The small nature of the event only for Mustangs, in the small town of Phelps made this event quite enjoyable. We had every intention of attending the 2016 event but when the Watkins Glen event was cancelled, this removed my personal favorite event of the entire weekend. We enjoyed ALL the events (e.g. Watkins Glen, the car show and parade, and the poker run). The Watkins Glen event is the ONLY time I get to open up my Shelby and legally speed, and it was a pure joy to participate in. I was doubly disappointed when the 2016 Mustang Rally was to allow a second set of laps at Watkins Glen, to which I gladly paid the extra fee - only to be doubly disappointed by the resulting cancellation.
Speaking only for me, it is that important to me to have the Watkins Glen event as part of the Mustang Rally. Because of my two years of experience with the Mustang Rally in 2014 and 2015 which INCLUDED the Watkins Glen event, the Friday Watkins Glen has become synonymous with the Mustang Rally. What an awesome joy it was to have Mustangs of all vintages on the track! If you have any influence on the Phelps organizing committee, please urge them to reschedule the Mustang Rally to a week where NASCAR is not running at the 'Glen.
My thoughts.