A packed room of family, friends, and racing fans celebrated a 90-year milestone for lifelong Watkins Glen resident James J. Scaptura, according to the Odessa File. The party unfolded Saturday at the International Motor Racing Research Center, capping off a birthday he marked Dec. 31.
Scaptura built deep ties to the village as a retired educator, current village historian, and devoted motorsports fan who attended Watkins Glen’s first road race. He later launched the Grand Prix Racer Walk of Fame and once led ticket sales during the county’s Grand Prix era.
Family members organized the celebration and praised him as a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather with a lifelong passion for racing history.
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