National Championship Air Races wrap up Roswell Air Center debut

Earlier in the summer, the withdrawal of the popular Unlimited and Sport classes raised concerns about the event’s ability to regain its former glory. Organizers, however, have said they are confident those classes will return for next year’s competition, and also shared the encouraging news that the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team will perform during race week in 2026.

“We would like to congratulate all of our racers on a safe and hugely successful week of events and celebrate our newly minted Gold and Silver race winners in their classes,” said Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association, which has produced the event for decades. “Despite a weather upset on Saturday which led to us halting operations early, we are beyond proud of this year’s inaugural event and eternally thankful to our partners, sponsors and the great people of New Mexico who helped make this year a success.”

Race week includes practice, qualifying heats, and finals that culminate with Gold races traditionally held on Sunday, the final day of competition. Pilots also competed for top honors in the Silver category.

Gold winners included Josh Watson in the Formula 1 class, flying an aircraft named Fraed Naught with a winning speed of 251 miles per hour; Tom Marden, Biplane class, flying Second Hand at 220 mph; Bob McCormack, Jet class, in Athena, 483 mph; and Chris Lefave, T–6 class, Midnight Miss III, 238 mph.

Silver winners included Andy Mack, Formula 1, Cheap Thrills, 211 mph; Jeffrey Lo, Biplane, Miss Dianne, 192 mph; and Mark Davis, Jet, Czechmate, 431 mph.

In the STOL Drag category, first place went to Steve Henry, who clocked an average time of 53.96 seconds and the fastest time of 53.41 seconds. Eddie Sanches was runner-up with an average time of 56.94 seconds and the second-fastest run at 55.78 seconds.

In addition to racing, the week’s attractions included performances by Jim Peitz Airshows, the Smoke-N-Thunder Jet Car, and Foxjet Sailplane, the historic Boeing B–29 Fifi, and an F-16 Fighting Falcon from New Mexico’s Holloman Air Force Base.

According to the RARA website, the event typically attracts “around 120,000 attendees over the 5-day event.” A spokesperson for the group said it is working to determine the total attendance at Roswell.