Unlimited Class Withdraws From National Championship Air Races

Moving from Reno, Nevada, the 2025 event is scheduled for September in Roswell, New Mexico.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Meg Godlewski

A P-51 Mustang, part of the Unlimited Class, sits on the ramp at the 2021 National Championship Air Races at Reno, Nevada. [FLYING Magazine Archive]

Key Takeaways:

The National Championship Air Races (NCAR) are relocating to Roswell Air Center Airport (KROW), New Mexico, for the first time on September 10-14, 2025, after operating in Reno from 1964-2024 due to urban development.
The prominent Unlimited Class, featuring modified warbirds, and the Sport Class have withdrawn from the 2025 event but are working with organizers for a planned return in 2026.
Despite the absence of some classes, the 2025 races will proceed as a "transition year" with jets, T-6s, biplanes, STOL demos, and warbird displays, held at a newly prepared site.

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The Unlimited Class, usually populated by modified warbirds and slick modern designs, has withdrawn from the 2025 National Championship Air Races (NCAR). This year the races will be conducted for the first time at Roswell Air Center Airport (KROW) on September 10-14.

The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) operates the event, which, as the name implies, was in Nevada from 1964-2024. The races were first run at a small dirt strip known as Sky Ranch then relocated to the Reno-Stead Airport (KRTS), a former Air Force base.