The Unlimited Class, usually populated by modified warbirds and slick modern designs, has withdrawn from the 2025 National Championship Air Races (NCAR).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.
RARA made the decision to relocate the races after encroachment by housing tracts and other civilian development made continuing the event at KRTS problematic.
“The Unlimited Class is one of our most iconic, so we are obviously disappointed,” said Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of RARA. “While they won’t be able to join us for our inaugural year in Roswell, we look forward to working closely with the class after this event to ensure their accreditation and return at NCAR 2026.”
As many air racing fans know, the Unlimited Class is usually the showcase for the modified World War II aircraft, such as the ever-popular P-51 North American Mustangs, Hawker Sea Furies, and Grumman F8F Bearcats. The aircraft have an unmistakable, unique noise signature that can’t fully be blocked out even with noise-canceling ear protection.
The rules stipulate the aircraft must be capable of pulling 6 Gs as they race over the course at an altitude of less than 200 feet agl. These planes often reach speeds greater than 500 mph as they tear around the pylons.
“The decision not to participate in the 2025 National Championship Air Races was not made lightly,” said Steven Hinton, spokesperson for the Unlimited Class. “The Unlimiteds are deeply woven into the fabric of air racing, and though we’re unable to participate this year, we look forward to working with RARA toward our return to the races in 2026.”
What to Expect in September
Fred Telling, chairman/CEO of RARA, said this will be a transition year, noting that so much has been done to prepare the course in a relatively short amount of time.
“Only one-third of the course is on airport property,” Telling said. “Two-thirds is on the Brown Brothers Ranch, which has been owned by the Hollifield family since 1905. There is a letter of agreement with the city of Roswell to allow the races for at least 30 years.”
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According to Telling, the state of New Mexico and the city of Roswell have worked very hard to prepare the site and make it more conducive for both the racers and the spectators. For starters, power lines that crossed the course have been buried, and those that parallel the race area now feature marker balls to make them more visible.
“We also have 80 acres of dirt that was chip-sealed and 200 RV parking spots that have both power and water,” he said.
Telling said the race site selection committee had a list of considerations when it went looking for a new race venue.
“We needed a flat, safe race area,” he said. “We needed a city with a large emergency services presence that could provide immediate care for over 100 people, just in case there is an accident [such as the crash of Galloping Ghost in 2011].”
That aircraft was a highly modified P-51D. It was traveling at over 400 mph when it nosedived into the apron in front of box seating and disintegrated on impact. The pilot and 10 spectators were killed. Another 69 were injured, some seriously, as they suffered traumatic amputation from the shrapnel that had been an airplane.
Although Unlimited Class and Sport Class, as previously reported earlier this year, won’t make the 2025 event, there is still going to be a lot to see, according to Telling.
“The jets will be here, the T-6s will be here,” he said. “We will have the biplanes. STOL will be here for a STOL Drag demonstration. The Commemorative Air Force will be here, possibly with eight to 10 warbirds.”
Formula One racers are also slated to be there.
Organizers say the NCRA will be one of the biggest and most thrilling events ever to come to New Mexico, adding that fans can expect world-class air racing, military, civilian, and vintage warbird airshow appearances, a vendor and exhibitor midway with incredible food options, and impressive static aircraft displays.
NCAR will also feature its expansive STEM Discovery Zone powered by GRADD (Global Robot and Drone Deployment), generously sponsored by the Leprino Foods Company Foundation. The area will provide local kids free access to hands-on exhibits and interactive learning experiences during the races.
To stay up-to-date on news and developments, fans can sign up for a newsletter on the NCAR website or follow the organization on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
About KROW
Roswell Air Center Airport, located 5 miles to the south of the city of Roswell, sits on 5,029 acres and has two paved runways, 3/21 measuring 13,000 by 150 feet and runway 17/35, measuring 10,008 by 100 feet.
The airport was built in the 1940s and served as an Army Air Corps base during WWII. At the end of the war, following the creation of the U.S. Air Force, the base became Walker Air Force Base, the largest facility operated by the branch’s Strategic Air Command.
It saw extensive use during the Cold War and served as a launch site for stratospheric balloons used in Air Force research. It was the base mentioned in the 1947 Roswell incident that involved a suspected UFO.
When the Air Force no longer needed the base, it was converted to civilian use and became a storage facility for unused airliners.
