"NASCAR AT 50 FEET,” Bobbi Thompson says, describing the National Championship Air Races.
As I enter the Roswell Air Center director’s second-floor office, she points to colorful maps spread out across the table. The plans detail the 84 acres for the racetracks and grandstands that will host the Air Races when they land in Roswell from September 10 to 14. “It’s all new,” Thompson says. “Kind of a reset.”
It’s an exciting time for the National Championship Air Races too. Held in Reno, Nevada, since 1964, the event pits pilots from around the world against each other in races across the sky. But encroaching development around the Reno Stead Airport made safety a concern, Thompson says. So, the Air Races began looking for a new home.
In May 2024, Roswell beat out 38 other cities to land the five-day event featuring multiple races over seven airplane classes. “The Roswell team just did a great job and demonstrated serious commitment,” says Air Races CEO Fred Telling, who praised the work of city officials, including Mayor Timothy Jennings.
Get close to the action on the ground.
Photograph courtesy of the National Championship Air Races.
The airport’s flat terrain and wide-open landscape also played an important role in the decision. “The Roswell airport offered us one of the absolutely safest locations,” Telling says, noting the surrounding landscape’s crucial role during an emergency landing. “It’s about as friendly a set of terrain as you can afford, if they can’t make it back to the runway.” Roswell also has two good medical centers, including a trauma center that has the resources to help in case of an emergency.
In addition, the city has a long history of aviation. Before the Roswell Air Center, the area served as Roswell Army Airfield during World War II and then as Walker Air Force Base during the Cold War. Early rocketry pioneer Robert H. Goddard also lived in Roswell.
In January, around 15 pilots from six of the seven classes of airplanes came out for a test run, flying what will become a full-fledged air racetrack in September. “It was incredible,” says F1 pilot Josh Watson. “We had a great experience. The people that are working at the airport are just awesome.”
The sport class hits speeds over 350 mph.
Photograph courtesy of the National Championship Air Races.
After meeting with Thompson, I hop in a maintenance truck with airport employee Leonel Rivera, who grew up in Roswell, to check out the construction site where a 7,500-seat grandstand will soon be built on the outskirts of the airport.
We drive over an airstrip past hangers and old runways festooned with decommissioned airplanes before reaching an empty field. Rivera shows me the spot where construction has just begun. It’s hard to imagine what this place will look like in September, with cheering crowds, food vendors, and zooming planes. And Thompson says Roswell could see more than 50,000 attendees for the races.
In fact, all the hotel rooms in town are booked for the week. The National Championship Air Races and city of Roswell are working with neighboring communities, including Artesia, Ruidoso, and Carlsbad, for additional accommodations. For now, they’re encouraging those with RVs to camp, with the possibility for new hotels in the area being discussed for coming years.
“This is the rebirth, the start of something new,” Thompson says. “You want to be here year one and say that you were there when it restarted.”
JOIN IN
The 2025 National Championship Air Races features competition in seven classes—from Formula 1 to biplane—September 10–14 at Roswell Air Center. In addition, the Air Races includes aircraft exhibits, air show performers, and a family-friendly STEM discovery zone. Volunteer positions are also available. General admission, reserved grandstand seating, box seats, pit passes, and other ticket options are available.
