Roswell Air Races 2026 Recap: Winners and Highlights
The 2026 National Championship Air Races ran September 16 to 20 in Roswell, New Mexico, and for the first time since 2022 all seven racing classes were on the course. The Unlimiteds were back after sitting out 2025, and Steven Hinton of Chino, California, won the Unlimited Gold in the P-51D Bardahl Special at 432.897 mph.
Pilot Mall is the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races, and we ran the official merchandise tents in Roswell during race week. Here are the winners in every class, the highlights of the week and what we know so far about 2027.
Results at a Glance
- Unlimited Gold: Steven Hinton, P-51D Bardahl Special, 432.897 mph
- Jet Gold: Jason Googe, L-29 Arcangel, 495.908 mph, the fastest race of the week
- Top speed of the week: Bob McCormack, 524.975 mph in Jet qualifying in the L-29C Athena
- Repeat champions: Josh Watson in Formula One and Tom Marden in Biplane
- Next year: Roswell, New Mexico, in September 2027, dates to be announced
Official 2026 Roswell Air Races gear
Race shirts, caps, challenge coins and the 2026 Official Program from the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races.
Shop the Roswell Air Races Collection
Who Won the 2026 National Championship Air Races?
Steven Hinton won the Unlimited Gold in Bardahl Special, and Jason Googe won the Jet Gold at 495.908 mph, the fastest race of the week.
Here are the Gold winners from Championship Sunday, September 20, with each winner's race average:
| Class | Winner | Aircraft | Race average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Steven Hinton, Chino, California | P-51D Bardahl Special | 432.897 mph |
| Jet | Jason Googe, Savannah, Georgia | L-29 Arcangel | 495.908 mph |
| Sport | Tom McNerney, Blue Springs, Missouri | Lancair Legacy Too Much | 349.112 mph |
| T-6 | Lee Oman, Sequim, Washington | AT-6C Miss TNT | 233.179 mph |
| Formula One | Josh Watson, Wilton, California | Gilbert DG2 Fraed Naught | 250.404 mph |
| Biplane | Tom Marden, Erwinna, Pennsylvania | Pitts S-1C Second Hand | 221.106 mph |
STOL Drag: Rod Hewitt (Auburn, California), RANS S-7 Angry Kitten
Silver Race Winners
| Class | Winner | Aircraft | Race average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Steven Hinton, Chino, California | P-51D Wee Willy II | 337.985 mph |
| Jet | George Ryan, Einasleigh, Australia | L-29 Delfin | 393.199 mph |
| Sport | Bijan Maleki, Chandler, Arizona | Glasair III Reno Bear | 251.904 mph |
| Formula One | Chet Harris, Anchorage, Alaska | Cassutt Pistachio | 202.480 mph |
| Biplane | Jeffrey Lo, San Jose, California | Pitts S-1 Miss Dianne | 191.492 mph |
Pylon race results come from the official race reports at airrace.org.
How Did Steven Hinton Win the Unlimited Gold?
He qualified fastest at 497.473 mph, won both of his heats in Bardahl Special and took the Gold nearly a minute ahead of the next airplane.
Brent Hisey finished second in the P-51D Miss America at 388.541 mph after a 12-second penalty, and Stephen Koewler was third in the Sea Fury 924. Earlier the same afternoon, Hinton also won the Unlimited Silver in a different Mustang, Wee Willy II, so he won two Unlimited races on Championship Sunday. His father, Steve Hinton, who won the races in 1978 and 1985, flew the pace plane.
It was the Unlimited Class's first race since 2023. The class sat out the 2025 races while the Roswell course was redesigned. The new course is a triangle with rounded corners that puts the fastest stretch on the front straight in front of the crowd, and AOPA reports that it holds the turns to about 4 G, where Reno routinely asked for 6 G. In the Silver race, Steven Coutches finished second in 43, which AOPA reports is the only P-51H Mustang still flying.
If you own our Unlimited Class shirt, you are wearing the Gold podium. The three Mustangs on the back, Miss America, Bardahl Special and Plum Crazy, all raced the Gold, and Bardahl Special and Miss America finished first and second.
Roswell Air Races
Who Won the Jet Class?
Jason Googe won the Jet Gold in his L-29 Arcangel at 495.908 mph, the fastest race of the week.
He did it the hard way. The official reports show no qualifying time for Googe, and he did not start Wednesday's heat. He finished third on Thursday, then beat defending champion Bob McCormack and the L-29C Athena in Saturday's heat at 492.557 mph. On Sunday he did it again, finishing less than four seconds ahead of McCormack in the Gold. Jive Kerby was third in the L-39C Ivan.
McCormack still holds the top speed of the week: his 524.975 mph qualifying run in Athena was the fastest of the 2026 races.
Race Week Highlights
- Repeat champions: Josh Watson won the Formula One Gold in Fraed Naught and Tom Marden won the Biplane Gold in Second Hand, the same pilots and airplanes that won those classes at the first Roswell races in 2025.
- Sport Class runaway: Tom McNerney won the Sport Gold in the Lancair Legacy Too Much by more than 37 seconds.
- An international podium: Vitaly Pecherskyy of Kyiv, Ukraine, finished second in the T-6 Gold in Abracadabra, behind Lee Oman and Miss TNT.
- Thunderbirds: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed at the races for the first time since the event moved to New Mexico, on an air show bill with Philipp Steinbach and Jim Peitz.
- Jet car versus airplane: Bill Braack's Smoke-N-Thunder jet car raced Jim Peitz in an air-to-ground drag race.
- On the ramp: Static displays included the B-24 Diamond Lil, a B-52 Stratofortress, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, a C-17 and a Spitfire recreation.
- A Reno-to-Roswell love story: During Sunday's opening ceremony, a Roswell native and her boyfriend, who had attended the races many times in Reno, got engaged at the races.
Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association, put it this way: "We saw incredible racing, welcomed some of the best pilots and performers in aviation and watched both longtime competitors and a new generation of racers succeed."
Official Race Merchandise
Pilot Mall is the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races. We ran two tent locations on the grounds during race week, and the same official race gear is in our Roswell Air Races collection online. A few of the pieces race fans have been buying most online since the 2026 races:
- 2026 Official Poster T-Shirt: the 2026 race poster across the back and a small race logo on the front, in Navy, Sand or Silver.
- Alien Airspace T-Shirt: a UFO beaming down over the pylon and the race planes, in Heather Kelly or Heather Denim.
- ROW Race Course T-Shirt: the Roswell race course mapped across the back, in Black.
- American Racing Classics T-Shirt: a vintage-style racing print with a Mustang, in Heather Mellow Yellow or Natural.
- 2026 Race Patch: the round 2026 patch with the checkered pylon and a jet formation.
- Retro Motel Keychain: an old-school motel key tag with "Fly Low. Fly Fast. Turn Left." on the back.
- High Desert Sunburst Magnet: the sunburst race logo for the fridge or the toolbox.
- 2026 Koozie Can Cooler: a black can cooler with the race logo and "The World's Fastest Motorsport."
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2026 Official Program
For a record of the week, the official souvenir program covers the race classes, with profiles of the aircraft and the pilots who fly them.
Roswell Air Races
When Are the 2027 National Championship Air Races?
The races return to Roswell, New Mexico, in September 2027, and the exact dates have not been announced yet.
The Reno Air Racing Association lists September 2027 in Roswell on airrace.org. As of mid-October 2026 the race dates, schedule and ticket details are still to be announced, and we will update this page when they are.
Watch the Unlimited entry list. Eleven airplanes entered the class this year, and AOPA reports that at least 16 would be needed to bring back the Unlimited Bronze races.
Tips If You Plan to Go in 2027
- Book lodging early: Roswell hotel rooms were fully booked during the 2026 races, so reserve a room as soon as the 2027 dates are announced.
- Plan for sun: The grounds have very little natural shade. Wear a hat with a real brim from our caps and hats and good pilot sunglasses.
- Protect your hearing: Jets and Unlimiteds at full power are loud for hours at a time. Bring earplugs at minimum and earmuffs for kids; see our hearing protection.
- Buy from the official site: When 2027 tickets go on sale, buy them through the official site, airrace.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Unlimited Gold at the 2026 National Championship Air Races?
Steven Hinton of Chino, California, won the Unlimited Gold on September 20, 2026, flying the P-51D Bardahl Special at an average of 432.897 mph over six laps. Brent Hisey was second in Miss America and Stephen Koewler third in the Sea Fury 924.
What was the fastest speed at the 2026 air races?
Bob McCormack's 524.975 mph qualifying run in the L-29C Athena was the fastest speed of the week. The fastest race was the Jet Gold, which Jason Googe won at 495.908 mph in his L-29 Arcangel.
When are the 2027 National Championship Air Races?
The races return to Roswell, New Mexico, in September 2027. Exact dates had not been announced as of October 2026, so check airrace.org for the schedule.
Did all seven classes race at Roswell in 2026?
Yes. Biplane, Formula One, Jet, Sport, STOL Drag, T-6 and Unlimited all raced, the first time since 2022 that the full lineup was on the course. The Sport and Unlimited classes returned after sitting out the 2025 races.
Is Roswell replacing the Reno Air Races?
Yes. The National Championship Air Races left their longtime home in Reno, Nevada after 2023, and Roswell has hosted the event since 2025. The 2026 races were the second year in Roswell.
Where can I buy official National Championship Air Races merchandise?
Pilot Mall is the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races. Official race shirts, caps, challenge coins and the 2026 Official Program are in the Roswell Air Races collection at PilotMall.com.
Congratulations to every racer, crew and volunteer who made race week happen. Until the 2027 races, the official gear is in our Roswell Air Races collection.
About the author: Neil S. Glazer is a commercial pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings and the founder of PilotMall.com. He has spent more than two decades flying, testing, and selling the gear pilots depend on, and every product recommendation on this site is grounded in that firsthand experience. Read more on his author page.
