– Classic Race Cars and Retro Civilian and Military Aircraft Descend on Sebring International Raceway, December 4 – 7 for 2025’s High-Flying Finish
– Full Weekend Features Classic Airplane Arrival Parade Friday and a Non-Stop Lineup of HSR Feature Races and Full-Season Championship Finales Friday Through Sunday
SEBRING, Florida (November 25, 2025) – The Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Sebring Pistons & Props, presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network, makes a high-speed return on the track and in the air next week when Sebring International Raceway’s illustrious sports car racing history and aviation heritage once again are celebrated at HSR’s season-ending event, December 4 – 7.
The four-day HSR Sebring Pistons and Props presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network spectacular features historic and vintage sports car racing and a Friday “fly-in” and weekend display of equally awe-inspiring retro civilian and military aircraft from the last half century and beyond and World War II era.
The HSR Sebring Pistons & Props honors the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race, which runs for a milestone 75th time in March of 2027, and the facility’s rich aviation history. Hendricks Field was a World War II era civil and military air field on which the famous 12-hour sports car race has been run for nearly three-quarters of a century.
Returning Pistons & Props pilots Jon Rising and Lisa Rising bring a first-time classic plane to Sebring this year. The couple’s pristine 1949 Cessna 195 Businessliner, one of just 1,180 produced between 1947 and 1954. Originally delivered to Canada from the factory, Rising’s Cessna, which carries “tail number” N195GW, returned to the United States in 2000 and is now hangared in Ocala, Florida.
Fitting right in with the patriotic spirit of Sebring Pistons & Props, the 195 model was also a go-to for U.S. armed forces and was pressed into service by the United States Air Force, the United States Army and Army National Guard as a light transport and utility aircraft under the designations LC-126/U-20. Light and powerful, the Cessna was ideal for both civilian and military use.
Renowned for its all-aluminum construction, cantilever wing design and distinctive radial-engine growl from the original 300 HP Jacobs R-755-A2 seven-cylinder powerplant, the Businessliner boasts a spacious cabin, a cruising speed of 150MPH and a load capacity exceeding 1,000 lbs. These features and more combined to make the Cessna 195/LC-126/U-20 ideal for cross-country civilian flights or long-range military missions.
Many of the returning aircraft next week have won the coveted HSR Best-Plane Award, which is presented each year at Pistons & Props to the owners of a plane selected by HSR Officials and Competitors as the best of the weekend. Conversely, the pilots get together and annually select and present the Pilots Choice Award for best car and team at each year’s race.
The 2022 Best-Plane Award was won by longtime and returning Pistons & Props participants Tony Green and Amy Green for their fan-favorite 1973 Bulldog 120 (pictured below), a British-built plane manufactured by Scottish Aviation LTD. This Bulldog was initially exported for use by the Ghana Air Force. After a short career as a trainer, the plane was purchased and relocated to England.
The Bulldog came to the U.S. in 2013 and, after initial stops in Michigan and Arizona, now resides in Florida and is regularly flown by the Greens. The Bulldog’s modern looks and excellent condition hide the fact that the plane is more than 50 years old.
The Bulldog’s early 1970’s era is also a notable period that produced some of next weekend’s “must-see” race cars. British built and a bit ahead of their time like the Green’s Scottish Aviation Bulldog, Chevrons were some of the top sports prototype race cars of the era. A trio of quick Chevrons are entered next weekend in several different HSR classes and series.
The lineup includes the 1971 No. 5 Chevron B21/23 (pictured below) of Tom Grudovich and the similar 1973 No. Chevron B23 of Dominick Incantalupo. Both will battle with the familiar 1978 Team Mean No. 94 Chevron B36 (pictured at top) of two-time HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour presented by Mission Foods race winner John Harrold.
The No. 94 Chevron won three-straight Group B races in the first years of HSR Classic competition, including the inaugural HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour in 2016. Harrold, with a combination of drivers, including his son Ryan Harrold and KMW Motorsports owner and driver Kevin Wheeler, went on to win the HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour presented by Mission Foods in 2017, following it up a month later with a repeat HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour Group B repeat win.
A more contemporary but still 20-year-old example of an open-top prototype that evolved from early Chevrons and similar cars of the last century is the Sebring debuting 2005 No. 31 Courage C65 (pictured below). Car owner and driver Mark Drain and his fellow British teammates at WAMotorsport made the trip to the U.S. to debut the beautiful Courage at Daytona in the HSR Classic 24 Hour earlier this month. Drain and WAM are also receiving U.S. assistance from Sean Creech Motorsport for their stateside adventure that now includes their first race at Sebring.
Drain and the Courage ran competitively at Daytona, shaking off a sensor issue in the second round to win the third race in Run Group D and ultimately finish the race as the highest placing prototype in Group D.
The packed on-track schedule at Sebring includes tripleheader sprints on Saturday and Sunday for competitors in HSR Mission GT Challenge, HSR Legacy Racers, HSR Historic Trophy presented by WeatherTech, HSR Vintage Cup presented by Sasco, HSR Prototype Challenge presented by Michelin and HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear. The feature race slate includes a 90-minute HSR Prototype Challenge presented by Michelin Enduro, twin one-hour B.R.M Chronographes Endurance Challenge races and sprints for HSR Global GT and the SascoSports International American Challenge presented by Hoosier.
The airplane arrival parade from Sebring Regional Airport along the Sebring race circuit to the false grid takes place at 5 p.m. EST on Friday, December 5. The planes will begin to parade out of the paddock and back to the airport for departure on Saturday, December 6 at 11:40 a.m. EST.
For complete information on the HSR Sebring Pistons & Props event weekend, including the event schedule, entry list and ticket information, visit the Official Event Page here.
About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/
