75th Anniversary of First Sebring Race Celebration
December 31, 2025
Join the Celebration
Sebring, Florida is a small town with a big name - known internationally for the "12 Hours of Sebring" a grueling sports car race which began modestly with a 6-hour race held on Dec. 31, 1950. This New Year's Eve will mark the 75th anniversary of that first race - The Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix of Endurance.
The town of Sebring, recently featured on the nationally broadcast HGTV program Hometown Makeover, is planning a major event to celebrate the first automobile race which brought Sebring international motorsports fame.
FREE Community Event
Location: Downtown Sebring at Circle Park
Admission: Free to the Public
Date: December 31, 2025
Time: 1:00pm
Official Ceremonies: 3:00pm (commemorating the 1950 race start time)
Schedule of Events
1:00pm until 6:00pm - December 31, 2025
"The plan is to host the celebration in center of downtown focusing on the recently renovated Circle Park." - Ford Heacock III, chairman of the Automobile Racing Club of Florida
Throughout the Day:
Event Map & Location
Location: Downtown Sebring at Circle Park
All activities centered around the historic Circle Park with car show parking, children's race area, vendors market, and fireworks viewing areas clearly marked.
Car Show Parking in Blue Zones • Children's Power Wheels Race on West Center Ave • Vendors Market on N. Commerce St • Fireworks over Lake Jackson
Historical Significance
Sebring's First Race was the Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix of Endurance held at Hendricks Army Airfield on December 31, 1950. It was a 6-hour race starting at 3:00PM and ending at 9:00PM. See the 1942 Crosley Hotshot which won that first race along with other historic racing cars.
Help us honor Sebring Firemen, Inc., the Sports Car Club of America and local citizens who were instrumental in providing the facilities and support personnel which promoter, Alec Ulmann, needed to host the race. During the early years of the race, official pre-race activities and the big social events all took place in town. No one at that time imagined the race would ever achieve international acclaim for Sebring and survive for over seven decades.
"It's important to recognize the people and organizations involved in the early years of the Sebring race, particularly The Sebring Firemen and the Sports Car Club of America. We also hope to identify legacy family members with ties to the race who will bring their stories and memorabilia to share in a show and tell zone."
"This will be an important opportunity for Sebring to celebrate its racing heritage. We're hoping this event will also serve as a symbolic kickoff to the 75th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring coming up in 2027."
- Ford Heacock III, ARCF Chairman