  The Big Show Almost Here AgainBy Wayne Estes  The first 10 weeks of any year are the busiest at Sebring International Raceway. Myriad teams test, but the track also hosts a lot of racing weekends, from SCCA to Porsche Club of America to Trans-Am to Porsche Sprint Challenge to HSR Classic Endurance Championship. The word crescendo, commonly used to describe symphony music that grows increasingly louder, also is defined as the highest point reached in a progressive increase of intensity. That description fits the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on the Third Saturday in March, the climax of another very busy winter at Sebring. Before this year’s 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours, IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship already proved to be the most competitive sports car series in history. At Sebring, another GTP entry – the Aston Martin Valkyrie – brings added dimension to the highly competitive top class, as well as all-new ear candy. Fans along the fence lines will have no trouble recognizing the sound of the V12 when it makes its American debut at the Birthplace of American Endurance Racing. Aston Martin joins a packed GTP lineup of Cadillacs, Porsches, BMWs, Acuras and Lamborghinis competing for the rights to the 2025 champion sign on the side of the Sebring pit structure. Friday’s two-hour Alan Jay 120 for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge anchors Friday’s activities. IMSA Mustang Challenge kicks off its 2025 season with a pair of Thursday/Friday races. Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Porsche Carrera Cup round out the week’s on-track action. For those looking for an upgraded Sebring experience, we offer two new options, Club Seven at the SEVEN Sebring Raceway Hotel overlooking the famous hairpin turn, and the Officers Club, both offering food, beverage, and premium viewing options available to no other guests. When the track goes cold, the music gets hot, and this year’s Friday night featured act, Marshall Tucker Band, brings the southern rock music our guests have been telling us they want to hear. We look forward to hearing songs like Take the Highway, 24 Hours at a Time, Can’t You See, and Fire on the Mountain, and other southern classics. Our regulars also asked us to bring back a track walk, so we will open the track Wednesday evening at 5:30 for fans to get the closest look possible at America’s most historic circuit. Each year, our merchandise partner at Sebring PX brings out something old and something new, and this time there’s nothing borrowed, but there is something blue. There’s a retro T-shirt design that looks awesome, an event T featuring Samantha Zimmerman’s poster art that blends last year’s spectacular fireworks finale and the all new WTR Cadillac GTP, and the incredibly popular camp shirt returns with a design very similar to the original camp shirt, only this time instead of red, it’s blue. A straw hat with a decidedly more cowboy look will be available. Don’t be surprised if you’re greeted at the gate by one of those hats atop one of those blue camp shirts. Among the cars displayed in the Alan Jay Paddock at the Sebring Hall of Fame Gallery of Legends, Sebring’s original – if unlikely – winning car, the Crosley Hot Shot from America’s first endurance sports car race 75 years ago. Also, celebrating 40 years since its victory in 1985, the Preston Henn Swap Shop Porsche 962 that carried A.J. Foyt to his last victory of his storied motorsports career. All the fun and food and revelry build towards Saturday morning’s command by Miss America Abbie Stockard, who will be around the circuit throughout the day greeting our guests as the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Grand Marshal. For those fans arriving before gates open for the main event, we encourage people to come out and see the Classic 12 Hours of Sebring HSR event March 7-9. HSR gives enthusiasts a chance to see classic, historic sports cars, not in a museum, but on the race track, competing again for trophies. While some of the usual viewing locations will be reserved for early 12 Hours arrivals, we will open Green Park for the weekend, then clear it Sunday night in preparation for gates to open for the year’s main event. Off property that same weekend, Sebring’s Sun ‘N Lake will host The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that travels to communities throughout the USA, spreading the Memorial’s healing legacy to millions of Americans. To reach Sun ‘N Lake, turn west from U.S. 27 at AdventHealth Sebring. Also, we recommend that out-of-town guests take a slight detour through the Sebring City Circle, where “back in the day” race cars went through technical inspection before returning to the circuit to race. More recently, the Circle underwent a makeover … actually a Home Town Takeover by HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier. The new season of the popular series featuring Sebring premieres Sunday, March 9, at 8 p.m. Eastern on HGTV. But, you can see the “reveal” for yourself long before Season 3’s finale just by heading downtown during the Sebring race weeks. Back at the track, all of us at Sebring want our regular guests to know we continue to simplify the buying process, and by renewing early, all guests will save significantly over those who wait. Here is the key that all ticketholders should know. Renew before October and save. Spread the word. Renew before October and save. We cannot say it enough. Renew before October and save. One note about the exit on Sunday after the race. Green Park guests will be able to access the track and exit the property at Turn 7 at the hotel gate again this year. In past years, many chose not to take the quick route out in their RVs so they could get one last pump out before hitting the road. This year, Mid Florida still provides pump outs on the Midway Sunday morning, but also offers a new location on the track at Turn 7 for Green Park guests. We listen to you and strive to improve your visit every year. We believe after your 2025 experience, you will want to be back next year and the next, and the next. It is almost here, the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Third Saturday in March. HSR Classic 12 Hour Presented by Mission Foods Expands the Racing Calendar at Sebring The annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring experience now starts early with the addition of the HSR Classic 12 Hour Presented by Mission Foods. Before the world’s most technologically advanced sports cars take the track, reminisce March 6-9 with famous sports cars and stock cars, some dating back to the 1950s.  Tickets are available in advance at the link below. Some areas of the property, most notably the Midway, will not be available for spectators due to preparations for the following week’s 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. All spectators will enter through Gate 4 and will be directed over the paddock bridge for viewing and camping opportunities in Green Park.HSR Tickets LAST WEEK TO SAVETICKET PRICES ADJUST TO GATE PRICING ON SATURDAY Purchase tickets today at the link below to save before gate prices go into effect. All prices shown online include taxes and fees, with the exception of a $3.75 transaction fee for each order. Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Tickets Ticket Type Current Price Beginning Saturday Saturday Only (March 15) $90 $105 2-Day (March 14-15) $122 $135 4-Day (March 12-15) $133 $145 4-Day student (March 12-15) N/A $90 4-Day military (March 12-15) N/A $90 4-Day Highlands County Resident (March 12-15) $100 $100 FAN HOSPITALITY VIP fan hospitality options are selling quickly and are limited. Order now to lock in an all-inclusive experience. Each exclusive VIP lounge includes full open bar and scheduled meal service. Allow our attendants, bartenders and catering teams to enhance your visit and take hospitality to the next level. Sebring Officers Club  Sebring Officers Club has been enhanced to include casual meals in addition to the exceptional service for which it has become known. Sebring Officers Club admission includes an open bar on all three days, morning coffee and casual meals for Friday and Saturday for lunch and Saturday dinner. Surrounded by the nostalgia of the WWII era building in which the Officers Club exists, Sebring Officers Club is one Sebring’s most entertaining venues. In addition to enjoying exceptional hospitality with a limited number of guests, you’re just steps from the bustle of the Fan Zone featuring parties, food trucks, nightly concerts (including the Marshall Tucker Band on Friday night) and the amazing PX featuring all the Sebring and IMSA merchandise you could imagine. Guests live the history of the Officers Club in the last remaining building from what was Hendricks Field, a United States Army Air Forces base. A general admission parking pass is included with each order.Sebring Officers Club TicketsThree days admissionCasual meals Friday and Saturday and dinner SaturdayMorning coffee service and daily snacksFull open barMidway parking pass includedLive stream of the race including timing and scoringElevated viewing platform overlooking Gurney Bend and Green Park Club Seven The popular fan hospitality package at Seven Sebring Raceway Hotel is being significantly enhanced for 2025, with the vast 4,500 s.f. Le Mans Ballroom now serving as Club Seven, offering fans a long list of luxury amenities only available to guests of Club Seven.  Club Seven Tickets Three days admissionExpertly crafted meals including buffet lunches Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a delightful dinner on Saturday Morning coffee service and daily snacks Full open bar (service at Apex not included) State-of-the art Advanced Sim Racing on a Sebring-branded racing simulator On-site Seven Hotel parking Convenient courtesy shuttle from Seven Hotel to the paddock Live stream of the race including timing and scoring Exclusive access to the lawn overlooking the world-famous hairpin Turn 7  Celebrity Cruises Luxury LoungeOpen Friday and Saturday for Sebring’s two primary days of racing, Celebrity Cruises Luxury Lounge provides a premier experience with catered meals, open bar and a view of IMSA pit road from the second level of Sebring’s pit structure. Celebrity Cruises Luxury Lounge is one of Sebring’s premier fan hospitality options and includes two days admission in the suite and four-days admission to the property. A Midway parking car pass is included with each order.Celebrity Cruises Luxury Lounge TicketsTwo days admissionBreakfast, lunch and dinner Friday and SaturdayMorning coffee service and daily snacksFull open barState-of-the art Advanced Sim Racing on a Sebring-branded racing simulatorMidway parking pass includedLive stream of the race including timing and scoringViews of IMSA Pit Lane and available outdoor seating on Fangio Terrace Car and RV Parking Prices (All Taxes and Fees Included) All vehicles, including trailers, motorcycles, etc., require a car or RV parking pass, and must be street legal. For example, if you enter in an RV, towing a trailer, which has a motorcycle in the trailer, you will be required to have three parking passes. All guests entering on Tuesday are required to have a four-day ticket.Parking TypeCurrent PriceBeginning SaturdayGeneral Admission Car$70$83General Admission (Unreserved) RV$125$145Hendricks Field/East Paddock Car$122$144Loop Pass (not a parking or gate pass)$72$72 Car Corral Parking Passes Selling Fast Corvette Corral Sold Out Corral parking lots are reaching capacity. It is advised to purchase Porscheplatz and Mustang corral parking passes now. Gate tickets are required for all attendees and not included with parking passes. Gate access for cars is included with corral parking passes. Corral Parking Type Price Porscheplatz and Mustang Corrals$167  Miss America Abbie Stockard Named Grand Marshal of the 2025 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring  Abbie Stockard, Miss America 2025, has been named grand marshal of the 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.Stockard, 22, was crowned Miss America in the annual competition in Orlando in January. A nursing student from Auburn University, and a former Auburn cheerleader, she was named Miss Alabama last June before the start of her senior year. She will give the command to start engines to the nearly 60-car field at approximately 10 a.m. March 15. Stockard will be joined at Sebring by Miss Florida, Casana Fink, who also competed in the 2025 Miss America pageant. Fink finished third runner up in the competition, also a significant accomplishment for the Ocala native and University of Florida graduate. “Drivers and teams have come to Sebring international Raceway for almost 75 years in hopes of being at the top of their field, and Abbie has already achieved that level of success both through the Miss America competition and her many achievements early in her life,” said Wayne Estes, president of Sebring International Raceway. “We are honored to have both the current title holder of such a prestigious competition join us at Sebring, and her participation will be remembered as yet another significant event within the storied Mobil 1 Twelve Hour of Sebring.” With plans to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse, Stockard will fully fund her education using the $89,000 in scholarships she earned through the Miss America Opportunity. Her commitment to service extends beyond health advocacy. She has worked with state and national leaders to advance impactful legislation and plans to continue using her platform to amplify awareness for Cystic Fibrosis while demonstrating the powerful influence of women in leadership. A dedicated Mission Partner and Best Buddies Champion, Stockard also has raised funds for the American Heart Association (AHA) and was recognized with the prestigious AHA Go Red for Women Leadership Award during the Miss America Competition. As a member of Auburn University’s Tiger Paws Dance Team, Stockard experienced the transformative power of an active and balanced lifestyle. This passion inspired her personal initiative, High Five for Kids, which promotes the importance of establishing healthy habits early in life. Guided by five key pillars of health, the program teaches children that wellness is not a set of rules but an exciting and attainable way of life. Through High Five for Kids, she encourages children, including those with chronic illnesses like CF, to embrace their potential and make positive choices that will serve them for a lifetime. Inspired by her best friend, Maddie, Stockard is a passionate advocate for CF. She was honored as the “2024 Hero of Hope” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and named an Official National Ambassador for the organization. Her advocacy efforts have raised more than $200,000 for CF research, including leading Alabama’s largest CF fundraiser and collaborating with researchers nationwide to accelerate progress toward a cure. She exemplifies the organization’s mission of service, scholarship, and leadership. She strives to empower ambitious young women, leaving a legacy of advocacy and purpose while continuing her relentless fight for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.  Rent Your RV Online and Have it Delivered to Sebring  The demand for RV rentals continues to grow for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and El Monte RV and Sebring International Raceway have joined forces to make reserving and occupying an RV for five nights as easy as possible. Follow the link from Sebring’s homepage to reserve your rental and experience all eight races taking place at the Birthplace of American Endurance Racing in style. Virtually everything you need inside the RV is included, except your food and beverages.Rent Your RV NowAll rentals are for five nights or longer — March 11-16Delivery and pickup includedVIP PLUS Package ($0.00 deductible Vehicle Incident Protection)RLI (Minimum 3rd party liability insurance)Four personal kits (each kit includes blankets; sheets; pillow; pillowcase; hand towel; bath towel; wash cloth; dinner plate; silverware set (fork, spoon, knife); saucer (salad plate); coffee cup)One kitchen kit (kit includes water pitcher, corkscrew, 1 qt. saucepan, 2 qt. saucepan, platter, pan covers, salad bowls, strainer, dutch oven, 4pc cutlery, dustpan, frying pan, bottle opener, dish towels, potato peeler, kettle, mop, bucket, broom, clothes hangers)Four camping chairsCoffee makerToasterStarter Kit (kit includes full freshwater tank, full propane tank, toilet chemicals, one roll of RV toilet paper, leveling blocks, freshwater and dumping hoses)Vehicle licensing feeTaxes Admission tickets, car parking passes and an RV parking pass are additional. The Marshall Tucker Band in the Fan Zone Friday   The Marshall Tucker Band will bring its brand of southern rock to Sebring International Raceway to perform the night before the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.While lead vocalist and founding member Doug Gray is the lone original member of the band, which got its start in Spartanburg, S.C. in 1972, the group continues to perform in front of sold-out crowds with guitarists Rick Willis and Chris Hicks, keyboardist Marcus James Henderson, bassist Tony Black and drummer B.B. Borden. Perhaps the group’s most endearing and well-known hits – “Can’t you See,” and “Heard it in a Love Song,” both now sung by Gray, almost took a different path because of Gray’s reluctance to sing either of them. Original member Toy Caldwell, who remained with the band until 1983, and was the main songwriter, wrote both songs. Caldwell and Gray disagreed on who should sing “Can’t You See,” with Gray never wanting to sing it given Caldwell’s delivery. “Toy would come down and say, ‘Hey, take this song,’” Gray recalls. “He said, ‘I just don’t feel good, and I don’t want to sing.’ I told him, ‘You go into that studio and you sing.’ So he sang it two or three times all the way through and he got it. There ain’t no way I could compete with the intensity that he put in that song. That’s his song. He made it his song, and now it belongs to the entire world.” “Can’t You See” has been streamed more than a billion times on Pandora. It took Gray more time to warm to another major hit for the band – “Heard It in a Love Song.” “I love the song, but I have to tell you that I thought it was too wuss of a song when it was written,” Gray recently told a reporter at the Spokesman Review in Spokane, Wash. “I kept putting off recording it because I didn’t think it fit Marshall Tucker. But the guys said, ‘You got to put this on a record.’” It’s one of the band’s highest charting singles and is today as popular as it was when originally recorded in 1977. For decades Gray and MTB have played those, and other singalong classics such as “Fire on the Mountain,” “Long Hard Ride” and “Ramblin,” among many others. The Marshall Tucker Band incorporates country, pop and jazz into its sets. “We’ve always mixed it up,” Gray said. “That’s the way Toy wanted it.” |
