SEBRING, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2025) – 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.
Abbie 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.
About Sebring International Raceway and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Sebring International Raceway is nestled among the orange groves and cattle ranches of Highlands County, Florida. The famed Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring endurance race began in 1952 and boasts a list of previous winners that include legends such as Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Bobby Rahal, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert and Tom Kristensen. Sebring’s punishing 3.74-mile concrete and asphalt circuit is also among the world’s leading test circuits for race teams and automotive manufacturers. Additionally, the circuit is active nearly 300 days a year for club events, racing schools, vintage racing, and other special events.
Sebring is known as the Birthplace of American Endurance Racing given it is the oldest permanent road racing facility in North America, evolving from the World War II U.S. Army Air Forces base Hendricks Field. Race cars still compete on the concrete runways that served as a training base for pilots in heavy bombers – including the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator – before deployment to Europe. Sebring’s first race was run on New Year’s Eve, 1950. The Sam Collier 6 Hour Memorial race was won by Frits Koster and Ralph Deshon in a Crosley Hot Shot car that was driven to the track by race fan Victor Sharpe. Koster and Deshon borrowed the car for the race. The first 12-hour race was held March 15, 1952, and except for 1974 during a global energy crisis, has been run annually since. Sebring was the site of the first United States Grand Prix Formula One race in 1959.
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