USA TODAY 10Best Readers‘ Choice Selects Sebring First
Three IMSA Endurance Races Place in the Top 10
SEBRING, Fla. (July 26, 2019) — The legendary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has been voted North America‘s No. 1 motorsports event in a prestigious fan poll conducted by USA Today.
The Sebring International Raceway event, which on March 21, 2020 will celebrate its 68th running, was one of 20 racing events nominated by a panel of experts for the month-long online competition. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and is traditionally the second event of the season for North America‘s premier sports car racing series.
In the previous two USA Today 10Best competitions — 2015 and 2017 — the Sebring endurance classic finished sixth and fourth respectively.
“The incredible passion that Sebring fans continually display for this nation‘s most historic sports car race both inspires and overwhelms us in great and myriad ways,” stated Sebring President & General Manager Wayne Estes. “Sebring‘s faithful were on a mission this year to ensure that the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring topped the USA Today poll. Everyone associated with Sebring — our full-time and event staff, our volunteers, our corporate and community partners — all of us are so grateful for the tremendous support of Sebring lovers the world over.”
The Indianapolis 500 finished second behind Sebring in the voting, followed by the Daytona 500 and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Rolex 24 At Daytona finished fifth in the voting, followed by the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Other events voted in the top 10 include the Knoxville Nationals, NASCAR races at Watkins Glen and Darlington, and a fourth IMSA event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“The popularity of both Sebring and IMSA are on the rise and being voted the No. 1 motorsport event in North America is a testament to that and one of the greatest honors an event could receive.”
Originating from a World War II United States Army Air Force B-17 combat crew training base known as Hendricks Field, Sebring‘s first 12-hour race took place in 1952. The 3.74-mile Sebring circuit still utilizes portions of the concrete runways of Hendricks Field. Past winners include Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren, Hurley Haywood, Jim Hall, Al Holbert and Tom Kristensen.
Sebring‘s versatile circuit is also well known as a leading year-round testing facility. Sebring hosts numerous club events, driving schools and other events including a seasonal drag racing program. On Nov. 9-10 Sebring will host the Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore. In 2020, for the second consecutive year, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be preceded by the 1000 Miles of Sebring FIA World Endurance Championship race. Together, the weekend is known as SuperSebring.
Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. All voting is digital and the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award contest is accessible on the 10Best.com website.
While the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award contest lives on 10Best.com – a standalone travel media site – it is promoted across USA TODAY Travel Media Group’s digital and mobile products, as well as via social media. 10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.