British cars take the spotlight September 15–17, with a car show at Heineman’s Winery, local drivers in the field and two days of airport action.
The 2026 Put-in-Bay Sports Car Races & Reunion opens Tuesday, September 15, bringing vintage sports cars back to South Bass Island. Two days of on-track activities follow Wednesday and Thursday at Put-in-Bay Airport. Race viewing is free and open to the public from designated viewing areas.
This year’s featured theme is “Cars of Great Britain,” celebrating the British marques that helped define an era of sports car racing. The reunion also welcomes non-racing vintage street cars, giving owners a chance to take part in the island gathering and its accompanying activities. Event information.
Tuesday’s program includes a car show for registered race and street cars at Heineman’s Winery, with display and judging scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Later, participating cars will make two parade laps of the original road course beginning at 4:30 p.m. Driving in the parade is limited to registered event cars.
Residents and visitors should expect staging and parade activity along the course between 4 and 5 p.m. Golf cart drivers should avoid the route or stop and watch while the cars pass. Flaggers with yellow flags will be stationed at intersections along the route; stay alert and follow their directions. A welcome reception and racing-history roundtable at Heineman’s follow on the entrants’ schedule. Overall event schedule.
There will be familiar island names among this year’s participants. The public entry list, checked September 14, includes Alexander Sadowsky and Scott Sadowsky in Porsche 914s, Michael Chervenak in a Porsche 914, and Nikolas Pettenski in a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite. Sharon Cox is listed in the exhibition class with a 1969 Autodynamics D-10, alongside fellow Put-in-Bay entrant Kris Hodgson in a 1968 Triumph Spitfire. British entries elsewhere in the field include MGs, Triumphs, Austin-Healeys and a Lotus Super 7. Current entry list.
For spectators planning an airport visit, the organizers’ racing schedule revised August 24 lists these highlights:
- Wednesday, September 16: Exhibition action begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by practice sessions starting at 10:05 a.m. Qualifying begins at 1:15 p.m., with the Cars of Great Britain marque race at 3:45 p.m.
- Thursday, September 17: Exhibition action begins at 9 a.m., followed by group races starting at 9:40 a.m. A flag raising featuring the Put-in-Bay American Legion Post 542 Honor Guard is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Afternoon group races begin at 1:15 p.m., and the invitation-only Put-in-Bay Cup is scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
Those times come from the revised racing schedule, which remains provisional.
Wednesday evening brings another event tradition: rocker cover races at The Goat Soup & Whiskey. The overall schedule lists the competition from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by an event buffet dinner. Event schedule.
The gathering celebrates races held on South Bass Island’s public roads from 1952 through 1959 and again in 1963. A reunion in 2009 helped bring that history back into focus, eventually leading to the return of vintage racing at the airport in 2012. Today’s races use a 1.13-mile course laid out on the airport’s runway and taxiways, while the original roads remain part of the reunion through the controlled touring laps.
Organizers also encourage entrants and spectators to wear vintage-inspired clothing, adding another connection to the event’s early racing years.
With the car show Tuesday and airport activities Wednesday and Thursday, there are several opportunities to catch this island tradition before the final checkered flag. Check the official race website for schedules and updates before heading out.