NASCAR continues its stampede regarding outside-the-box scheduling with this summer’s set of races on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
After stops in Chicago for the first-ever street course race and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City for some international flair, both tracks didn’t make the schedule this year for different reasons.
Instead, in a well-done reveal by the drivers, Ben Kennedy went for his biggest gamble yet: racing on an active military base.
Change is something that has divided this fanbase for quite some time. From playoff formats to feuds and legal drama, there’s a level of angst that perpetuates any decision.
Check out Frontstretch‘s top 10 NASCAR storylines for the 2026 season here
So what does San Diego bring to the table? Firstly, it revamps NASCAR’s presence in a market it’s long valued. After losing Auto Club Speedway from the schedule, the series had a lot of work to do out west.
With the Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum taking place from 2022-2024, NASCAR had a patchwork solution. But with the only points race in California taking place up at Sonoma Raceway, the market demanded more.
Secondly, it showcases a sense of history and celebration that leans on the pillars of the industry. With plans to primarily let military families on the naval base Friday for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the weekend will also continue the series’ ties with the U.S. armed forces and Coronado’s place in American history.
San Diego provides a shot in the arm at face value to bring in new fans while also partaking the festivities surrounding America’s 250th birthday with a fanbase that gravitates to those moments.
But it’s not all necessarily sunshine and rainbows. The ever-essential question when it comes to this weekend is how will the racing shake out.
While it’s an unanswerable question in terms of concrete answers, we do have trends to fall back on. The Next Gen car has been much maligned when it comes to road-course racing compared to its Gen 6 counterpart, and now it comes to the longest road race at a whopping 3.4 miles per lap. Events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Watkins Glen International during the Next Gen era have had the tendency to be a parade more than a race, leaving fans yearning for more.
Similarly, this is a fanbase that would rather see good racing than be part of a procession at an event. For those wondering what you’ll see at the track, this ticket map provides what will be available to fans looking to indulge in series history. Moreover, here’s what Naval Base Coronado looks like from Google Earth, which does showcase limited sight lines over several buildings. Fans looking to get the most bang for their buck in finding the section that allows you to see most of the action may not like what they see.
San Diego at its core should give NASCAR the spotlight in Southern California that it needs. What remains to be seen is how the series takes advantage in the lead-up and throughout the race weekend. The CW and Amazon Prime Video nailed their coverage in Mexico City and can similarly elevate the weekend digitally as several drivers return to their home state.
We’ll see if the race weekend comes home a winner or another example in a line of failed experiments.
Thomas is in his second year covering NASCAR at Frontstretch. A Bay Area NASCAR fan for over 15+ years, he found his love for the sport through Jeff Gordon. He helps manage the 2-Headed Monster Column.
Thomas has enjoyed several trips to Sonoma Raceway in his time and currently covers college athletics in the Bay Area, writing about the California Golden Bears and doing play by play broadcasting.