The wait is nearly over.
After months of planning and preparation, the green flag is about to wave on one of the most hyped NASCAR race weekends in recent memory, with all three national series competing on San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado.
Similar to last season’s trek to Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez course, Cup teams will approach this weekend’s race without a lot of notes other than information gathered during simulator testing throughout the week in advance of Sunday’s race.
Another chapter in NASCAR’s storied history is about to unfold, as a still active military base has never hosted a NASCAR race before. That all changes this weekend, as 39 Cup Series competitors will embark on one of the toughest tests of the season and race on a course they have no prior experience on.
Naval Base Coronado is a 3.4-mile, 16-turn course located inside an active military base. This presents its own set of challenges unlike any other track NASCAR races at year-to-year. Similar to the Chicago street course, Naval Base Coronado required concrete wall barriers to be installed prior to this weekend’s races.
In recent seasons, with the introduction of the Chicago street course and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez course to the Cup calendar, there were plenty of unknowns for teams leading up to the green flag. For starters, the course itself is the most unique layout that NASCAR teams have seen before.
In an interview with Motorsport, Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing, said Sunday’s race will “very much be a survival race” with the unknowns of racing on a military base for the first time. Even Shane van Gisbergen, who enters the weekend as one of the pre-race favorites thanks to his impressive road course resume, said he has concerns about how hectic the racing on Sunday will be.
While the teams set up their cars just like they would for any other road course weekend, the track itself features unique characteristics that only add to the intrigue for those in attendance or watching the Amazon Prime broadcast Sunday afternoon.
The 16-turn circuit features tributes to the United States Navy, including the start/finish line, named after Commander Theodore Ellyson, the Navy’s first naval aviator. Turn 5, also known as Carrier Corner, is a sharp left-hand turn where drivers will fly past the docking locations of two aircraft carriers en route to Turn 8. Coronado Chicane, as it is referred to, features a series of difficult turns that will truly test drivers all weekend long before they head towards the interior of the base.
Fans attending the NASCAR triple-header weekend will see extra security measures taken for the duration of the weekend. Those measures include fans needing to provide a parking pass and those 18 and older needing to provide their government-issued ID, in addition to their series-specific race ticket prior to entry.
For the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, occurring on Navy Community Day, access to the course will be limited to U.S. Navy members stationed on Naval Base Coronado and residents of Coronado Island. For both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series races, general public ticket holders will be able to enter the base.
Despite all of the unknowns heading into the weekend, one thing is for certain: van Gisbergen will once again be the pre-race favorite over his competitors. Last season, SVG dominated on road courses and scored five wins in the six races held on those tracks.
History is on SVG’s side as well, as he visited victory lane the last two times NASCAR competed on a brand-new road course, with triumphs at the Chicago street course for his Cup debut in 2023, in addition to winning at the Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez course in Mexico City last summer.
In addition to van Gisbergen, expect 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs to be among the front runners this weekend. Those drivers, along with van Gisbergen, are the only drivers to finish in the top five in the two earlier road course races at Circuit of the Americas and Watkins Glen, which were run earlier this season.
This one-of-a-kind street course located inside the heart of an active military base is sure to put on an exciting weekend of racing for the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series. One driver will stand above the rest, though, and spray the champagne in victory lane, as the inaugural race winner of the Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado.
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