For the first time ever, NASCAR is hosting an event on an active military base, and it’s coming to San Diego to do it. In a bit of a surprise, the event is going to be open to the general public.
To celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States Navy, NASCAR will hold a special street course race at Naval Base Coronado from June 19-21, 2026, which also falls on Father’s Day weekend.
This isn’t just a race. It’s a mission.
See you on the base in 2026, @NASCARSanDiego. pic.twitter.com/aN3MDSDU3L
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2025
“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” said Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer in a statement. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”
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This will be just the second Cup series race track staged on a street course, a venue much more common in Indy Car and F1 races (the first was in Chicago over the last three years). It will feature a full three days of racing with Craftsman Trucks running on Friday, the Xfinity Series on Saturday, and the main event with a NASCAR Cup series event on Sunday.
“This a huge win for San Diego and we are so grateful to NASCAR for their partnership,” said Mark Neville, CEO, Sports San Diego, the entity that also organizes the Holiday Bowl and is a partner in this event. “Without a doubt, the NASCAR San Diego Weekend will have a significant and favorable impact on San Diego’s tourism and hospitality industry. On top of that, being the first ever NASCAR race on an active military base is going to be quite the spectacle and you can’t beat Naval Base Coronado.”
The course layout is still being finalized but Kennedy tells NBC 7 they’re looking at close to a three-mile track running all through the base. When the idea of holding a race on an active military base came up a couple of years ago aesthetics for the viewing audience were considered, making San Diego an obvious candidate.
“You’ll have the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. You’ll see other shots to make for an amazing backdrop showing off San Diego,” says Kennedy. “But then we’re also going to be weaving our way to the So you’ll probably see a couple of carriers. You’ll see some F-18s out on the tarmac. It’s going to be a lot of fun for people watching at home and importantly, for the people watching here in person.”
Kennedy says tickets for the race will be made available to the general public, giving people a rare opportunity to spend time on a working U.S. military installation (details about security protocols were not made available). Presale signup for tickets is open now on the NASCAR San Diego website.
When the idea of coming to San Diego really started picking up steam they asked seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson, an El Cajon native, his opinion of staging a race in America’s Finest City. He immediately gave a glowing endorsement.
“I honestly didn’t think that NASCAR would ever be able to race in San Diego,” says Johnson. “Growing up in El Cajon, watching it develop and change so much, watching El Cajon Speedway sadly go away, it’s just a reality of NASCAR in a traditional sense of an oval in San Diego, it just never seemed possible. To see this all come together now, I’m so excited to have a race in my hometown.”
As of right now there are no plans to make this an annual event, but that possibility does exist.
“As we’ve talked about this concept in general, we would love to have a race on a military base into the future,” says Kennedy. “Not sure what that looks like beyond 2026, whether it stays here in San Diego or potentially goes to other locations. But it’s something we’ve discussed.”
Naval Base Coronado is known as the “West Coast Quarterdeck” and is a consortium of nine Navy installations that stretch from San Clemente Island 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach to the Mountain Warfare Training Facility 50 miles east of San Diego.
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