Last week it was announced that NASCAR would not be returning to Chicago next year to run on the streets of the Windy City.

NASCAR has just announced that next year they will not only be traveling to southern California for some street racing; but will be doing so at Naval Base Coronado!

While NASCAR has had a long partnership with the military, there has never been a race run at a military base…until now.  And it will be a triple header event with the Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series all running races in June 2026 from June 19-21.

The event will be something even more special since it will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy.  There is no word at this time whether a parade will be a part of the celebrations.

NASCAR executive vice president chief venue & racing innovation officer Ben Kennedy spoke on the event saying, “what a special way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Navy, 250th anniversary of our country and put on what is going to be undoubtedly the most anticipated event of 2026. And I’m bullish on it being the best sporting event of the year.”

Naval Base Coronado encompasses eight military facilities that stretch from San Clemente Island to the La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility.

Via a press release Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan said, “NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision and an unyielding pursuit of excellence.  Hosting a race aboard Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of naval aviation, it’s not just a historic first, it’s a powerful tribute to the values we share: grit, teamwork and love of country. From the flight deck to the finish line, this collaboration reflects the operational intensity and unity of purpose that define both the United States Navy and NASCAR. We’re proud to open our gates to the American people, honor those who serve, and inspire the next generation to step forward and serve something greater than themselves.”

Captain Loren Jacobi added, “as Commanding Officer of Naval Base Coronado and on behalf of the United States Navy, it’s an honor to partner with NASCAR at NAS North Island as part of our 250th anniversary celebration. Hosting one of America’s premier motorsports events on this historic base reflects our partnership with the local community and our shared pride in the nation’s heritage. We are privileged to showcase the dedication of our Sailors alongside NASCAR’s finest as we celebrate our 250th anniversary.”

In creating the course for the races in Chicago, NASCAR used iRacing; this time around iRacing will aid in creating the course but it will also include actual driving on the base.  Benn Kennedy noted, “it’ll be a blend of traditional street racing in a way where we’ll be winding our ways through some of the streets on the base.  They’ll be going past (aircraft) carriers. They’ll eventually go out onto the tarmac, probably by some military aircraft, maybe a couple of F-18s out there, and then back towards the entrance to the base.” 

Kennedy said that how it will all come together is still in progress, adding, “part of the course will be a bit set in stone because we can’t move many of the streets around, but part of it will also be a blank canvas as well.  Once we go out on the tarmac, whether it’s hairpins or chicanes or S-turns, long straightaways, we’re playing with a handful of configurations and we have a few drivers that we’ve gotten feedback from on what that could potentially look like. We’ll share more on the final course layout later this fall, but I would expect it to look unlike anything that they’ve had in the past around the base.”

In deciding on where to run the next street course race, Benn Kennedy noted, “we contemplated a number of places, not just in San Diego, but the greater Southern California region.  Naturally, I think we all started to gravitate towards the military base, seeing that we knew that the 250th anniversary was upcoming, our natural ties that we have to the military and then the location of it. I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better location than Coronado, sitting between downtown San Diego, the Pacific Ocean and not far from Tijuana, either.”

Kennedy added, “I think it emphasizes the fact that not only we can race literally anywhere in the world, but that we have some of the best and most versatile drivers in all of motorsports as well.  It’s the most diverse schedule that we have in our sport, and I would argue the most diverse schedule across all of motorsports when you consider the different amounts of track types that we race at.”

Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville said, “this a huge win for San Diego and we are so grateful to NASCAR for their partnership.  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.”

Amy Lupo has been named the president of NASCAR San Diego.

Since losing Auto Club Speedway in 2023, the race at San Diego will be the first points race in southern California 2023.

The street course race at San Diego will close out Prime Video’s segment of the racing broadcast schedule.  CW will carry the Xfinity Race with FOX Sports carrying all of the Craftsman Truck Series races.

Tickets for the street race in San Diego will not be available until later in the fall, but fans can go to NASCARSanDiego.com and put down a deposit.