The Cup Series caps off an afternoon of practice on Naval Base Coronado as the 39 drivers take to the new 3.4 mile street course around the island.
Drivers in both the Truck and O’Reilly Series had trouble navigating the course without incident. Over one third of the 35 truck field had crash damage with several teams having to go to a backup truck for the race.
Jimmie Johnson and Austin Hill will be a part of the race and is the only drivers to “run the double” this weekend. This weekend was deemed that no full time driver could run races in other series; only Austin Hill is allowed under special dispensation from NASCAR due to the circumstances.
The broadcast booth for Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Steve Letarte this weekend is from the bridge of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson!
The drivers have a full 50 minute practice session with qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
Austin Cindric spins out in newly paved chicane.
Brad Keselowski gets into a tire barrier.
Christopher Bell is running in the race with his broken wrist. He was more sore than he thought after Pocono and has Brent Crews on standby if he is needed. After practice, Bell is concerned about being able to run the race. The final determination as to whether Bell will run the street course will be a “game time decision”.
Shane van Gisbergen reported that his rear tires were “cooked”.
Prime showed the tires from Chris Buescher’s car after six laps and they were corded.
The teams were given three sets of tires for practice.
The Cup Series practice ran the entire 50 with no cautions or red flags due to accidents.
On a late Saturday morning the Cup Series drivers take to the track for a second day to qualify for the race on Sunday.
Concerned over the tire wear, NASCAR has given the Cup Series drivers an extra set of tires for Sunday’s race for five sets of tires plus the qualifying scuffs.
The drivers are divided in to two groups for 20 minute group qualifying sessions with the fastest driver sitting on the pole.
Shane van Gisbergen says that his car is pretty good but the driver sucked; adding that he is pissed off with his time and hitting the wall.
Tyler Reddick missed the chicane and the lap did not count and then he got into the wall.
With a time of 134.788 seconds, Shane van Gisbergen puts his number 97 car on the pole with Carson Hocevar starting alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Anduril 250:
Shane van Gisbergen
Carson Hocevar
Ryan Blaney
Zane Smith
Todd Gilliland
Daniel Suarez
Ryan Preece
Connor Zilisch
Michael McDowell
Austin Hill
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Corey Heim
Kyle Larson
AJ Allmendinger
Chris Buescher
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Kevin Magnussen
Chase Briscoe
Riley Herbst
Cole Custer
Denny Hamlin
John Hunter Nemechek
Brad Keselowski
Noah Gragson
Jimmie Johnson
Ty Dillon
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Josh Berry
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Cody Ware
Tyler Reddick will have to start the race from the back of the field after the crews had to replace the splitter on his car.
Christopher Bell has decided that it is not beneficial for him to run the complete the race with his broken wrist. He will start the race and at the first caution, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Brent Crews will get in the car. The 19 year old Crews is a bit shorter than Bell and will need a few adjustments like pedal extenders to the car before he gets in to drive.
Stages one and two of the race are 20 laps each with stage three lasting 35 laps for a total of 75 laps around the 3.4 mile course
Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen will be driving the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 car.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will waving the green flag to start the race.
The Kelce brothers Jason and Travis have been spotted in the crowd.
Broadcasting from the bridge of the USS Carl Vinson, Adam Alexander called it the coolest place ever to broadcast a race.
Steve Letarte called it humbling to meet the sailors.
The sailors of the USS Carl Vinson gave the command to start the engines!
Brad Keselowski noted that the teams love being on the base but the cars don’t.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Carson Hocevar alongside before a packed house. Van Gisbergen gets out in front for the lead as driver get three and four wide going into turn two.
The top five are Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Hocevar, Ryan Blaney, Zane Smith, and Todd Gilliland.
And lap one is complete with no major incidents.
Daniel Suarez passes Todd Gilliland for fifth.
Lap two, Tyler Reddick has moved up eight spots to 31st.
Austin Dillon spins out and is stopped on the track after contact from AJ Allmendinger. He finally gets the car moving.
Kyle Larson has entered the top 10.
Lap three Carson Hocevar passes Shane van Gisbergen for the lead.
Prior to the race, Shane van Gisbergen said that starting in front he didn’t know how fast to go.
Shane van Gisbergen has retaken the lead from Carson Hocevar.
Bubba Wallace enters the top 10.
Carson Hocevar drops to fourth.
The top five are Shane van Gisbergen, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Carson Hocevar, and Michael McDowell.
Michael McDowell passes Carson Hocevar for fourth.
Lap four, Ryan Blaney passes Shane van Gisbergen for the lead.
Ryan Preece passes Shane van Gisbergen for second.
Shane van Gisbergen reports that the rear is gone.
NASCAR has determined that 7:45pm local time is the time of adverse conditions where they will begin to end the race if it has not completed by then.
Lap six, Jimmie Johnson gets into the wall at the chicane but gets the car moving again. He moved one of the tire barriers. Johnson reports issues with the brakes.
Bubba Wallace is just outside the top five in sixth place.
The top five are Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, and Bubba Wallace.
Lap seven, Bubba Wallace passes Michael McDowell for fourth.
Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of over three seconds on Ryan Preece.
Shane van Gisbergen passes Ryan Preece for second.
Steve Letarte noted how Shane van Gisbergen walked the track on Thursday; noting that he looked at the track in a completely different manner than the other drivers. Van Gisbergen was looking at every tire, rivet, bump, and speck as they walked quietly around the course.
Lap nine, drivers are coming down pit road for green flag pit stops.
Bubba Wallace has passed Shane van Gisbergen for second.
Lack of rear grip is the mantra of much of the field.
Lap 10, Bubba Wallace has erased a lead of over three seconds on leader Ryan Blaney.
Ryan Blaney comes down pit road, Bubba Wallace is the new leader with Shane van Gisbergen in second.
Lap eleven, Bubba Wallace has a half second lead on Shane van Gisbergen; Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
Lap 12, Shane van Gisbergen passes Bubba Wallace for the lead. Chris Buescher passes Wallace for second.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr is stopped on the track with no power and brings out the caution flag.
Christopher Bell is on pit road for the planned driver change. Brent Crews will take over the driving duties. Since Bell started the race, he will be credited with any points Crews earns in the race. The switch was done while pit road was closed and he will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service, but leaders stay out.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 15 with Chris Buescher alongside. Van Gisbergen takes the lead with Chris Buescher in second; Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Zane Smith round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney passes Ryan Preece for fifth. Zane Smith is back in seventh.
Ryan Blaney passes Ryan Preece for fourth.
On fresher tires, Ryan Blaney passes Bubba Wallace for third.
Lap 16 Ryan Blaney passes Chris Buescher and Shane van Gisbergen for the lead.
Ryan Preece passes Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher for third.
Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a two second lead.
Ryan Preece makes contact with Shane van Gisbergen when Buescher tired to make a pass. Van Gisbergen bumps Buescher to retake second.
Kyle Larson passes Shane van Gisbergen and Ryan Preece for second.
Ty Gibbs passes AJ Allmendinger for fifth.
Lap 17, Shane van Gisbergen comes down pit road. Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher are also on pit road.
Lap 18, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over two secnds on Ryan Preece; Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 19 for Bubba Wallace who lost a tire. He will be held two laps for the infraction.
Stage one ends under caution with Ryan Blaney winning the stage for his second stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ryan Blaney
Ryan Preece
Kyle Larson
Ty Gibbs
AJ Allmendinger
Todd Gilliland
Carson Hocevar
Joey Logano
Connor Zilisch
William Byron
All of the cautions will be “quickie yellows” allowing all drivers – even those laps down – to come down pit road together.
Drivers come down pit road for service but 17 drivers stayed out on the track. Ty Gibbs wins the race off of pit road. Ryan Preece is the leader.
Chase Elliott was charged with crew coming over the wall too soon and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Ryan Preece brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Connor Zilisch alongside on lap 23. Preece edges out for the lead with Connor Zilisch in second.
Connor Zilisch moves up on the inside to pass Ryan Preece for the lead.
The top five are Connor Zilisch, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain, Ausitn, and Chris Buescher. Shane van Gisbergen is just outside the top five in sixth.
Lap 24, Chris Buescher spins out after contact with Shane van Gisbergen and blocks the track but everyone is fine and the track stays green.
Lap 25, the top five are Connor Zilisch, Ryan Preece, Austin Hill, Riely Herbst, and Ross Chastain.
Ross Chastain passes Riley Herbst for fourth.
Lap 26, Connor Zilisch has a one second lead on Ryan Preece Austin Hill, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Ross Chastain has passed Chris Buescher for fourth.
Lap 27, Shane van Gisbergen and Chris Buescher battle for fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen passes Ross Chastain for fourth.
Connor Zilisch is the first teenager to lead a road course race in NASCAR.
Lap 28, Connor Zilisch has a four second lead on Ryan Preece; Austin Hill, Shane van Gisbergen, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Brent Crews brings out the caution flag on lap 30 for a gear box and engine issue. His car was smoking before it stopped. He is on the tow truck and out of the race.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.
Ty Dillon is on pit road with the hood up. He is charged with having too many crew over the wall.
Connor Zilisch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 32.
Drivers get three wide ands cause a big wreck to bring out the fourth caution flag of the race. Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell, and Connor Zilisch were all involved. Connor Zilisch got into the wall hard. Out of the car he is staggering a bit.
NASCAR has red flagged the race to make repairs to the wall and put it back in place.
The red flag has been pulled and the yellow flag displayed and the cars are moving again on lap 32 with Riley Herbst leading the race.
Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch are out of the care center. Zilisch said that he was having fun leading the race.
Some drivers are on pit road for service and repairs.
Riley Herbst brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kyle Larson alongside on lap 34. Herbst gets out in front for the lead.
The top five are Riley Herbst, Zane Smith, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suarez.
Lap 34, passes Riley Herbst for the lead.
After restarting the race in tenth, Carson Hocevar has moved up to seventh.
AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher make contact but the track stays green.
Lap 35, Carson Hocevar passes Daniel Suarez for sixth. Ryan Preece passes Tyler Reddick for eighth.
Lap 37, Kyle Larson passes Zane Smith for the lead.
Tyler Reddick spins out but gets moving again and the track stays green.
Lap 38, some drivers come down pit road to flip the stage.
Todd Gilliland spins out and gets into the wall after contact from Steven Magnussen. He reports that the steering is off as he limps his way around the course.
Lap 39, Kyle Larson comes down pit road to flip the stage. Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in the five pit box today.
Riley Herbst is the new leader.
Carson Hocevar has worked his way up to third place.
Ryan Preece passes Riley Herbst for the lead.
Ryan Preece wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ryan Preece
Riley Herbst
AJ Allmendinger
Chris Buescher
Ryan Blaney
Carson Hocevar
Daniel Suarez
Ross Chastain
Todd Gilliland
Joey Logano
Drivers come down pit road for service with Riley Herbst winning the race off of pit road with Carson Hocevar in second. Twenty-three drivers stayed out on the deck.
Daniel Suarez is reporting some engine issues due to his crash damage. The crew said that there is nothing they can do to fix it.
Ryan Preece brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Chris Buescher alongside on lap 43. Ryan Preece edges out for the lead.
Josh Berry and Cole Custer make contact, spinning Berry around. The track stays green.
The top five are Ryan Preece, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Todd Gilliland, and Chase Briscoe.
Chris Bueschder passes Ryan Preece for the lead.
The caution flag comes out for debris on the track on lap 44.
Chris Buescer brings the field down for the green flag restart with teammate Ryan Preece alongside with 30 laps remaining in the race. Chris Buescher takes the lead. Ryan Blaney and Ryan Preece battle for second.
Steven Magnussen spins out but the track stays green.
The top five are Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson ,and Zane Smith.
Kyle Larson passes Chase Briscoe for third.
Zane Smith passes Chase Briscoe for fourth.
Chris Buescher leads the race with Ryan Blaney in second Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney is the only driver in the top eight who has won a race this season.
With 28 lpas to go, William Byron comes down pit road after hitting the wall.
Ryan Blaney takes the lead.
Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher battle for second.
Brad Keselowski has a tire issue and comes down pit road; the track stays green.
Kyle Larson passes Ryan Blaney for the lead.
Chase Elliot spins out but the track stays green.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Zane Smith, Corey Heim, and Chris Buescher.
With 26 laps to go, Kyle Larson has a near two second lead on Ryan Blaney.
With 25 laps remaining in the race, some drivers come down pit road for fresh tires.
Zane Smith and Ryan Blaney battle for second.
With 25 laps to go, Kyle Larson has a four second lead on Ryan Blaney.
Twenty-four to go, more drivers come down pit road.
Kyle Larson has a five second lead on Corey Heim – a second faster than the field – with Carson Hocevar, Ty Gibbs, and Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
After being two laps down for a lost tire, Bubba Wallace is in the top 10.
Just 22 laps to go, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a six second lead on the field.
William Byron is on pit road with the hood up after getting into the wall.
Ty Gibbs has a big home on the right front of his car.
With 21 to go, Ryan Blaney makes his final pit stop.
Kyle Larson’s lead is down to under four and a half seconds on Corey Heim; Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, and Tyler Reddick rounding out the top five.
Twenty to go! Kyle Larson has a lead of over four seconds on Corey Hiem; Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
With 19 laps to go, Corey Heim has caught leader Kyle Larson, less than three seconds back…and closing.
Eighteen to go, the top five are Kyle Larson, Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace.
Seventeen to go, Kyle Larson and Corey Heim come down pit road. Kyle Larson wins the race off of pit road but comes out after Chris Buescher and Zane Smith who have made their pit stops.
Carson Hocevar leads the race.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr takes his smoking car into a run-off after getting into the wall. Behind Stenhouse, Jimmie Johnson gets a windshield of fluid.
Corey Heim is on Kyle Larson’s bumper and challenging for the spot.
The caution flag comes out with leader Carson Hocevar and Tyler Reddick on pit road. The caution is for fluid on the track from Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s car.
Chris Buescher is the leader.
Chris Buescher is listed as the leader of the race.
Some of the drivers come down pit road including drivers in the top 10. Chris Buescher wins the race off of pit road. Sixteen drivers stay out on the track.
Carson Hocevar brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kyle Larson alongside with 12 laps to go. Larson and Hocevar are side by side in a battle for the lead. Hocevar takes the lead.
The top five are Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Corey Hiem, and Bubba Wallace.
Corey Heim passes Kyle Larson for third.
Tyler Reddick passes Carson Hocevar for the lead.
Carson Hocevar spins out after contact from Corey Heim. The track stays green.
The 23XI cars are 1-2-3 with Tyler Reddick in the lead Corey Heim, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson gets into the wall but the track stays green.
Brad Keselowski is back on the track 14 laps down.
Tyler Reddick just ran the fastest lap of the race with 10 laps remaining in the race.
Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace battle for third.
Just nine laps to go, Tyler Reddick has a lead of over a second on Corey Heim; Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson ,and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Eight to go, Tyler Reddick has a one second lead on Corey Heim Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Riley Herbst continues to round out the top five.
Seven laps to go, Corey Heim just ran the fastest laps of the race.
Six to go!, Tyler Reddick continues to lead the race with Corey Heim in second.
AJ Allmendinger passes Riley Herbst for fifth.
Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson continue to battle for third.
Five to go, Kyle Larson finally passes Bubba Wallace for third.
Tyler Reddick’s lead on Corey Heim is now under half a second.
Brad Keselowski gets off the course with a tire issue.
Four to go, Tyler Reddick holds on to the lead with part-time teammate Corey Heim less than one second back.
Three to go, Tyler Reddick missed the corner and Corey Heim battle for the lead with Heim getting out in front.
Tyler Reddick has a flat tire.
Bubba Wallace passes Kyle Larson for second but is nearly 10 seconds back.
Corey Heim takes the white flag.
Corey Heim wins the inaugural race on Naval Base Coronado. Steve Letarte calls the race as big as the Daytona 500.
It’s “Heim Time” at Naval Base Coronado!
Connor said that crew chief Booty Barker kept telling Corey he was going to be fine. Corey noted that teammate Tyler Reddick showed a lot of respect.
The unofficial results of the Anduril 250:
Corey Heim
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson
Zane Smith
AJ Allmendinger
Chris Buescher
Ross Chastain
Riley Herbst
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Ryan Preece
Chase Elliott
Daniel Suarez
Denny Hamlin
TY Gibbs
John Hunter Nemechek
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Carson Hocevar
Erik Jones
Todd Gilliland
Austin Cindric
Cody Ware
Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick
Alex Bowman
Kevin Magnussen
Jimmie Johnson
Josy Berry
Ty Dillon
Cole Custer
William Byron
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Brad Keselowski
Noah Gragson
Shane van Gisbergen
Austin Hill
Connor Zilisch
Christopher Bell/Brent Crews