NASCAR Brings the Excitement to a Naval Base in San Diego
NASCAR has announced that it will hold a street race at Naval Base Coronado, located in Southern California, in June of next year. This event will replace the race that took place in downtown Chicago for the last three years. This change will allow NASCAR to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, hosting the three national series over a three-day weekend, from June 19 to 21.This will be the second street race in NASCAR history, after the three years in Chicago, and the first on an active military base. Although the circuit design is not yet finalized, it is expected to be around 3 miles long. Moving to the San Diego area does not rule out a possible return to Chicago, where NASCAR will maintain an office and seek to return, perhaps as early as 2027. NASCAR has also seen the closure of Auto Club Speedway after the 2023 race. It built a temporary short track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2022 to 2024, but moved that event to North Carolina. Ben Kennedy, who has spearheaded new initiatives for his family business, was the mastermind behind the races at the Coliseum, Chicago, this year’s visit to Mexico City, and now San Diego next year, an undertaking that excites the Navy.As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored that NASCAR will join the celebration by hosting our first street race on a military base, Naval Base Coronado.
Ben Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of NASCAR.
The base is known as the “West Coast Officers’ Quarters” and is a consortium of nine Navy facilities that extend from San Clemente Island, 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach, to the Mountain Warfare Training Center, 50 miles east of San Diego. NASCAR named Amy Lupo, who has been with the series since 2021 and helped launch the Coliseum event, as race president. Lupo spent more than 20 years expanding the X Games when she lived in San Diego early in her career and still resides in Southern California.NASCAR embodies the best of the American spirit through speed, precision, and the unwavering pursuit of excellence. Hosting a race aboard Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of naval aviation, is not just a historical first, it’s a powerful tribute to the values we share: courage, teamwork, and love of country.
John C. Phelan, Secretary of the Navy.
