NASCAR Brings the Excitement to a Naval Base in San Diego
NASCAR announces an exciting new development for its racing calendar. In June of next year, the competition will move to the Naval Base Coronado in Southern California, replacing the event that had been held in downtown Chicago for the past three years. This strategic change will allow NASCAR to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, hosting the three national series of the competition over a three-day weekend, from June 19 to 21.This will be the second street race in NASCAR history, after the experience in Chicago and the first on an active military base. Although the circuit design is not yet finalized, it is expected to be approximately 3 miles long. The transition to the San Diego area does not exclude a possible return to Chicago, where NASCAR will maintain an office and seek a return in the future, possibly as early as 2027. NASCAR has seen the closure of Auto Club Speedway after the 2023 race. In addition, it built a temporary short track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2022 to 2024, but that event moved to North Carolina. Kennedy, who has shown great enthusiasm for 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. The NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the history of the Navy and the men and women who serve, as we bring the best of global motorsports to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.
Ben Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief of Racing Development and Innovation, NASCAR
The base is known as the “West Coast Headquarters” and is a consortium of nine Navy installations 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 has named Amy Lupo, who has been in the series since 2021 and helped launch the Coliseum event, as race president. Lupo spent more than 20 years at ESPN expanding the X Games when she lived in San Diego early in her career. She currently resides in Southern California.NASCAR embodies the best of the American spirit through speed, precision, and an unceasing pursuit of excellence. Hosting a race aboard Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of naval aviation, is not only a historical first, but a powerful tribute to the values we share: courage, 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.
John C. Phelan, Secretary of the Navy
