The newly 3.4-mile street course at Naval Base Coronado.
NASCAR
NASCAR has officially declassified the blueprints for what might be its boldest experiment yet—a 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course that will turn Naval Base Coronado into a high-speed airfield of stock-car chaos next summer.
Set for June 19–21, 2026, the NASCAR San Diego Weekend will not only showcase some of the world’s best drivers navigating a military-grade street circuit, but it will also serve as the centerpiece of the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States Navy.
When NASCAR first announced plans to stage a race on the base earlier this year, fans imagined something ambitious. What’s now been revealed is something straight out of Top Gun: Maverick.
This isn’t just another pop-up street circuit with painted curbs and sponsor banners. It’s a full-blown military operation, one that runs alongside active military infrastructure and through a location that has trained America’s best aviators for more than a century.
“It’s so exciting to finally share the street course layout and provide this first look for our longtime and new fans,” said NASCAR San Diego President Amy Lupo. “Anticipation for this event is already high, and we know this course layout will raise that level of excitement even higher. We can’t wait to see how the best drivers in the world meet this challenge while celebrating America’s Navy.”
That challenge starts with a right-hand launch from the Ellyson Start/Finish Line, named for Commander Theodore Ellyson—Naval Aviator Number One—whose early training at North Island paved the way for naval aviation itself. Drivers then face a pair of 90-degree left-handers before roaring around Carrier Corner at Turn 5, which runs between the docking sites of actual aircraft carriers, of which there will be at least a couple.
It’s hard to imagine a more fitting place to test a driver’s nerve—or a stock car’s brakes.
From there, the course heads into Turn 8, the Coronado Chicane, a technical midsection that will force split-second precision before sending the field screaming toward Turn 14, Runway Road, which borders the north end of Halsey Field’s active runway, and yes expect to see a few fighter jets parked nearby. In total, it’s the longest course on NASCAR’s 2026 schedule, wrapping around San Diego Bay with the Pacific glinting in the background and the faint rumble of jet engines overhead.
Grandstand and hospitality areas will be spread throughout the circuit, offering fans a mix of horsepower and heritage. The visuals alone should be something to behold—stock cars thundering past hangars, control towers, and the unmistakable silhouettes of aircraft carriers and fighter jets, all under the Southern California sun.
The weekend kicks off Friday, June 19, with Navy Community Day, open only to service members and select Coronado residents. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will headline that evening, setting the stage for a weekend that will blend motorsport with military pageantry.
On Saturday, June 20, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series takes center stage, followed by Sunday’s main event—the Anduril 250 Race the Base, where the drivers of the NASCAR Cup Series will turn Coronado’s tarmac into America’s fastest flight line.
The project has already ignited fan interest. Deposits for tickets opened earlier this month at NASCARSanDiego.com, and according to organizers, early demand has been brisk. The pre-sale window for depositors begins October 23, with tickets available to the public November 7.
While street racing isn’t new to NASCAR—Chicago’s Grant Park 220 proved that city racing can work—San Diego is something else altogether. It’s like NASCAR and the Navy got together, looked at each other’s machinery, and said, “Let’s see what happens if we mix the two.”
In that sense, the Coronado circuit may become the ultimate fusion of American engineering and adrenaline. It’s fast, technical, unapologetically patriotic, and just absurd enough to work.
Because when your racetrack includes corners called “Carrier” and “Runway,” and the backdrop has actual F/A-18s, you’re not just racing cars—you’re writing the next chapter in America’s love affair with speed and spectacle.
And somewhere, you can almost hear Maverick saying, “I feel the need…”