Blaney Tours the Base NASCAR’s About to Invade

gettyimages-2227153074 — INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 26: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Delta Ford, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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Concurrent with NASCAR’s announcement that its top three national series will race at Naval Base Coronado in Southern California next June, Ryan Blaney and a group of NASCAR Cup drivers made a site visit to the base last Wednesday.

All three of NASCAR’s top touring divisions will compete June 19-21, 2026 on a street course at the expansive facility across San Diego Bay from the city itself. Next year also marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy.

“Yeah, I got to go there Wednesday—I think it’s going to be amazing,” Blaney said. “That was my first time at the base, my first time in San Diego in general. It was kind of a quicker in and out, but we were there for a handful of hours.

“The one thing that really stood out for me was that every single person on that base is excited that we’re coming. (They’re) going to pull out all the stops. And that part is really, really neat for me as a driver who is going to compete there. Every single man and woman on that base is going to be watching that race.”

Blaney was impressed with the size of the base and its potential to host a NASCAR weekend, though details of the track layout are still to be determined.

“I didn’t realize how big a base it was—40,000 people live full-time on that base,” Blaney said. “And the 250th anniversary of the Navy is even better. So I’m excited. I can’t wait to see it and see the track layout in person and see if they put any aircraft carriers in the bay as we’re going by or something.

“I think they’ve got a pretty good plan. It’s funny, when the San Diego race was being rumored, I didn’t think it was going to be on the base. I thought it was going to be more in the city of San Diego, like we did with Chicago. Then we found out we were going to race around the base. I don’t know the whole track layout yet, but I’m sure they’ll make it pretty interesting.”