NASCAR just dropped the once top-secret blueprints for what might be its most gloriously over-the-top idea yet—a 3.4-mile, 16-turn street course inside Naval Base Coronado, otherwise known as the place where America’s best pilots learn how to break the sound barrier.
It’s called the NASCAR San Diego Weekend, but let’s be honest—it’s basically Top Gun: The Stock Car Edition.
Picture it: Cup cars ripping past aircraft carriers, fighter jets parked in the background, and a track so long it feels like you could land a C-130 on it. NASCAR says it’s the longest course on the 2026 schedule. That’s not a racetrack—that’s a small town with corners.
NASCAR has “declassified” digital renderings showing how the whole thing will work, and it’s nuts in all the right ways. The course starts on the Ellyson Start/Finish Line, named after Commander Theodore Ellyson, the Navy’s very first pilot. Which is fitting, because once the green flag drops, things go airborne metaphorically, if not literally.
Then comes Carrier Corner, wedged right between two actual aircraft carriers. You know, those floating cities that launch $80 million fighter jets. Now they’ll share waterfront space with Chevrolets, Toyota’s and Fords that sound like they’re powered by pure defiance.
Further down, there’s Turn 8—the Coronado Chicane—a snappy set of bends designed to remind drivers that yes, they’re still supposed to turn. Then it’s on to Runway Road at Turn 14, which runs right along the north end of an active runway. Because what’s a NASCAR race without the possibility of a stray F/A-18 taking off overhead for dramatic effect?
It’s chaos. It’s spectacle. It’s America.
The timing couldn’t be more symbolic—the whole event doubles as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy. So, if you thought Chicago’s street race was a big deal, this one’s bringing military precision, national pride, and the smell of burnt Goodyears to the Pacific coast.
On Friday, June 19, 2026, the gates open for Navy Community Day, with access limited to service members and a few lucky Coronado locals. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series kicks things off that night—and it’s safe to assume someone will try to do a burnout next to a battleship.
The general public gets its turn on June 20–21, with Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race leading into the big one: the Anduril 250—Race the Base—on Sunday, where the Cup Series drivers will take to the course like Tom Cruise in a fire suit.
And yes, the tickets are already selling as fast afterburners at an air show. Fans can reserve presale spots now at NASCARSanDiego.com, with general sales opening November 7.
Make no mistake, this isn’t NASCAR dipping a toe into something experimental. This is NASCAR cannonballing straight into the Pacific Ocean while flipping the bird to anyone who said stock cars don’t belong on a naval base.
You can practically hear the pre-race soundtrack now: the hum of jet engines mixing with the growl of V8s as the command goes out—“Drivers, man your battle stations.”
It’s the kind of track that could chew up a set of tires faster than you can say “negative, Ghost Rider,” and that’s precisely the point. NASCAR hasn’t just built a racecourse; they’ve built a monument to speed, noise, and national bravado.
Sure, the logistics sound insane. Turning a functioning military base into a temporary street circuit requires more planning than an actual deployment. But if any sport can pull it off, it’s the one that’s been racing on high banks, dirt ovals, and rain-soaked streets since before most TikTok fans were born.
So next June, when the green flag waves over Coronado Bay, expect something different. Expect fireworks, thunder, maybe a low-altitude flyover or two. Expect the kind of unapologetic, chest-thumping, high-octane spectacle that only America could dream up.
Because this isn’t just another NASCAR race. It’s a flex. A 200-mph salute to the men and women of the Navy.
And somewhere, you just know some engineer is staring at that long stretch of Runway Road thinking: If we add wings, we could really make this interesting.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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