NASCAR San Diego Weekend: First Race on an Active Military Base, June 19–21

Overveiw

NASCAR is making history this June. From Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21, 2026, NASCAR will host the inaugural NASCAR San Diego Weekend presented by Anduril at Naval Base Coronado — the first NASCAR race ever held on an active US military base, and only the second street race in NASCAR's modern era. The race weekend coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, and the headline Cup Series event will take place on a custom 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course alongside Coronado's San Diego Bay shoreline and the base's active airfield.

If you're in San Diego for any reason this June, this is the event of the month — and possibly the year.

What You Actually Need to Know

• Dates: Friday, June 19 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
• Where: Naval Base Coronado (Naval Air Station North Island), San Diego, CA
• Course: Qualcomm Circuit (Coronado Street Course) — 3.4-mile, 16-turn street course
• Public access: Saturday, June 20 & Sunday, June 21 only (Friday is Navy Community Day, exclusive to Navy and a limited number of Coronado residents)
• Tickets: Available at NASCARSanDiego.com
• Broadcasts: Cup Series on Prime Video · Xfinity Series on The CW · Craftsman Truck Series on FOX Sports

Why This Race Is Historic

Two things make NASCAR San Diego Weekend genuinely unprecedented:

1. It's the first NASCAR race ever held on an active US military base. NASCAR has run road courses, street courses, and short tracks for decades, but never inside the security perimeter of a working naval base. The Coronado Street Course is built around the actual roads of Naval Air Station North Island — known as the "Birthplace of Naval Aviation" — passing by hangars, the flightline, and two docked aircraft carriers.

2. It celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Navy. The U.S. Navy was established on October 13, 1775. NASCAR is positioning the race weekend as a cultural celebration of that milestone, with Friday's Navy Community Day reserved exclusively for sailors and their families.

This is also only the second street course in NASCAR's modern era — the first being the Chicago Street Race, which NASCAR ran from 2023 to 2025. San Diego replaces Chicago on the 2026 schedule.

The Schedule

Friday, June 19 — Navy Community Day (private)

• Exclusive to U.S. Navy personnel and a limited number of Coronado residents
• Headline race: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — 50 laps, 204 miles on the 3.4-mile course
• Broadcast on FOX Sports

Saturday, June 20 — Public day 1

• NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (Xfinity Series) — 60 laps, 204 miles
• Entitlement partner: United Rentals
• Race name: United Rentals Driven to Serve 250
• Broadcast on The CW

Sunday, June 21 — Public day 2 (Cup Series headliner)

• NASCAR Cup Series — 75 laps, 255 miles
• Race name: Anduril 250: Race the Base
• Broadcast on Prime Video (announcers: Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte)
• The marquee race of the weekend featuring all of NASCAR's top Cup Series drivers

The Course: Qualcomm Circuit

The course is officially named Qualcomm Circuit (Qualcomm Technologies is the Official Circuit Partner). It's a 3.4-mile, 16-turn street circuit designed specifically for this race, blending tight 90-degree corners with long high-speed sections along San Diego Bay and the base's airfield.

A few highlighted features:

• Ellyson Start/Finish Line — Named for Commander Theodore Ellyson, Naval Aviator Number One, whose training at North Island helped establish the base as the "Birthplace of Naval Aviation"
• Turn 5: Carrier Corner — A sharp left-hand turn between the docking locations of two active aircraft carriers
• Turn 8: Coronado Chicane — A challenging series of turns heading into the base's interior
• Turn 14: Runway Road — Located near the north end of Runway 18/36 at Halsey Field

This kind of military-meets-motorsport course design is genuinely unprecedented in American racing.

Tickets and How to Get In

Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available exclusively through NASCARSanDiego.com. Pricing varies by section, with single-day and weekend pass options available.

Important: Friday, June 19 is not open to the general public — it's reserved for Navy personnel and a limited number of Coronado residents.

Buy tickets at NASCARSanDiego.com →

Getting to Naval Base Coronado

Access to the base will be tightly controlled — expect heavy security, traffic management, and possible shuttle services from off-base parking. NASCAR has not yet released full transportation logistics, but a few things to plan for:

• The base is on North Island, across the bay from downtown San Diego. It's connected via the Coronado Bridge and ferries from the Embarcadero
• Expect significant traffic in and around Coronado throughout the weekend — the Coronado Bridge will be the main access point
• The MTS Coronado Ferry from the Broadway Pier may be a smart alternative for fans staying downtown
• Check NASCARSanDiego.com closer to the date for official parking, shuttle, and security guidance

Who It's For

• NASCAR fans — this is the biggest motorsports event in San Diego in decades and the most anticipated 2026 NASCAR weekend
• Military families and Navy veterans — the cultural significance of the 250th anniversary alone makes it worth attending
• Visitors planning a June trip to San Diego — book accommodations early; hotels in Coronado, downtown, and Mission Bay will be sold out months in advance
• Anyone who appreciates a one-of-a-kind sporting event — racing past aircraft carriers, hangars, and a working naval airfield is not a thing that happens twice

Good to Know

• The Cup Series Anduril 250 is the headline event on Sunday — if you can only go one day, this is the day
• All three race series run different distances on the same 3.4-mile course — Trucks 50 laps Friday, Xfinity 60 laps Saturday, Cup 75 laps Sunday
• Hotels are filling up fast — Coronado proper has limited inventory, and downtown San Diego is the next-best option
• Plan for security delays at the base entry; arrive earlier than you would for a typical event
• The race weekend is part of NASCAR's broader effort to honor U.S. military service throughout 2026

For more events happening in San Diego this June, check out our full June events calendar or browse our Coronado neighborhood guide.