What to KnowRuns from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21Traffic is expected in and around Coronado, especially on the Coronado BridgeLooking to get there with public transportation? Here’s howMust show valid government ID upon entry at Naval Base CoronadoTicket includes a digital parking pass. All parking for NASCAR San Diego is on the base. There is NO parking in Coronado. Carpooling is encouragedParking lots open at 7 a.m. Gates open at 9 a.m.For more questions, read the FAQ here

Coronado has a population of about 21,000 people. Naval Air Station North Island has about another 21,000 that come to work on the base daily. Oh, and there are some pretty stellar beaches that draw major crowds on a daily basis, so the island is fairly well equipped to handle a large influx of humanity.

“Sometimes we have up to 100,000 cars drive across Coronado back and forth in one day anyways. However, a lot of those people are still going to be coming, AND we’re going to have an additional 50,000 visitors,” says John Duncan, Mayor of Coronado.

Those extra 50,000 folks will be coming to see the NASCAR street race on the base, which is completely sold out for both Saturday and Sunday. Obviously, anyone coming to the event will need to allow for A LOT of extra time.

“If you’re not here, in my opinion, four hours before race time then you’re going to be stuck in some very heavy traffic,” says Duncan. “You’ll probably get in. You’ll probably be fine. But, come in an hour before the race, that is not going to work.”

All parking for folks with tickets will be located on the base, which comes with an extra layer of security that will make entrance a bit slower. Organizers are expecting the traffic crunch to have a serious spillover into other communities.

“We do major closures a lot, but this will draw a lot of people so, yes, the volumes we expect will have big delays around the city,” says Tom Davis, District 11 lane closure manager for the California Department of Transportation.

In fact, as a reminder to pretty much everyone on the roads Caltrans will be utilizing street signs warning of potential traffic delays quite a ways from Coronado.

“We have them as far north as the I-5 and I-805 split, and then we have them as far south as I-905,” says Davis.

That’s a 25-mile stretch of Interstate 5 if that provides any context on just how big this thing is going to be.

Many people planning to attend the races have thought ahead. They’re going to get on the island early and not leave until the whole thing is over.

“All of our hotels have been sold out for months,” says Duncan. “The restaurants are going to be full and they’re going to be busy. People will be walking around having a great time the whole week.”

In addition to encouraging ride share services, public transit, and carpooling, Coronado is a city where bicycles and beach cruisers are commonplace, and that might be the best ticket for those who have a ticket.

“Biking on base is an incredible thing to do,” says Duncan. “You can bring your bike actually on the base, but here’s one tip: if you don’t have a helmet on, adult or child it doesn’t matter, if you don’t have a helmet on, they will not let you bring your bike on base.”

So, unless you absolutely have to be on Coronado, this is probably a good weekend to enjoy any of San Diego’s other multitude of amazing outdoor communities. For those going to the race there’s a bunch of helpful information to get you ready on the NASCAR San Diego website.