SAN DIEGO — NASCAR ventures into uncharted territory this weekend, bringing all three of its premier national series to Naval Base Coronado for the sport’s first-ever event on an active United States military base.

As the Cup Series prepares for Sunday’s inaugural Anduril 250, Ford Racing arrives with dual targets in its sights: conquering a brutal 3.5-mile course and securing a landmark 750th all-time Cup Series victory.

The manufacturer’s pursuit of milestone win No. 750 traces its roots back to June 25, 1950, when “Shirtless” Jimmy Florian scored the Blue Oval’s first victory at Dayton Speedway. Since then, 91 different drivers have taken Ford to Victory Lane, led by Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett (43 wins) and Bill Elliott (40).

Leading Ford’s modern charge is 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. The driver of the No. 12 Ford arrives in San Diego riding a wave of consistency, boasting four consecutive top-10 finishes following a 10th-place run at Pocono Raceway. Blaney sits third in the championship standings as the highest-ranking Ford driver, with 11 top-10s in 16 races.

If recent history is any indication, Ford drivers are well-equipped for Sunday’s unknown conditions. Ford Racing has captured four inaugural events since 2018, beginning with Blaney’s win at the Charlotte Roval. Teammate Joey Logano has since become a specialist in debut races, taking the checkered flag at the 2021 Bristol Dirt Race, the 2022 Clash at the Coliseum, and the 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway.

However, the San Diego circuit promises to be a vastly different beast. Early simulator runs have left drivers comparing the bumpy, narrow layout to the Chicago Street Course, but with added extremes—including crossing active railroad tracks.

“I think it will be the hardest road race that anybody in this garage has ever run, just from the standpoint there are so many corners,” said Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher. “It’s very narrow in places. It’s extremely wide in others… It’s fitting to be near aircraft carriers. We’re gonna be in the air quite a bit.”

Logano echoed the sentiment, bracing for a chaotic learning curve with limited practice time.

“I mean, railroad tracks, that’s a new one to go over,” Logano said. “That will be like the Fast and Furious out there.”

Blaney noted that while the track shares Chicago’s bumpy DNA, the layout may offer a bit more rhythm. “It’s a big racetrack and something like three-and-a-half miles, so there are a lot of corners to do well in or mess up in,” Blaney said. “Here, there are some tighter esses and there’s one flowing ess type situation… it might possibly have a little bit more rhythm to it like a more traditional road course.”

Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland pointed out that surviving the tight confines and inevitable blind spots will require intense focus. “You know how we end up, though,” Gilliland joked. “We always end up running on top of each other regardless of where we’re at.”

Truck Series: Ford Chases Another Inaugural Sweep

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also tackle the Coronado layout, marking the circuit’s second inaugural road/street race of the season.

Ford completely dominated the first new street course earlier this year in St. Petersburg, sweeping the top four spots. Front Row Motorsports driver Layne Riggs captured that victory and enters San Diego as the hottest driver in the series, having won two of the last three races.

With only six races remaining in the Truck Series regular season, Ford fields half of the top 10 in the championship standings. Riggs leads the points by a 26-point margin, followed closely by FRM teammate Chandler Smith in third. The ThorSport Racing trio of Ben Rhodes (sixth), Ty Majeski (seventh), and Jake Garcia (10th) look to solidify their playoff positioning ahead of the seven-race Chase starting in September.