NAVAL BASE CORONADO, Calif. — Shane van Gisbergen ripped through the streets of this famed Navy base across the bay from downtown San Diego at an average of 90.8 mph on Saturday, winning the pole position for NASCAR’s first-ever Cup Series race on an active military base.
The rest of the weekend? Van Gisbergen and many of his peers have been speeding around on two wheels instead of four.
Nonmotorized scooters, some foot-powered and others with an electrical assist, have suddenly become all the rage in the NASCAR garage. Seemingly overnight, the majority of Cup Series drivers have obtained scooters and are using them to cover long distances in this spread-out footprint of a street course.
NASCAR teams and drivers were not allowed to bring their typical brigade of golf carts on this base, which is how they normally get around during a given weekend. And since the drivers do not have their usual infield motorhomes here, some have even found it easier to commute from the nearby Hotel Del Coronado, where many are staying.
That created a viral moment Friday morning, when Katelyn Larson — the wife of defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson — posted a video to her Instagram page showing drivers Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott sharing the same scooter on their way from the hotel to the gates of the base.
The Scooter Bros discuss their commute to the track. @chaseelliott @Blaney pic.twitter.com/vM696CbPYZ
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 19, 2026
“When I left the house this week, I don’t think I had me on the back of another man’s scooter on my Bingo card, but there we were,” said Elliott, who had held on to Blaney’s shoulders for support. “I was gonna walk, but my man offered a ride, and off we went.”
“We looked like Harry and Lloyd (the duo from ‘Dumb and Dumber’) out there,” Blaney cracked.
Fortunately, Blaney had a second scooter already at the track (one meant for his wife to use later in the weekend), so he lent that to Elliott for the ride home.
“We don’t have to do that again, which is all right with me,” Elliott said.
Elliott wouldn’t have had to do so anyway because by Friday night, Hendrick Motorsports had purchased a half-dozen electric scooters for its drivers and public relations representatives that personnel discovered on sale at a local big-box retailer.
“It’s nice to get some breeze on the face,” Hendrick driver William Byron said, grinning. “I like to be efficient through traffic, so I like to be able to get around quick.”
By The Athletic’s very informal tally, at least 18 drivers have been spotted on scooters so far. Two have been seen on bicycles (Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar), and Noah Gragson is whipping around on some sort of miniature motorbike and popping wheelies.
Drivers and teams have been calling attention to themselves joining the club, such as when Brad Keselowski posted a video of himself scooting around Saturday morning. Others have proudly posed for pictures with their new scooters.
Officially part of the San Diego Scooter Society @jeff_gluck pic.twitter.com/zBtAHDBgzN
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) June 20, 2026
Even Frankie Muniz, the “Malcolm in the Middle” actor who now races in NASCAR’s Truck Series, brought his scooter to the track.
Muniz and others have been on the scooter bandwagon for a while now. Tyler Reddick and his 23XI Racing team, for example, have become known as the “Scooter Gang” during prerace reconnaissance track walks at ovals.
RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece also has a scooter for similar reasons and had his shipped on the team’s transporter from North Carolina “just in case.”
“I mean, let’s be honest: I’m not much of a walker,” Preece said. “But I feel like I can visualize more when I’m rolling at 15 mph on a scooter (during the track walk) rather than trying to try and walk to the end of the straightaway to see my braking points.
“So yeah, I’ve always had it. I didn’t have to go spend $300 or whatever it was, like most teams did, on a scooter.”
Preece made that last quip with a bit of a smirk, and it’s true he was an early adopter. But for everyone else faced with long treks from place to place this weekend, there’s no reason to hit the brakes on NASCAR’s newest transportation trend.
Two more in the Scooter Society, one not. pic.twitter.com/kZ1n9cRiYW
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 20, 2026