One of the most anticipated events in San Diego next year will make NASCAR history: The top racing series in the United States heads to Southern California for a race at Naval Base Coronado.
On Tuesday, NASCAR officials released a map of the course as well as an animated video that takes fans on a tour of the 3.4-mile course and its 16 turns.
“It’s so exciting to finally share the street course layout and provide this first look for our long-time and new fans,” NASCAR San Diego president Amy Lupo said in a news release, adding, “We can’t wait to see how the best drivers in the world meet this challenge, while celebrating America’s Navy.”
After three years racing in the streets of Chicago, the series is well-equipped to navigate untraditional tracks. The race in Coronado, which was described by NASCAR EVP Ben Kennedy earlier this year as “undoubtedly the most anticipated event of 2026,” will be part of a celebration of the 250th anniversary of United States Navy.
When is the NASCAR race in San Diego?
The NASCAR San Diego Weekend will be held on June 19-21, 2026.
NASCAR’s top three series will all stage races at the Coronado track, with the third-tier Truck Series on Friday (June 19), the second-tier Xfinity Series on Saturday (June 20) and top-tier Cup Series on Sunday (June 21).
Where is the NASCAR race in San Diego being held?
Naval Base Coronado, known as the “West Coast Quarterdeck,” will stage the NASCAR San Diego race. This will be the first NASCAR event held on an active military base.
The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 16, 2025 with the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
Can fans attend NASCAR San Diego? Are tickets on sale?
Yes, fans will be able to attend. Kennedy is expecting “tens of thousands of people” to be at the races.
“The great part about it is the base has penalty of space to use,” he said. “We’ll have grandstands and suites and hospitality areas, but we’ll also be selling more of a general admission ticket to which will probably have a lot of volume. So we would expect quite a few people to be attending this.”
You can secure early access by signing up for pre-sale or placing an early deposit here.
How many years will NASCAR race in San Diego?
As of now, this is a one-year partnership between NASCAR and the city of San Diego.
“We’d love to kick it off and be at Naval Base Coronado for a number of years,” Kennedy said, “but this could also be an opportunity for us to move it to other military installations across the country, too.”
NASCAR moved out of Chicago for 2026, but described the split as a “pause” last week and expressed future interest in returning to the Windy City. It’s unclear if NASCAR would be interested in having two city-street courses in the same year, or if it wants to limit the exposure to once per season.
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