NASCAR Announces Street Course Race On A Naval Base In 2026

A little safer than the streets of Chicago.

Earlier this month, NASCAR announced that they would not be returning to the Chicago street course in 2026 after three years of racing in the Windy City.

The statement from NASCAR at the time said the race would “hit pause” next year to explore a potential new date, after being held on Fourth of July weekend the past three years, and also give the parties time to “develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies,” with the goal of bringing the race back to the streets of Chicago in 2027.

In the meantime, of course, that left an open date on NASCAR’s 2026 schedule. There were rumblings that the sport might try to return to Chicagoland Speedway to keep a race in the area, which provides much-needed exposure in a large market.

But today, NASCAR announced the replacement for the Chicago street course, and next year they’re headed even further west.

The sport announced today that all three series will race in San Diego, California next year for a street race at Naval Base Coronado.

The race will be held on Father’s Day weekend, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of the base, with the Truck Series taking to the track on Friday, June 19, the Xfinity Series on June 20, and the Cup Series on June 21.

While the track is still being planned out, NASCAR executive vice president expects the course to include the base’s tarmac and the aprons surrounding the runway:

“It’ll be a blend of traditional street racing in a way where we’ll be winding our ways through some of the streets on the base. They’ll be going past (aircraft) carriers. They’ll eventually go out onto the tarmac, probably by some military aircraft, maybe a couple of F-18s out there, and then back towards the entrance to the base…

Part of the course will be a bit set in stone because we can’t move many of the streets around, but part of it will also be a blank canvas as well.

Once we go out on the tarmac, whether it’s hairpins or chicanes or S-turns, long straightaways, we’re playing with a handful of configurations and we have a few drivers that we’ve gotten feedback from on what that could potentially look like. We’ll share more on the final course layout later this fall, but I would expect it to look unlike anything that they’ve had in the past around the base.”

Not gonna lie, that sounds pretty cool.

The race will be NASCAR’s first ever race on a naval base, something Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan expressed his excitement for:

“NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision and an unyielding pursuit of excellence. Hosting a race aboard Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of naval aviation, it’s not just a historic first, it’s a powerful tribute to the values we share: grit, teamwork and love of country.

From the flight deck to the finish line, this collaboration reflects the operational intensity and unity of purpose that define both the United States Navy and NASCAR. We’re proud to open our gates to the American people, honor those who serve, and inspire the next generation to step forward and serve something greater than themselves.”

And the base’s commanding officer, Captain Loren Jacobi, also pointed out the opportunity to showcase the base and the United States military during the country’s 250th birthday celebration:

“As Commanding Officer of Naval Base Coronado and on behalf of the United States Navy, it’s an honor to partner with NASCAR at NAS North Island as part of our 250th anniversary celebration. Hosting one of America’s premier motorsports events on this historic base reflects our partnership with the local community and our shared pride in the nation’s heritage. We are privileged to showcase the dedication of our Sailors alongside NASCAR’s finest as we celebrate our 250th anniversary.”

In selecting the base as the site for the race, Kennedy says that NASCAR considered that it would be America’s 250th birthday and wanted to do something special for the occasion:

“We contemplated a number of places, not just in San Diego, but the greater Southern California region. Naturally, I think we all started to gravitate towards the military base, seeing that we knew that the 250th anniversary was upcoming, our natural ties that we have to the military and then the location of it.

I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better location than Coronado, sitting between downtown San Diego, the Pacific Ocean and not far from Tijuana, either.”

The Chicago street course race has dealt with weather pretty much every year, so hopefully moving the street course race to San Diego will deliver better conditions for the event.

In announcing the race, NASCAR also released a pretty awesome video that has me pumped up for the race already:

Seems like racing around bombers and aircraft carriers is a great way to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.The post NASCAR Announces Street Course Race On A Naval Base In 2026 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.