NASCAR is taking its street race to San Diego.
After announcing it would pause the Chicago Street Race, NASCAR said Wednesday that it will hold a race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego over Father’s Day weekend next year.
“What a special way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Navy, the 250th anniversary of our country,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer.
The Chicago Street Race faced obstacles from the city and weather during its three-year run. But racers loved the course because of the change of pace from their usual oval courses.
Many drivers said they wanted to continue the street race regardless of where it was held.
Naval Base Coronado will become the first active military base to host NASCAR.
“NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision and an unyielding pursuit of excellence,” Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan said in a press release. “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.”
Drivers will race past aircraft carriers and F-18s, but the official course layout has yet to be finalized.
“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,” Kennedy said. “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.”
The Chicago Street Race — along with NASCAR holding an exhibition race inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — imbued NASCAR with the confidence to continue experimenting on where they could hold races.
“I think [racing in San Diego] emphasizes the fact that not only we can race literally anywhere in the world, but that we have some of the best and most versatile drivers in all of motorsports as well,” Kennedy said. “It’s the most diverse schedule that we have in our sport, and I would argue the most diverse schedule across all of motorsports when you consider the different amounts of track types that we race at.”