In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, NASCAR will once again forge the path forward for a unique motorsports experience, hosting a brand-new street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.

“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” said Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”

The event, which has been a rumored addition to the NASCAR National Series schedule for several months, will include the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Friday, June 19), the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Saturday, June 20), and the NASCAR Cup Series (Sunday, June 21).

“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,” said Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan. “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 wear the uniform, and inspire the next generation to step forward and serve something greater than themselves.”

The official NASCAR San Diego street course layout will be unveiled in the near future.

Naval Base Coronado, known as the ‘West Coast Quarterdeck’, is a consortium of nine Navy installations stretching from San Clemente Island 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach, California, to the Mountain Warfar Trailing Facility 50 miles east of San Diego.

“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,” said Captain Loren Jacobi. “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.”

The Friday, June 19, 2026, event for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will mark the first-ever street course event for the series, while the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series have spent the last three years running on the streets of Chicago — an event that was announced last week to be going on pause for 2026.

Amy Lupo has been named the President of NASCAR San Diego. Lupo has more than 25 years of success bringing incredible fan experiences to high-profile sporting events, and was instrumental in helping to put together the inaugural Clash at the LA Coliseum.

“This a huge win for San Diego and we are so grateful to NASCAR for their partnership,” said Mark Neville, CEO, Sports San Diego. “Without a doubt, the NASCAR San Diego Weekend will have a significant and favorable impact on San Diego’s tourism and hospitality industry. On top of that, being the first ever NASCAR race on an active military base is going to be quite the spectacle and you can’t beat Naval Base Coronado.”

In a press release Wednesday, NASCAR says that the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series schedules will be announced at a later date.

Daniel Suárez needs a new home for the 2026 NASCAR season after his split from Trackhouse Racing. Jimmie Johnson said Wednesday that Legacy Motor Club is looking for a third Cup Series charter next season.

While Johnson called Suárez a “great friend” and a “great talent,” he said the timing likely won’t work out for Legacy to give him a serious look, per Joseph Srigley of TobyChristie.com. Johnson, the seven-time champion, added he is confident Suárez will land a Cup ride in 2026.

Right now, a third Legacy charter is up in the air. Rick Ware Racing agreed to sell a charter to the two-car race team co-owned by Johnson. Legacy, however, filed a lawsuit against RWR on April 1, claiming that RWR was attempting to back out of the contract agreed to on March 3. Legacy says the deal is for the 2026 season. RWR claims the sale goes into effect for 2027.

As for Suárez, it’s hard to predict where he could land for next season. Nothing is expected to change with the big three of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. The same goes for Richard Childress Racing, RFK Racing, Spire Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. The drivers at Haas Factory Team (Cole Custer) and RWR (Cody Ware) have family ties to team management. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently competing as open teams.

Daniel Suárez struggling to stand out amid uncertain future

Still, Suárez is a veteran of the series and has proven to be capable of making the playoffs. This season, however, hasn’t gone to plan. Suárez is 29th in the points standings, with just three top 10s and one top five in 21 starts.

The expectation is that Xfinity Series star and 19-year-old sensation Connor Zilisch will replace Suárez at Trackhouse next season. Suárez opened up candidly about what led to his departure from Trackhouse.

“Since my new crew chief [Matt Swiderski] came to Trackhouse, he told me a lot of things that he didn’t think were right within the organization and a lot of things that needed to be changed,” Suárez said earlier this month. “I’ve been very vocal with the team on we need to address this, we need to address that, and I’m not the only one seeing it. There are more people seeing it.

“I don’t think that’s the only reason. I think there are more things. Just think that lately, there have been things that have made me feel that I’m not as important.”

NASCAR’s announcement Wednesday that it will race on a military base in 2026 filled one spot on next year’s Cup schedule.

But many questions remain.

Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president, chief venue & racing innovation officer, said Wednesday that the 2026 Cup schedule should be out in “the next few weeks or so.”

The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series will race on a military base in 2026.

Here is what has been announced or revealed about the 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule:

Feb. 1 — Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

Feb. 15 — Daytona 500

May 24 — Coca-Cola 600

June 21 — San Diego/Naval Base Coronado

Nov. 8 — Homestead-Miami Speedway (championship race)

NASCAR recently announced that it will “pause” the Chicago Street Race and not hold it next year. NASCAR hopes to run that event again in 2027 but its absence next year leaves the July 4 weekend spot open on the NASCAR calendar.

“We’ve looked at a handful of options for the July 4 weekend,” Kennedy said in response to a question from NBC Sports. “ … Not sure exactly where it’s going to land yet, but it is an important part of our schedule.”

NASCAR will begin rotating sites for the championship race in 2026.

The summer Daytona race had been the traditional home for the event on or near July 4 until that race was moved to the regular season finale in 2020. Since then, the July 4 weekend race for Cup has been at Indianapolis (2020), Road America (2021-22) and the Chicago Street Race (2023-25).

Another key element with the schedule is how many street and road course races there will be.

There are six this year: Circuit of the Americas, Mexico City, Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval.

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps told drivers before the race: “Together, we are doing something that will be remembered in the history of our great sport.”

Since 2021, there have been at least five road course events on the Cup schedule. In 2021, there were seven such races. The Cup Series had two road course events (Watkins Glen and Sonoma) before the Charlotte Roval was added to the schedule in 2018.

Brad Keselowski has been vocal in the sport having too many road course races, stating on social media earlier this month: “We went from 2 to 6 Road course races, Possibly 7 next year.

“NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series. IMSA was built as the primary road course series in North America. IMSA will always do road racing better than NASCAR and that’s ok.

“Yes, TOO Many Road courses in NASCAR.”

This will mark the second year in a row that the exhibition event will be held at the historic track.

He’s not alone in that feeling.

“I would love to do a couple a year,” Erik Jones said this month on the optimal number of road course races in a season. “I was totally happy running (Sonoma) and Watkins Glen. I don’t know. I’m probably not the right guy to ask. I grew up as an oval racer. I didn’t race a road course until 10 years ago for the first time.

“My opinion is –- this car is not, just hasn’t put on as good of a show on road courses that the old car did, to be frank. I think it is fun to go to different places, but I could see us doing (Sonoma), Watkins Glen and one street course. I think you would be hard pressed to find many that wouldn’t agree with that.

“We know where this car puts on good races -– the mile-and-a-half stuff is great –- there is plenty of those tracks that we can go back to that are sitting there and primed to race, so I would love to go back to some of those.”

NASCAR leaves open the option of the event returning in 2027.

Kennedy said NASCAR is “keeping a pulse” on the topic.

“We get a lot of feedback, certainly from our partners, from our fans, from the industry, teams and drivers on it,” he said in response to a question from NBC Sports. “I would say it’s bit of a mixed bag. You have some fans that absolutely love the road course racing and would like to see more of it, and then you have others that, conversely, would like to see less of it.

“For us, it’s really just finding a good blend. We feel like we’re at a good number or around a good number right where you can still have the diversity of being able to go to a number of road courses, some historic ones that we go to, a street course or two, and then still keeping a majority of our events — and especially the ones during the playoffs — as to what fans would typically expect of traditional NASCAR racing and that’s oval racing. We’re proud of the product we put on from that perspective.

“So that said, we’re constantly thinking about it. We’re evaluating it, something we’re considering for the ’26 schedule.”

Jeff Diehl Racing and SpeedTech Motorsports will debut an all-new livery and refreshed branding for the upcoming Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals and the remainder of the 2025 season. 

This new visual identity marks a bold step forward in the ongoing collaboration between two powerhouse teams committed to performance, innovation, and fan engagement. The updated look reflects the synergy between SpeedTech’s precision engineering and JDR’s legacy in NHRA competition. Featuring a dynamic color scheme, modern graphics, and enhanced sponsor visibility, the redesign embodies the next chapter of excellence on and off the track.

“We’re excited to roll into Sonoma with a fresh look that represents the evolution of our program,” said Kevin Moore, owner of SpeedTech Motorsports. “This is more than just paint — this is about momentum, partnership, and a shared vision for success.”

Jeff Diehl added, “The new design brings serious energy. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make sure we come out swinging in Sonoma and beyond. This is just the beginning.”

In addition to the team’s new visual identity, Moore has officially begun the process of earning his Top Fuel competition license and will continue licensing efforts throughout the season, signaling SpeedTech Motorsports’ long-term commitment to top-tier drag racing.
 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR will hold a street race on Naval Base Coronado in Southern California next June as a replacement for its downtown Chicago event that ran the last three years.

The move to the San Diego area does not eliminate a return to Chicago, where NASCAR will still maintain an office and effort an eventual return, perhaps as early as 2027.

But the shift next year will allow NASCAR to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy by hosting all three of its national series over a three-day weekend on June 19-21.

“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” Ben Kennedy, executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, said Wednesday. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”

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It will be NASCAR’s second street race in the sport’s history, following the three-year run in Chicago, and first on an active military base. The course layout is not complete but is expected to be around 3 miles.

NASCAR has seen Auto Club Speedway close after the 2023 race. It built a temporary short track inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2002 through 2024 but moved that event to North Carolina.

Kennedy, who has been bullish on new endeavors for his family business, was the brains of the races at the Coliseum, Chicago, this year’s visit to Mexico City and now next year in San Diego, a venture the Navy is excited about.

“NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision and an unyielding pursuit of excellence,” Navy Secretary John C. Phelan said. “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.”

The base is known as the “West Coast Quarterdeck” and is a consortium of nine Navy installations that stretch from San Clemente Island 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach to the Mountain Warfare Training Facility 50 miles east of San Diego.

NASCAR named Amy Lupo, who has been with the series since 2021 and helped launch the Coliseum, as president of the race. She spent more than 20 years at ESPN expanding the X Games when she lived in San Diego early in her career. She still lives in Southern California.