iRacing and NASCAR announced the new “NASCAR 25” console game will launch this fall, Oct. 14, 2025, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S, with PC via Steam at a later date.
“NASCAR 25,”the first standalone console game produced by iRacing, is set to feature the Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck series.
For the first time, the ARCA Menards Series will be a part of the console gaming experience and play a key role in career mode.
With real drivers from their respective series, in career mode, gamers will be able to customize their own driver and vehicles, manage contracts, money, facility and staff. Making strategic decisions on and off the track will play a pivotal role in the journey from ARCA to becoming a Cup Series champion.
All four series will also be playable in other gameplay modes, such as quick races, seasons and online multiplayer.
It took a rain delay and multiple overtime restarts before sealing the deal, but Denny Hamlin’s victory last week at Dover was the latest in what has been a vintage season for the driver of the No. 11 car. The 11th-winningest driver in Cup Series history now has four trophies on the year — the most of anybody in the field — and he ranks fourth in the standings with the third-best average finish, third-best average Driver Rating and top-ranked Adjusted Points+ index of any Cup regular this season.
Denny has had plenty of great seasons before, of course. He’s made the Championship 4 on four separate occasions, in addition to finishing second in the Chase in 2010 and third during his rookie season of 2006. He also led the Cup Series in wins in both 2010 and 2012, and is one of just 11 modern-era (since 1972) drivers to have six different seasons with at least four wins.
That’s impressive enough by itself. But it cannot be ignored that Hamlin is doing all of this at age 44 this season, tying him for the fourth-oldest driver ever to rattle off a four-plus win season in modern Cup Series history — only Harry Gant (age 51 in 1991), Mark Martin (50 in 2009) and Bobby Allison (45 in 1983) did it at a more advanced age.
By conventional NASCAR wisdom, drivers shouldn’t be anywhere near this good at age 44. Even the greats tend to slow down — literally and figuratively — by their mid-40s. If you chart the cumulative share of career wins, top fives and top 10s for all retired modern-era drivers with at least 10 Cup Series victories, a clear pattern emerges: success peaks around age 34, begins a meaningful decline by 40 and is all but entirely out of fuel by 45.
Through their age-44 seasons, the same age Hamlin is now, our group of great historical drivers had claimed 93.4 percent of all the checkered flags they would ever win in their careers, with 92.6 percent of their eventual top fives and 91.3 percent of their lifetime top 10s. Whatever time they had left as a contender was running out fast.
And yet, Hamlin isn’t backing off the gas at this stage of his career — he’s speeding up. By multiple measures, this is his best performance since NASCAR introduced the Next Gen car in 2022. The only recent year that might compare is 2021 — the final season of the Gen 6 era — when he led the Cup Series in average finish and ranked second in both Adjusted Pts+ and Driver Rating. In fact, 2025 is just the third time in his career that Hamlin has finished among the top three in all three of those categories, joining 2021 and 2023.
Again, it’s remarkable that all of those performances have come during this, Denny’s third decade as a NASCAR driver. After a few seasons of seeming decline in 2022 and 2024, Hamlin’s numbers this year are just about as good as they’ve been throughout his whole time in Cup, with the only competition being his previous peaks from 2009-12 and 2019-21.
It’s the kind of late-career campaign that invites real speculation that this could finally be the year for Hamlin … or if not now, then when?
By now, it’s widely known that Hamlin is easily the winningest driver to never win a Cup Series crown. And if you visualize the all-time leaderboard of drivers without a championship, it becomes clear that he and Martin tower over the rest of NASCAR’s title-less elite:
One would think that a season like the one Hamlin is enjoying in 2025 would eventually end his championship drought and secure him his first-ever Cup title. But of course, we’ve had that same thought before: Denny’s career arc has long been defined by near-misses and close calls, stretching back nearly two decades.
That’s part of what makes this season so compelling. At +425, Hamlin trails only longtime nemesis Kyle Larson (+350) in DraftKings’ championship futures odds. And after last week’s Dover win, my model projects him as the favorite to win again on Sunday at Indianapolis — a track he’s never conquered in 16 tries, but one whose close cousins (Pocono, Michigan) have historically suited him very well. If Hamlin does take another checkered flag, it would mark his second back-to-back streak of the season — something only the serious title contenders can manage.
But the truth is, no amount of midseason success will mean much if Hamlin’s postseason journey finds a way to go sideways the way it so often has. That’s always been the story with Denny: Brilliance in the regular season, heartbreak in the playoffs. And so we’re left wondering — again — how many more chances like this he’ll get. How long can a 44-year-old driver keep his championship window open before he either gets his long-awaited breakthrough or Father Time finally slams it shut for good?
After three weeks off, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action in Friday night’s TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (8 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
That’s good news for reigning series champion Ty Majeski, whose victory at the 0.686-mile short track last year proved to be a springboard to the series championship.
Majeski added a win at Richmond and a runner-up finish from the pole at the Milwaukee Mile in his next two starts. After qualifying for the Championship 4, he won from the pole at Phoenix Raceway to secure the title.
Majeski was fourth in the Truck Series standings when he came to IRP last year. This season, his position is considerably more tenuous. With three races left in the regular season, the driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford is 10th on the potential playoff grid, just 38 points above the current elimination line.
Accordingly, the TSport 200 couldn’t come at a better time for the 30-year-old short-track ace from Seymour, Wisconsin, who won the prestigious Slinger Nationals super late model race in his native state on July 8 during the downtime for the Truck Series.
Watkins Glen International and Richmond Raceway follow Indianapolis, and that portion of the schedule bodes well for Majeski in an underwhelming year for ThorSport. Majeski is the only one of the organization’s drivers currently above the elimination line.
Jake Garcia is 11th, 38 points behind his champion teammate. Two-time title winner Ben Rhodes is 13th on the current playoff grid, 68 points out, and three-time champion Matt Crafton is 153 points down in 16th, needing a win in the next three races to advance to the 10-driver playoffs.
The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of Cole Bruce’s life.
Cole lost his father Robert Bruce, a respected veteran racer in Virginia, on July 1 due to complications stemming from a heart attack he suffered at Langley Speedway. Since then, Cole has grappled with the sudden loss of Robert, understandably leaving racing on the backburner during the grieving process.
Saturday’s twin Late Model features at Langley will serve as Cole’s first time back behind the wheel following Robert’s death. Numerous emotions are occupying Cole’s mind ahead of the upcoming races, but from his perspective, doing what he and his dad loved the most is the best way to move forward.
“Overwhelmed would probably be the right word,” Cole said. “I’m trying to get everything prepped for this weekend. Obviously, it’s different because before it was always me and dad doing everything. I’m a little bit relieved, too, because it’s been about a month since I’ve been racing. We’re trying to get back into the realm of normal, everyday life.
“It’s going to be super weird and abnormal because I think this is the first race I’ve ever run without dad being there in the big car.”
Robert’s passion for motorsports in general was the primary influence behind Cole’s decision to become a racer himself.
Among the cars Robert raced included Grand Stocks at Old Dominion Raceway, and he was heavily involved in Late Model Stocks. Robert also occasionally made appearances in major touring divisions like the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series and the ARCA Menards Series.
The only start Robert made across NASCAR’s top three series was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway in 2013. He finished 28th in the No. 84 Ford for Mike Harmon.
Robert’s versatile career helped him acquire a plethora of knowledge he would share with other drivers that eventually included his son Cole. With Robert by his side, Cole gradually got himself acclimated to Late Model Stocks and earned his first victory in the discipline at Langley earlier this year.
The path to that milestone required Cole to diligently absorb everything Robert was trying to teach him about Late Model Stocks. This tutelage extended to the financial side of the Bruces’ operation, which allowed Cole to develop a careful, pragmatic approach with how he races his fellow competitors.
“[He wanted me] to understand the actual sport itself, whether it was behind the wheel or on the business side of stuff,” Cole said. “He taught me how to save a penny, that’s for sure. One lesson I learned growing up was not putting my nose in places it shouldn’t be, because then he’d make me fix all my wrecked cars.
“That helped me understand how expensive things [are] and how much funds we actually had, so I kind of matured a lot in those stages.”
Cole Bruce broke through for his first Late Model Stock victory at Langley Speedway on April 19, 2025. (Photo: John Bechtel Photography)
Cole is thankful for all the information he was able to retain from Robert. Now responsibility falls upon him to keep applying that knowledge, something Cole admits has been challenging during his first race week without Robert.
When Cole was attending classes at Liberty University, Robert would oversee the day-to-day operations of the team and get his Late Model Stock ready. Effectively stepping into his dad’s role has provided Cole a fresh perspective on short-track racing when it comes to the intricacies of making a small operation sustainable.
Nothing about the transition has been easy, but Cole is taking everything day-by-day with his scenario.
“[It’s been hard] doing a lot of the stuff on my own,” Cole said. “I have people around me who will come over and help me get the car ready, as well as answer my questions if I have any. Another logistical challenge is race week prep like cleaning up tires every week, scaling the car or, hell, just trying to find stuff in the shop.
“Now that [my dad’s] gone, I have a greater appreciation for [what he did], because there’s a lot more of a workload trying to do it yourself.”
With so much effort being exerted into preparing his No. 31 Clubtails Toyota just for Saturday evening, Cole has not given substantial thought into the long-term future of his team.
Cole does intend to finish the 2025 season at Langley and chase more victories in honor of his dad. With the Hampton Heat not being a points event, Cole did not have that race on his schedule prior to Robert’s death, but the two discussed potentially entering the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway again after skipping the race last year.
Funding will dictate whether Cole makes the trip to Martinsville in September, but he is determined to find a way into Late Model Stock’s crown jewel event. Robert was unable to make the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 during his lone attempt in 2013, with Cole himself failing to qualify for the race in 2022 and 2023.
A busy slate of events at Langley awaits Cole before the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. He sits fourth in Langley’s Late Model Stock standings with five races remaining and is confident the speed his car possessed earlier in the year will be prevalent as he closes out a productive-but-solemn year.
Cole knows he can win Saturday, but doing so would bring mixed emotions — just like the entire week preceding the twin Late Model Stock features.
“[A win would] mean the world to me, but it would definitely suck since it’d be my first win without dad,” Cole said. “It’ll be a very emotional night if so, but I know he’ll be with me this weekend and all the other races moving forward. That’s all he wanted to see me do, succeed. We’re ready to go out there and do what we normally do.”
Cole Bruce intends to finish the 2025 season at Langley Speedway in honor of his dad Robert Bruce (Photo: Dinah Marie Photography)
Cole has never known a life in motorsports without Robert. The two spent years developing their small operation into one that could regularly contend for wins in Langley’s competitive Late Model Stock class, with Cole believing the two had many more chapters in that journey ahead.
One positive through a tumultuous period for Cole and the Bruce family is that he has had plenty of time to reflect on numerous great memories with Robert. Cole will always remember Robert as a great short-track competitor, but an even better father.
“Dad was always in my corner,” Cole said. “We’ve gone through a lot of trials and errors, but whether I was in the wrong or right, he was always there backing me up but made sure I understood where I messed up. We finally got to a point where we understood each other well, and he always supported everything I wanted to do.
“He always sacrificed a lot for us to make sure that me, my sister and my family were always able to do what we wanted to do.”
Robert may be gone, but his spirit lives on through Cole, a son determined to carry on his father’s love and commitment to motorsports.
Here’s what’s happening in NASCAR with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in the rearview and the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) up next.
1. Who holds the edge in the In-Season Challenge Championship?
Sixth-seeded Ty Gibbs will battle No. 32 Ty Dillon for $1 million and bragging rights. Who will prevail once the dust settles at the Brickyard?
Four races down and only two drivers remain in the inaugural In-Season Challenge, with two Tys — Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon — slated for head-to-head action on the Indianapolis oval. The goal is as simple as it was during the four previous races: Finish ahead of the other. The question that follows is also a simple one. Who has the edge over the other, and who will claim the championship victory and sleek trophy that comes with it?
The numbers-oriented reaction suggests going with Gibbs. According to Racing Insights, Gibbs holds the head-to-head edge over Dillon since the Next Gen era began in 2022 (55 vs. 24). In terms of their head-to-head results in 2025, Gibbs also takes the cake (12 vs. nine), and the same goes for Gibbs’ finishes at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway this season … tracks similar in style to Indy (two vs. zero).
One area, though, could suggest that the 32-seeded Dillon has an advantage, and that is experience when it comes to tackling the Indy oval itself. After all, Dillon has five career Cup starts on the 2.5-mile configuration compared to Gibbs’ one, which came in 2024 during his sophomore campaign. There’s more to it, too — Dillon’s average finish at Indianapolis (17.2) is his best at any non-drafting oval and his second-best among all tracks. Dillon’s 19th-place finish in the 2024 Indy running additionally beat Gibbs’ 23rd-place result in their only head-to-head Cup matchup at that facility.
Dillon, who is currently on a four-race top-20 streak (a season high), has arguably been the face of the bracket-style bout, and while Gibbs, too, is on a scorcher of sorts (his three-race top-10 streak is currently the longest streak of any driver), perhaps the raw power of the lowest seed winning it all prevails over pure metrics.
“It feels good. You know, I have been the underdog for a long time now, just battling my way to try to get an opportunity,” Dillon said following his Round 4 In-Season Challenge victory over John Hunter Nemechek at Dover. “Eventually, you get comfortable in fighting from behind and people underestimating you. It’s hard to say that we lucked into it this far in, and I am proud of the way we have run. We haven’t been a dominating car, but we have been a pain to everyone around us. That is all we can do — put pressure on them and execute at the right time, and that is what we have done.”
In other words, it’s anyone’s guess who truly holds the advantage this weekend, given how small the sample size is for these drivers when it comes to this track layout. One might still view Gibbs as the favorite based on the head-to-head numbers alone. Perhaps, if you believe a great story line prevails, Dillon is your pick. And while either direction has its merits, Indianapolis is still new to the Next Gen car, so anything can happen.
One thing is for certain: As the challenge nears its end, each driver will have to pass one final test to win the prize, with the Brickyard being the ultimate test for the exciting duel.
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2. What tricks do the bricks have up their sleeve?
On the surface, Indianapolis might look relatively tame. However, as recent history has illustrated, plenty of surprises should be expected.
Indy’s flat straightaways and paved racing surface might not be the biggest racing extreme compared to other tracks on the circuit, but make no mistake — the Brickyard 400 is not a race to take lightly, and that’s without even discussing the crown-jewel aspect of it.
Take last season’s contest. Kyle Larson triumphed at the track in NASCAR Overtime despite needing an extra pit stop for a loose wheel, giving Hendrick Motorsports 11 wins in 106 combined starts. One might assume it was a run-of-the-mill, Hendrick-dominant effort from start to finish (Hendrick leads all organizations in wins, top fives, top 10s and laps led there), but it was quite the contrary; Hendrick Chevrolets led only nine of 167 laps, with Larson leading eight of those.
Even still, given the track’s characteristics, one might have assumed the race to favor fuel mileage. And while the contest started off that way, it didn’t end as such. A Kyle Busch wreck on Lap 158 set the stage for two overtime attempts, with the field running two seconds slower than normal to save fuel, only for one race leader — Brad Keselowski — to run dry anyway and head to the pits, allowing Larson to gain the lead from Ryan Blaney following a multicar wreck during the first of two overtime restarts. The race eventually ended under caution after a Ryan Preece accident.
Sure, a heavy hitter such as Larson did win the contest, and yes, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have combined to win six of the last nine Brickyard 400s. But the nature of these victories isn’t as straightforward and as dominating as you’d think.
Let the track record (no pun intended) speak for itself. According to Racing Insights, the driver to lead the most laps has won only three of the last nine Brickyard 400s. The final lead change came in the last eight laps in five of the last seven races, and six Brickyard 400s went into overtime, including five of the last seven. With last season’s action-packed closing sequences serving as a reminder, cautions have also contributed to the contest’s reputation, with the last five Brickyard 400s averaging 12 DNFs.
Nothing should come easy, least of all a crown-jewel race. Adding the ever-looming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs further intensifies the tension, especially for drivers currently on the postseason bubble. Let 2024 be a lesson: Three drivers that were above the elimination line this late into last season — Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace — ended up missing the 16-driver grid entirely.
No matter what read you might have on a track, unpredictability always has its way, and a crown-jewel race is no exception. The best advice ahead of this weekend’s Indy bout? You might assume you have the track figured out, but in the end, it could be anything but the case. Recognize as such, and perhaps the Brickyard will reward you in more ways than one.
Alex Weaver, Kyle Petty and Greg Biffle break down Christopher Bell’s late-race spin at Dover Motor Speedway while battling teammate Denny Hamlin.
4. Fantastic four: Where did the first driver to four wins finish in the championship table?
Denny Hamlin became the first Cup Series driver in 2025 to reach the four-win threshold. View how each driver in the elimination era fared after being the first in the series to eclipse four victories. (Credit: Racing Insights)
Season
Driver
Playoff Finish
2024
Kyle Larson
Sixth
2023
William Byron
Third
2022
Chase Elliott
Fourth
2021
Kyle Larson
First
2020
Denny Hamlin
Fourth
2019
Kyle Busch
First
2018
Kevin Harvick
Third
2017
Martin Truex Jr.
First
2016
Brad Keselowski
12th
2015
Jimmie Johnson
10th
2014
Brad Keselowski
Fifth
5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – As the weather gets hotter during the summer stretch, so do the tempers at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series driver Chase Robertson and reigning Sportsman champion Zack Ore once again find themselves in an intense championship battle heading into the Colors Edge Sportsman 100 on Saturday. They’ve also butted heads two weeks in a row after hard racing, showing their displeasure with each other by banging fenders on cooldown laps.
“I don’t know what it is, but we always seem to find each other on the track,” Ore said. “Chase is a good guy, but he’s a top dog in our series, and we want to beat him a little extra because of that.”
“Yeah, Zack and I have been racing a little harder with each other, but I get it,” Robertson said. “We expect to be up front battling with him.”
In the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, Tim Brown broke his tie with Burt Myers atop the all-time wins list by scoring his 102nd career victory in the second Twin 25 on July 12. Brown says that might be the shot in the arm his team needs down the stretch.
“We just need to keep this momentum going and have a good last half of the season here,” Brown said. “We’re nowhere near finished.”
Mike Speeney dropped from second to fourth in points after contact from Burt Myers in the first Twin 25 race on July 12 ended his night.
“Congratulations to Brandon Ward on this year’s championship, because I’m going to make sure Burt (Myers) doesn’t win it,” Speeney said.
Myers doesn’t think he did anything wrong.
“Mike came down on me, and I held my line. That’s all there is to it,” Myers said.
Gates open at 6 p.m. Saturday night, with racing action to start at 8 p.m. Fans can get tickets online right now at www.bowmangrayracing.com. Tickets are $12 for adults and $2 for kids ages 6 to 11. The Special Forces Parachute Team’s postponed jump is slated to happen on Saturday as well.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the TSport 200. FS1 will also air Truck Series qualifying at 4:10 p.m. ET on Friday.
The qualifying order below is determined via metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).
Friday’s qualifying session will be just one round, but drivers will be divided into two groups with 20 minutes to complete a lap.
NOTE: Truck Series qualifying at Indianapolis Raceway Park was canceled due to inclement weather. The lineup for Friday’s race will be set per the NASCAR Rule Book.
The NASCAR Cup Series will tackle Round 5 of the 2025 In-Season Challenge this weekend, with the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway being the venue on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
All 39 cars will have a chance to post a qualifying time Saturday (2:40 p.m. ET, truTV, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Saturday’s qualifying session will be one lap and one round.
The groups below are determined via a metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the heartland on Saturday for the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The CW App will air Xfinity Series qualifying at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
NASCAR will return to Southern California in 2026 with first-of-its-kind street races at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, the sanctioning body announced Wednesday.
The NASCAR San Diego Weekend marks a full-throttle, three-day event for the first NASCAR events ever contested on an active military base, with the Craftsman Truck Series headlining Friday, June 19, the Xfinity Series racing on June 20 and Cup stars shining for the feature event on June 21.
San Diego will host just the second street course in NASCAR’s modern era. The Chicago Street Course hosted Cup and Xfinity action for each of the past three seasons. The race weekend will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy.
“What a special way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Navy, 250th anniversary of our country and put on what is going to be undoubtedly the most anticipated event of 2026,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president, chief venue & racing innovation officer. “And I’m bullish on it being the best sporting event of the year.”
Naval Base Coronado will become the first active military base to host NASCAR racing. The naval base encompasses eight military facilities stretching from San Clemente Island to the La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility.
“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. “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.”
Details of the official San Diego street course layout will be unveiled at a later time, but visions of the track are coming together, in part through driving on base and in part via iRacing. NASCAR previously leaned on the racing simulator for projects like the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Chicago Street Race.
“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,” Kennedy said. “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.”
How that will come together, he said, is still in progress.
“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. 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.”
San Diego will mark the final race of Prime Video’s five-race window of broadcast coverage for Cup racing in 2026, while the Xfinity Series race will air on The CW and Trucks on FOX Sports.
“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,” Captain Loren Jacobi said in a press release. “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 San Diego street race marks NASCAR’s return to Southern California for the first time since February 2024, when the Clash at the LA Coliseum kicked off the season from 2022 through 2024. From 1997 through 2023, NASCAR previously raced in Fontana, California, at California Speedway, formerly a 2-mile oval that sat approximately 120 miles north from Naval Base Coronado.
“We contemplated a number of places, not just in San Diego, but the greater Southern California region,” Kennedy said. “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.”
To coordinate the event, NASCAR is partnering with nonprofit Sports San Diego for operational and promotional support. Sports San Diego’s focus is to drive visitor demand to economically benefit the San Diego region through producing, recruiting, supporting and hosting world-class sports events, previously including the Super Bowl, X Games, the MLB All-Star Game and more.
“This a huge win for San Diego and we are so grateful to NASCAR for their partnership,” Mark Neville, CEO, Sports San Diego, said in a release. “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.”
Amy Lupo was named president of NASCAR San Diego, bringing with her a resume that includes four years at NASCAR as she helped launch the Clash at the Coliseum. Lupo, a resident of Southern California, spent more than 20 years at ESPN and worked on the X Games, overseeing its international growth and serving as event director in Tignes, Munich and Sydney.
The addition of a street race on a military base continues the growing trend of NASCAR’s willingness to push its boundaries. After adding an exhibition race inside the LA Coliseum for three years and creating a world-class street course on the streets of downtown Chicago, NASCAR continues to lay ground where it has never been previously.
“I think it 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.”
Tickets for the 2026 NASCAR San Diego Weekend will go on sale this fall. Fans can put down a deposit for advance pricing at NASCARSanDiego.com.
Follow @NASCARSanDiego on social media for additional details and elements of the weekend.
