Wallace left with mixed emotions after runner-up day at San Diego: ‘What if?’

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

CORONADO, Calif. — Bubba Wallace has never been much of a fan of racing on road or street courses in NASCAR. In 40 prior Cup starts on such tracks, he combined to earn just one top five and four top 10s.

Enter “Bubba Hamilton,” his apparent alter ego, who showed up to play at Naval Base Coronado on Sunday, wheeling the No. 23 Toyota to an impressive second-place finish after a gritty, comeback drive in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Anduril 250 just across the bay from San Diego.

MORE: Race results | Heim earns first career win

After jokingly comparing himself to Formula One great Lewis Hamilton on Saturday, one might think Wallace would be ecstatic after his best career road-course result, especially after rebounding from a detached right-front wheel at Lap 19 that forced him to pit road and earned him a two-lap penalty. Instead, Wallace couldn’t shake the thought of what could have been, settling for second as part of 23XI Racing’s first 1-2 result after his part-time teammate Corey Heim nabbed the win from Tyler Reddick — another fellow 23XI racer — in the final laps.

“It’s ‘what if?'” Wallace said. “Tired of living in that.”

Wallace did see the pros through the cons in Sunday’s outcome. The 23XI Racing driver jumped two spots to 11th in the points standings after his second top-three finish in the last three weeks. To do so on a temporary circuit on never-before-raced streets and airfields marked a notable improvement in Wallace’s development as a road racer.

“I know how much I’ve struggled in the past and continue to work, and I appreciate everybody on the team,” Wallace said. “Appreciate everybody back at Airspeed. Keegan (Leahy) and William (Lee) in the sim room, I give them so much crap for the sim and trying to get it right, but we bust our ass to get that thing right. And as far off as the sim was for all of us in the field, I really learned a lot. Don’t quote me on that. I don’t want them to hear that because they’ll sign me up for more. But it was super beneficial, so having the right people in the right space at 23XI is beneficial for us to capitalize, and you look at it — a 1-2 finish for us.”

After starting 12th, Wallace worked his way up to second place within just 10 laps of action before green-flag pit stops began. When the caution flag waved at Lap 12 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stalled on track, No. 23 crew chief Charles Denike had Wallace stay out, then pit under green-flag conditions at Lap 18. Front changer Austin Dickey was unable to secure the right-front wheel nut before Wallace departed the box, and one lap later, the wheel detached from the car, resulting in a penalty that forced Wallace to sit in his stall for two laps before he could resume action.

“Go figure,” Wallace said of his thoughts in the moment. “Drive your ass off on a track that you have no idea what you’re doing. Drive up to lead, then have it all taken away from you. I’m not bashing anybody. Pit crew’s been one of the best on pit road and had a mistake. We all have mistakes. Unfortunate that it cost us.

“At the end of our weekends, we fill out was it a green race or was it not? Here’s another where it’s not, so that’s a lot of not green races for us. And by green means nothing went wrong, we executed, whether that’s top five or top 20. There’s just another asterisk mark beside our finish and that’s what’s frustrating. So, good day, I guess, in second.”

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

Wallace was also able to step back and take a moment to praise Heim and No. 67 crew chief Bootie Barker, who previously called the shots for Wallace on the No. 23 team and led Wallace to his first two career Cup wins. Heim, who will become Wallace’s full-time teammate in 2027 as driver of 23XI Racing’s No. 35 Toyota, earned his first career win in his 13th career start.

“My body language and facial expressions will not show it, but I am really excited for Corey and Bootie, getting him back to Victory Lane,” Wallace said. “Being a winner in the Cup Series is something that, when we get there, we all want to achieve, and to be able to do that for him in his (13th) start, it’s pretty special. I know he’s put in a lot of work behind the scenes, especially the weekends that he’s not racing and it’s all paying off for him. I’ve just got to keep busting my ass too and maybe something will go my way, but guess I gotta look at it from the glass half-full.”

MORE: 23XI president Lauletta on team’s 2026 rise

The next task for Wallace is to tame Sonoma Raceway, where the Cup Series returns to action on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Sonoma ranks as one of Wallace’s worst tracks statistically; his average finish of 24.0 is the worst at any track with seven or more starts. Perhaps that fate is set to change this time around, though, after unlocking “Bubba Hamilton” in San Diego.

“I thought about that when we’re two laps down. I’m like, maybe my Sonoma weekend will go better because that place kicks my ass,” Wallace smiled. “So having a good road-course race, I hope I don’t go from hero to zero, but I feel confident going into Sonoma and having a good weekend.”

Posted on June 22, 2026June 22, 2026 by Staff Report

Tempers carried from the race track to pit road Sunday after the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado, with Noah Gragson confronting Kevin Magnussen after contact between the two ended Gragson’s day at San Diego’s Qualcomm Circuit.

In an exchange captured by Frontstretch, Gragson, driver of the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, confronted Magnussen after the race following multiple on-track run-ins between the two. Magnussen, making his Cup Series debut in Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 Chevrolet entry, repeatedly told Gragson to back away during a heated, profanity-laced exchange.

“You wrecked the (expletive) out of me over here. What’s your (expletive) problem?” Gragson asked Magnussen. “You guys come over here, you (expletive) drive off into the corner just because you got fenders on it.”

Magnussen responded bluntly, telling Gragson to “get the (expletive) out of my face” and later telling him multiple times to “(expletive) off” as crew members and others mulled nearby. The confrontation was tense, but did not become physical.

The back-and-forth did shed light on Magnussen’s on-track decision, which was admittedly payback.

Gragson: “Why did you wreck me?”

Magnussen: “I told you. You were in the wrong. You found out.”

Gragson: “What does that mean?”

Magnussen: “You (expletive) around … and you found out.”

The issue appeared to stem from a pair of on-track incidents. Gragson and Magnussen first made contact on Lap 25 while racing deeper in the field, with the two banging doors as the exchange continued. Later, while battling inside the top 15 late in Stage 2, Magnussen got underneath Gragson entering Turn 4 and made contact with the right-rear of the No. 4 Ford, sending Gragson spinning into the wall with race-ending damage.

Gragson continued pressing Magnussen afterward, asking, “Or what? What are you gonna do?” Magnussen responded multiple times with: “My problem is you in my face.”

Magnussen finished 27th and recorded the fastest lap of the race. Gragson finished 35th.

Notably, there’s also a shared Gene Haas thread between the two, though not a direct team connection. Gragson drove for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, while Magnussen last raced full-time in Formula One in 2024 with Haas F1 Team before joining Trackhouse’s international-focused Project 91 entry for San Diego.

Posted on June 22, 2026June 22, 2026 by Zack Albert

CORONADO, Calif. — Maybe some of the U.S. Navy’s finest knew all along, like a group of fortune-tellers in dress whites.

Corey Heim was regarded as a bit of an underdog in Sunday’s San Diego showdown — a talented one, but still a relative rookie gaining experience in a partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule before a full-time slate awaits next year. Veteran Denny Hamlin employs him, but even as a big believer, he was struck by what unfolded.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Coronado

Perhaps the service members who walked on stage with Heim during driver introductions had some level of foresight, tapping their wrists where a watch might go, joining the racing prodigy in mimicking his trademark victory gesture. The race’s setting was their home turf, after all, and this was their moment, too.

“Yeah, they were looking for something fun to do,” Heim said. “We originally wanted to swap hats, and then they said we couldn’t do that, so we had to find something better, and I thought that was cool. They don’t really know much about me or NASCAR or anything, so I was kind of telling them what the deal was, and seemed like they were having a fun time.”

Nearly 3 1/2 hours later in the warmth of the San Diego sun, it was Heim’s time again to drive home his signature celebration in one of the season’s signature events, a moment to soak in his first Cup Series win in just his 13th major-league start. His path to victory came after a daring duel with 23XI Racing teammate and series points leader Tyler Reddick, taming the demanding 3.4-mile circuit in his No. 67 Toyota with a poise that belied his 23-year-old age.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

The Anduril 250, the sport’s first-of-its-kind race on an active military base, was almost bound to have surprises in a weekend full of so many. It’s difficult to call Sunday’s performance an arrival for Heim, especially since he blistered the record books on the way to a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship last season and has been a key figure in Toyota’s developmental pipeline for years. But Heim’s vault into the ranks of Cup Series winners was pleasantly premature, considering the usual growth process often takes roughly 100 races to graduate to winning — even for some of the sport’s brightest young stars.

“I think it surprises you in the sense of it’s pretty quick, but it doesn’t surprise you when you look at his preparation, when you look at his talent and the rest of those kinds of things,” Toyota Racing Development president Tyler Gibbs told NASCAR.com after sharing some of Heim’s spoils in Victory Lane. “You look at the equipment that he’s in. I don’t want to say that he should, but again, he’s going to have these opportunities, and he’s made the most of it today. A lot of these guys don’t have as much patience in you, and we’ve talked about this over and over, him starting slowly in ARCA and then going to a full season, starting slowly in trucks and then going full time, and then starting here with only five races last year and 12 races this year, but you’re seeing that patience really pay off to be in good equipment. He’s really mature for his age and incredibly talented.”

Count Hamlin among the eyebrow raisers. Hamlin’s three-race winning streak on the circuit ended with a 14th-place finish, but it’s a stretch to call it much of a loss given his dual roles. He wore an ear-to-ear grin as he strolled into the winning team’s post-race press conference for the fourth consecutive week, this time representing the 23XI outfit that he co-owns with NBA great Michael Jordan.

The sixth-year organization savored a banner day, with all four of its cars running among the top five at one point during the race’s latter moments. Reddick stood as one of the strongest challengers until a flat tire dropped him to 25th in the finishing order, and 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace notched a career-best road-course result in second place, rallying from a detached wheel and a two-lap penalty early on.

Heim, though, was the stunner, even though his pace and composure in a pressure-packed battle with Reddick provided Hamlin with needed context.

“Really surprised. I mean, truthfully, really surprised,” Hamlin said. “Now, if you would have asked me in the middle of the race, I wouldn’t have been that surprised. I got to race around him enough to know he had plenty of speed. I knew he was on the right side of the strategy cycle. Yeah, I mean, you’ve still got to go out there and beat some of the best, have enough speed. I saw that margin of victory over second, third was like 10 seconds or something. Evidently, him and Tyler set a really fast pace there on that last run. But this was not expected by any means. I was very pleasantly surprised.”

Heim’s rapid ascent had some parallels in the No. 67 pit box, with the developmental 23XI pit crew that serviced Heim’s car also delighting in the beer-soaked celebration. Rear-tire changer Joe Carol walked away from the winner’s stage with some of the tongue-out swagger that characterized Jordan’s heyday. It wasn’t just his first win; it was his first Cup Series race, drawing some good-natured teasing from his teammates. “Retire,” they told him, knowing that the feeling of being a perfect 1-for-1 would be fleeting.

MORE: Scenes from Heim’s celebration | 2026’s Cup Series winners

Like Heim, the No. 67 group carried the sharpness of an experienced crew in a clutch situation. When Heim made his final pit stop with 16 laps remaining, he veered to pit road at the same time as fellow contender and late-race leader Kyle Larson. The call for both teams was four tires and fuel, and Heim’s car left pit road holding serve with virtually the same margin behind the reigning Cup champ’s No. 5 Chevrolet.

“Honestly, it was a roller coaster today,” No. 67 front-tire changer Dante Johnson told NASCAR.com. “It was a close race, but me and the guys, we made sure we just stayed locked in towards the end, just making sure we give Corey a chance, really, just to make sure we all come together, be smooth, and just be there for him to the end until we finish it. It’s a great and just an amazing feeling. I’m speechless.”

Sunday was supposed to be Heim’s second road-course start in the Cup Series. Last year’s trip to the Chicago Street Race ended with a discouraging outcome before the weekend hit full stride, with the No. 67 team failing to qualify on the day Heim turned 22 — “worst birthday of all time,” he said Sunday.

The setback provided Heim with ample personal motivation to avoid a repeat, but he also found plenty of support from his 23XI peers.

“I’ll tell you what I told him after this: I have so much faith in him,” said No. 67 crew chief Robert “Bootie” Barker. “I said, ‘It’s no big deal. You shake it off, man.’ He was extremely upset, don’t get me wrong. He even mentioned it the other day that he let us down. I said, we do not look at it that way. I knew, I said, This is nothing. I said, This is a blip, because I had confidence in where we were going to be, what we do.

“Don’t get me wrong. He took it hard. It was on his birthday, as well. It was tough. I mean, it’s lingered. He remembered it coming here, so … it’s great he could redeem himself in his mind. To me, while it was a big deal, y’all got to understand, I still told him where he’s going to be is well beyond that.”

Like his Navy cohorts seemed to know in pre-race ceremonies, it was only a matter of time.

“That’s all full circle for me, going from one street course just crushing my life to probably the best day of my life here a year later,” Heim said. “Just funny how that works sometimes.”

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

CORONADO, Calif. — Tyler Reddick appeared in command late in Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado.

But with his young 23XI Racing teammate Corey Heim chasing him down, Reddick missed the entry to Turn 2 with three laps remaining, allowing Heim to pounce. After the duo exchanged crossovers and contact, Heim pulled away for his first victory. Reddick suffered a flat left-front tire with two laps remaining and sunk to a 25th-place finish.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Starting from the rear after unapproved adjustments were needed following a spin in Saturday’s qualifying session, Reddick still found himself in contention to win the race. But Reddick said he was too aggressive in trying to charge toward the finish, diving to Heim’s left through the sweeping, left-handed Turn 5 and sending Heim wide into the tire marbles out of the groove as Heim’s No. 67 Toyota bounced off the wall momentarily.

That only compounded Reddick’s disappointment as his lead in the Cup Series standings shrank to just eight points after Sunday’s contest.

“I’d say the only way this day could have been worse is if somehow the contact we had took him out of winning this race as well,” Reddick said. “Above all else, I made a couple mistakes and it cost me the lead. Then I made some more mistakes trying to get the lead back. So ultimately, today’s result’s on me, whether it was the spin and having to go to the back in qualifying yesterday, the disaster it was today during the race. Yeah, just wasn’t a good day.”

Reddick credited Heim for racing him cleanly but reprimanded himself for his own late-race missteps.

“I certainly overdid it and ran him in the wall and initiated the contact — everything,” Reddick said. “So yeah, just not the way you should race a teammate.”

A five-time winner in 2026, Reddick has led the points standings all year since winning the season-opening Daytona 500. Following the May 10 race at Watkins Glen International, his margin over second place was a whopping 129 points. That cushion has evaporated in the five races since. Part of that diminishing lead is credited to a 35th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway and Sunday’s 25th-place finish at Coronado.

“We’re going down the wrong path right now and we need to stop it,” Reddick said. “We’re just not getting the job done, not winning races, not having good point days. We’ve got to figure it out.”

The other reason his advantage has dwindled is the recent success of Denny Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota who also co-owns Reddick’s 23XI Racing team. Hamlin entered Sunday having won each of the past three Cup Series races. That streak ended at the San Diego course, but his 14th-place finish allowed him an 11-point gain on Reddick.

Those gains are fantastic for Denny Hamlin, the driver. And while he understood Reddick’s dejection, Denny Hamlin the owner simply hopes his driver Reddick doesn’t get blinded by the downsides.

“If I could have one wish, it would be that all of our teams be very proud of what they did today,” Hamlin said. “I mean, we had four of the top five or six inside a few laps to go. I know it’s easy to just stare at your hood pins and only think about the short-term. I guarantee you Tyler is thinking about the short-term. But he started last. He had to come from the back multiple times. (Second-place finisher) Bubba Wallace came from the back multiple times. We got our other young drivers out there in the top five.

“Everyone needs to be proud and look at the day as half-full even though I understand the result is not what he wanted. In the grand scheme of things, it’s great to see that our cars have the speed to go out there and win and all of ’em can do it.”

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Staff Report

Turn 1 became calamity corner again at Naval Base Coronado as a Lap 32 restart in Stage 2 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race sparked a multicar incident at the front of the field.

Austin Hill slid the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet into Connor Zilisch in the fast opening turn, slamming the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and himself into the fence. With very little room to avoid the wreck, a handful of cars stacked in a pileup, including polesitter and seven-time road-course winner Shane van Gisbergen.

Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suárez, Riley Herbst and John Hunter Nemechek were also involved in the incident.

Teammates Zilisch and van Gisbergen saw their respective days come to an end, continuing a harrowing rookie campaign for Zilisch, who will now have finishes of 30th or worse in four of the last five races. It’s just the second road-course DNF for van Gisbergen (Chicago Street, 2024).

WATCH: Teammates Zilisch, SVG react to crash | All angles of restart wreck

“It’s unfortunate for us,” Zilisch said after exiting the infield care center. “I mean, our car was really fast today, both Shane and I collectively. It stings. When you have a chance to go and win a race, and you’re in a prime spot, and you get put in a position like that, it’s extremely tough. I really hate it for everyone at Trackhouse. Red Bull — this was a huge weekend for us, and to have both cars out is really unfortunate.”

Herbst, Blaney and McDowell all rallied to score top 10s after the wreck, finishing eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. Hill, Zilisch and van Gisbergen were credited with 36th-38th on the results sheet.

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Staff Report

This weekend, NASCAR’s three national series — the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — head to sunny Southern California for their debut at Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado. Bookmark this page for everything you need throughout race weekend, including qualifying orders, practice speeds, race results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Ten* sets for the weekend (six new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and three sets for practice). Teams will also have six wet-weather sets available.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Race day: Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Six sets for the weekend (three new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and two sets for practice). Teams will also have four wet-weather sets available.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Friday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice 1 Results
Practice 1 Lap Averages
Practice 1 Lap Times
Practice 2 Results
Practice 2 Lap Averages
Practice 2 Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

* = NASCAR announced Saturday that it was giving Cup Series teams an extra set of Goodyear tires for Sunday’s race after garage feedback following Friday’s practice session.

Posted on June 21, 2026June 22, 2026 by Reid Spencer

CORONADO, Calif. — Corey Heim arrived at the finish line, and at a career milestone, way ahead of schedule.

Winning a pitched battle against 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick in the closing laps of Sunday’s Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado, Heim won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in his 13th start and his first in the top division on a road or street course.

It took Heim three corners to make the winning pass after Reddick slipped in Turn 2 on Lap 73 to give the 23-year-old reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion an opening. The teammates ran side-by-side through Turns 3 and 4, with Reddick trying a crossover move into Turn 5 on the 3.4-mile, 16-turn Qualcomm Circuit, the first major NASCAR event on an active military installation.

Reddick made contact with Heim’s No. 67 Toyota — pushing him toward the wall — but ceded the position and later suffered a flat left-front tire before finishing 25th. Reddick saw his series lead drop to eight points over 14th-place finisher Denny Hamlin, the 23XI co-owner with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Heim reached the finish line 10.365 seconds ahead of Bubba Wallace, giving 23XI the first 1-2 finish in organization history. Wallace rallied from a two-lap penalty after losing a right-front wheel that rolled between Turns 9 and 10.

Kyle Larson ran third, followed by Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger.

To Heim, recently announced as a full-time driver for 23XI starting next year, the victory in one of NASCAR’s most important races of the season bordered on the surreal.

“I’m speechless,” Heim said after completing an extended celebratory burnout. “I mean, we started the race, I think we started 13th. We fell straight back to 20th. Then put on our scuffs from qualifying, struggled just as bad.

“I don’t know if we made any adjustments. (Crew chief) Bootie (Barker) kept telling me these were our worst two sets of tires, we were going to be fine. He was right. I couldn’t believe it. We strapped another set of tires on, and we were just fine. Hit the wall a couple of times and maybe knocked some good into the car. I have no idea.

“After Stage 2, I just took a deep breath. I had high expectations coming into this race. Even playing field for me (as a debut race). You don’t see that every day for a young driver like myself. Just kind of took a deep breath, reset and went after it.”

Heim led only the final three laps, and though he is running a limited schedule with 23XI this season, Reddick afforded his young teammate significant respect. The series leader declined to take advantage when contact between their two cars got Heim’s Camry briefly out of shape during the battle for the lead.

“I thought I was going to be able to hold him off there,” said Reddick, a five-time winner this year. “Yeah, we kind of just struggled with rear tire life all weekend long. Yeah, I got beat by our own stuff, so…

“We’ll try to figure this out. It definitely stings. First and foremost, congratulations to Corey. I tried to battle back and overdid it. I ran him straight in the wall. That wasn’t right. I wasn’t going to pass him for the win that way, especially a teammate.

“It’s a real shame. I don’t know if I cut the tire during, before or after (the contact with Heim’s car). I’m not really sure. Really needed a good points day. Had another really bad one, so… We’ll try and scrape together and have a decent finish in Sonoma (next Sunday).”

Moments after a restart on Lap 32, a violent wreck in Turn 1 wiped out a handful of notable contenders. As the field fanned out at the front, contact exiting Turn 1 triggered a multicar crash that collected Zilisch, Austin Hill, pole winner Shane van Gisbergen and several other contenders.

Zilisch hit the concrete barriers with jarring force as the crash also collected Trackhouse Racing teammate and pole winner Shane van Gisbergen, who had been part of the three-wide scramble moments earlier.

“It’s just unfortunate to end the day like that for both Red Bull Chevrolets with Shane and I,” said Zilisch, who led eight laps before exiting in 37th place. “We had a really fast car today. We got out front and it felt really good, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

“I had a lot of fun leading my first career Cup Series laps. Just super proud of this entire No. 88 team, but hate to see the day end this short. When you have a chance to go win a race and you’re in a prime spot to do so, but get put in a position like that, it’s extremely tough.”

Van Gisbergen was equally disappointed.

“A real shame,” said van Gisbergen, knocked out of the race in 38th place. “The Red Bull Chevy was unreal fast once the track kind of rubbered up. Yeah, a real shame.”

Ty Gibbs’ Toyota also sustained heavy damage in the incident, but Gibbs recovered to finish 15th.

The race featured seven cautions for 11 of the 75 laps. There were 20 lead changes among 13 drivers, with ninth-place finisher Ryan Blaney leading the most circuits (12), followed by Larson with 11. Reddick led nine laps before Heim tracked him down in the closing stage.

SHOP: NASCAR gear

Stage 2 recap

Ryan Preece collected the Stage 2 win in the Anduril 250, passing Riley Herbst for the lead with two to go in the segment at Naval Base Coronado.

The race took a massive turn on Lap 32 when contact exiting Turn 1 triggered a multicar incident that collected Connor Zilisch, Austin Hill and road-course sensation Shane van Gisbergen.

Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick also had solo spins late in the stage.

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a mechanical issue late in Stage 2, forcing Brent Crews, who subbed in for Christopher Bell, to the garage and ending the day for the team.

Herbst, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suárez, Ross Chastain, Todd Gilliland and Joey Logano picked up stage points.

Stage 1 recap

Ryan Blaney claimed the Stage 1 victory under yellow in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado.

A caution came out with two laps to go in the opening stage after Bubba Wallace lost a right-front wheel following a pit stop.

Along with Blaney, Preece, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Allmendinger, Gilliland, Hocevar, Logano, Zilisch and William Byron collected stage points. Most came down pit road at the halfway point of Stage 1 on Lap 10.

After a caution for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s slowed car, Crews subbed into the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Bell as Bell continues his recovery from a fractured wrist suffered during a wreck at Michigan two weeks ago.

Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon also went for spins early in the race.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed without issue in the Cup Series garage, confirming Corey Heim as the winner.

Contributing: Staff Report

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Staff Report

Brent Crews jumped into the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to replace Christopher Bell during the first caution of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado.

The initial yellow for cause in the 75-lapper came out for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whose No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet stalled on track on Lap 12. Bell brought the No. 20 down a closed pit road to make the driver switch.

However, the No. 20 suffered a mechanical failure on Lap 30, ending Crews’ day early.

Bell, recovering from a fractured wrist suffered two weeks ago after a crash at Michigan International Speedway, was the driver of record and received one point with a 39th-place result after completing a lap around the 3.4-mile street course near San Diego.

Crews, a highly regarded 18-year-old regular in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, registered his first race-day laps in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

Bell, who started 37th in the 39-car field, split time with Crews in Friday’s practice session, saying afterward that his plans to compete in the full 255-mile event were a “game-time decision.”

Crews won the pole position for Saturday’s O’Reilly Series race, leading 11 laps before engine failure halted his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota just 16 laps from the finish.

Posted on June 20, 2026June 21, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

CORONADO, Calif. — Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray fought tooth and nail over the win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado.

In the end, neither walked away with the trophy and an exchange of words was shared after late-race contact from Gray turned Kvapil, and errors from Gray allowed Austin Hill to pounce toward Victory Lane instead.

Kvapil led much of the final stages of Saturday’s United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 in the series’ first contest on an active United States military base. But as the handling of his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet faded, Gray’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drew closer. Gray made his presence known with three laps remaining, carving to Kvapil’s left at the exit of Turn 9 and remaining side-by-side for the next three corners.

It all went wrong in Turn 12B, where Gray contacted Kvapil’s left-rear quarter panel and spun the No. 1 car backward into the retaining tire barrier. Kvapil bounced off the wall and continued, losing just three spots in the process and taking the checkered flag fourth. But in search of his first O’Reilly victory in his 60th try, losing the top spot was all he needed to be annoyed.

“Man, I hate coming up short,” Kvapil said. “You can only do it so many times before it really gets to be a problem, and I feel like I need wins right now. I need to run good. I need to win races. Giving away another good one like that really hurts, and just another lost opportunity.”

With Kvapil pushed aside, Gray darted away with the race lead — but not by a comfortable margin. The hard-charging Hill steadily reeled in Gray, pressuring the No. 54 into the white-flag lap. Gray stumbled under braking entering the track’s scenic third turn, opening the door for Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to scoot through to the race lead and eventual win, while Gray had to settle for second.

Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Digital Media

The pass happened in Turn 3, but Gray believes Hill’s pass began when he erred by contacting Kvapil.

“I was able to get a good launch off of (Turn) 9 and get to (Kvapil’s) left side and just picked up really bad wheel-hop at the end of all of my runs,” Gray said. “And whenever I got underneath them there, I just wheel-hopped really bad. And it didn’t benefit me at all by doing that, right? The only thing it did was let the 21 catch me. My ideal situation was to get by Carson as fast as possible and then have the 1 in between me and Austin. So unfortunately, I need to go back and see what I could have cleaned up there and managed the wheel hop a little better at the time of my run there.

“Same thing with the 21 and how he got behind me. Just wheel-hopped in front of him a little bit and gave him the chance to get to pressure my left rear.”

WATCH: Gray discusses San Diego result

Kvapil approached Gray’s vehicle immediately after rolling to a stop on pit road, expressing his displeasure while Gray was still in the process of unbuckling. Prior run-ins this season with Gray were on Kvapil’s mind, but that conversation was the extent of any post-race interactions between them.

“We’ve raced forever since we were kids and never really had any trouble till this year,” Kvapil said. “We’ve gotten into each other a few times, and kind of just accidental stuff, right? It’s not been nothing malicious. And I don’t know. Whenever that happens, it’s pretty easy to go straight to ‘I got wrecked.’ And it might have happened, right? He might have went in there and aimed for my left-rear quarter panel. I don’t know. But just was really hard racing at the end of the day.”

Kvapil, who set the race’s Xfinity Fastest Lap, leaves the San Diego area seventh in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings. Gray improved three positions to 10th in the standings to enter a provisional spot in The Chase, where 12 drivers will contend for the championship later this season.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to action at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, June 27 (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on June 20, 2026June 21, 2026 by Holly Cain

CORONADO, Calif. — Austin Hill’s thrilling last-lap pass earned the veteran his first career road-course victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Saturday on a dramatic and ultimately emotional afternoon for his Richard Childress Racing team — capping a long and competitive day of racing in the inaugural United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 at Naval Base Coronado.

It marked the first win for the legendary RCR team since unexpectedly losing its NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kyle Busch, four weeks ago after the two-time premier series champion passed away unexpectedly, due to complications from pneumonia. The emotion in Victory Lane Saturday was palpable — the celebration was both a nod to Hill’s achievement and an ode to Busch and what he meant to the team and to the sport.

“It’s extremely special, just to finally check that box of getting that road-course win, we’ve been so close so many times,” Hill said, whose No. 21 RCR Chevrolet had to be towed to Victory Lane after the rear wheels of the car were flattened after he performed a long burnout around Busch’s No. 8 logo painted on the track.

Hill, who now also drives the car Busch once drove in the Cup Series, claimed Saturday’s win, which may have included a little divine intervention from his former teammate.

“I’m not gonna lie, I started talking to this guy a little bit down the straightaways,” Hill said, pointing to his hat, which carries the No. 8 Busch carried for the team. “I was like, ‘Man, Kyle, if you’re here, give me something, let me find another gear.’

“And for whatever reason, the car started coming to life and the two leaders got together and when there was blood in the water behind the 54 [runner-up Taylor Gray] I knew it was going to be tough to get around him, that it was going to be a battle. And when I got clear of him, I was very surprised to see how much of a gap I got on him.

“I can’t thank these guys enough, everyone on this 21-team, at RCR. We’ve been through a lot these last several weeks. … Man, this is awesome, so cool.”

His Hall of Fame owner, Childress, was openly emotional as he greeted Hill in Victory Lane.

“It’s great to win here and we all have Kyle in our hearts,” said Childress, his voice cracking in the poignant scene.

“You may not show it on the outside, but you do here,” he said, pointing to his heart.

Hill consistently showed Saturday he had a strong car — winning the opening stage — throughout an eventful day that included two red flags, totaling more than an hour of race stoppage.

With five laps remaining in the 60-lap event, JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil led Gray and looked to claim his first career win and extend an already record 11-race road-course winning streak for the JRM team. However, with three laps to go, Gray pulled his No. 54 Toyota alongside Kvapil’s No. 1 Chevy and the contact bounced Kvapil’s car off a tire barrier and out of the lead.

Two laps later, Hill was able to get around Gray as they took the white flag signaling the last lap of the race. The 32-year-old Georgia-native went on to win by a convincing 1.127-second margin over Gray, who led the most laps (16) on the day and won Stage 2.

Gray blamed “wheel hop” for his contact with Kvapil.

“Pretty disappointed in myself, really proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Racing. … Obviously would love to be in Victory Lane right now, that’s where my guys deserve to be,” Gray said.

“Got really bad wheel hop, that’s what it boils down to,” he added. “He raced me tight like he should and I wheel-hopped underneath him.”

Kvapil and Gray spoke briefly after the race.

“It’s really hard to make peace with that, obviously, I feel like that robbed me and everyone at this Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet,” Kvapil said. “They brought us a really fast car and gave us position to win a race and obviously we didn’t. That one really hurts.”

Haas Factory Team’s Creed finished third, followed by Kvapil and JRM’s Sammy Smith — who turned in an impressive rally forward after an eventful, full-contact day of his own.

Hill’s RCR teammate Jesse Love also rallied on the day, finishing sixth after starting from the last row of the 37-car field. Viking Motorsports’ Parker Retzlaff, who led five laps, finished seventh with Austin Green, Harrison Burton and Corey Day rounding out the top 10.

Two red flag periods slowed the action, with the first coming out on the first lap and the latter one coming out to properly repair the wall and fencing following a 23-car incident that eliminated many of the day’s strong cars.

While racing up front, HFT’s Sam Mayer nicked the inside wall at Turn 1 and careened hard into the other wall, collecting Anthony Alfredo’s No. 96 Chevrolet and starting a chain reaction among the mid pack behind. The impact was enough to bring out a 43-minute red flag.

“First of all, I just want to say sorry to everyone in the field,” Mayer said, noting that he planned to stop by every single team affected and apologize to them. “I’m looking at the people involved in the crash and it’s literally everyone. Just sorry to everyone who has to put work in now because of my mistake. Just brutal. Definitely hate it for everyone.

“I mean, what am I doing? I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be a lot better. I’m going to learn from this and I’m going to better. Gotta stay locked in no matter what happens to you. Just keep moving forward.”

MORE: Mayer somber, Alfredo OK after huge wreck

Almost immediately after the race start, there was an hour-long delay to repair a sewer vent cover in Turn 5 that came off in traffic and impaled into Day’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Once the cars rolled off again — NASCAR allowed Day to get the four laps back he lost while his crew repaired his Chevy. He restarted last and then got a speeding penalty during a subsequent stop for service on Lap 13.

The series championship leader, JRM’s Justin Allgaier, had an eventful day and retired 17 laps early after being collected in multiple incidents on the day. Despite the DNF, the series’ best five-race winner continues to hold an amazing 224-point advantage over reigning series champion Love atop the championship standings.

And a historical note, Jeremy Clements, 41, finished 15th in his 548th series start, driving his family-owned No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet. It gives him the most starts for a driver in series history, eclipsing the previous record set by Kenny Wallace.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to action in next Saturday’s Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at the renowned Sonoma Raceway, a couple of hours north up the California coast (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Inspection was completed in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage with no issues, confirming Hill as the winner.