Jesse Love realizes dream with full-time Cup ride, keeps focus on defending O’Reilly title

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

CORONADO, Calif. — Jesse Love is one step closer to his dream come true.

The defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion was announced as Wood Brothers Racing’s newest driver beginning in 2027, making the full-time leap to the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

MORE: Naval Base Coronado schedule | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings

Love has openly shared how much he has dreamt of one day competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Having the contract to bring it to life at age 21 in hand affirms all the work he and his family have poured into his journey. But as Love told NASCAR.com Friday at Naval Base Coronado, “the reality just never matches what your expectation is.”

“It’s been great, but I think for me, I think there was less relishing in the moment than I thought there was going to be,” Love said. “Just because once the deal is signed and it’s announced and we come back down to Earth, you want to go months and months of just celebrating a great accomplishment like that. But then you wake up the next morning, and you’re like, ‘I gotta go race for a win this weekend and go race for a championship.'”

Sitting second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings for Richard Childress Racing, that objective remains top of mind for the Menlo Park, California, native. Love has established close bonds with his No. 2 Chevrolet. The most public of those is with crew chief Danny Stockman, but Love emphasized the impact all the men and women at RCR have had on him as he navigates his third year with the organization.

“On their side, everybody’s really happy for me,” Love said. “And I’m like, ‘thank you, I’m happy for you guys as well.’ And that’s not just the team, it’s everybody around me. Like, I’m happy for you guys, too, because me going to Cup speaks volumes for everybody on our team and all the people around me that have supported me just as much as it does myself, even though I probably get more credit than I deserve on that front.

“I think for me — and maybe it comes off cold — but I feel like I’m doing guys a disservice if I want to go celebrate this for the next six months, right? So I’m like, thank you, right? Let’s have our conversations about it, where I can thank you guys and give you guys your flowers. And once we have a couple heart-to-heart conversations about it, then it’s like, OK, now we all owe it to our each other and ourselves to get back to work and go jump in the simulator and go put our best foot forward.”

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Love has been open about his desire to become a full-time Sunday racer. Once it became clear RCR would not be the home of his future Cup endeavors, teams began to reach out. It wasn’t long before the Wood Brothers joined that group and gave Love his chance to go Cup racing.

“Once the Wood Brothers opportunity came to me and I got to have conversations with the leadership at the Wood Brothers and at Penske and people like that, they made it really seamless and easy,” Love said. “And they’re like, ‘here’s the opportunity,’ and it was something that I didn’t need much time to think about, right? I felt like it was a great opportunity, and all the people there were amazing to work with, and that process was pretty seamless. They’re all obviously the utmost professionals and first-class people. So when you’re dealing with people like that, decisions are pretty easy to make.”

With his new contract, Love will slot into the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, one of the Cup Series’ most iconic rides. He will also enter the fold at Team Penske, an affiliated teammate of Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric moving forward. Between his time at Chevrolet in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and with Toyota in ARCA competition, Love has relished the opportunity to learn from each manufacturer’s top dogs. Heading to Ford in 2027, “I got every ring on my Thanos hand,” working with each manufacturer currently fielding Cup cars.

“The cool thing about the Ford group is that Blaney and Joey specifically, like, succeed and win, I feel like, from like drastically different philosophies as like the Chevy guys and the Toyota guys,” Love said. “And I’m just excited to like try to dig into their brain and get them to tell me things and ask questions. And Joey’s already been super first-class to work with, but I’m just curious to like build new awarenesses.”

MORE: Cup Series standings | San Diego photos

Love’s friendship with current Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch has been well documented — as have Zilisch’s struggles to acclimate to the Cup Series’ Next Gen vehicle.

Zilisch crushed the competition in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2025, winning 10 of his 33 races, but he ultimately landed runner-up in the championship standings to none other than Love. Love has earned his fair share of titles across the ARCA Menards Series West, ARCA Menards Series and O’Reilly. Their friendship is tight, but their racing journeys have differed. Love has made seven Cup starts of his own for RCR — five in 2025 and two in 2026, all at different track types. Zilisch had made just three before this season: two on road courses and one on an oval.

“I’m aware that while my path has come with probably the most amount of championships for my age, I know that it hasn’t come with necessarily sheer domination in the process of that,” Love said. “Because of that, I’ve had to build a lot of grit, a lot of tenacity and a lot of work ethic. To say it bluntly, even though Connor’s the shiny penny, in a lot of ways, I’m a lot more prepared in a lot of different areas to make this step next year.”

Part of that process has involved utilizing new techniques on and off the track — even when his current approach may be working in his favor.

“I’ve failed a lot behind the scenes throughout my career in ways that people don’t necessarily see, like trying new things,” Love said. “Like I’ve got one thing working for me, and then immediately stop doing that once it starts working to go and try something different, whether that’s the mental side or the technical side, because I know what I have to do to move up. But my biggest thing for me is when I get to Cup, it’s fine if people don’t see it and don’t know it, but have all the tools and having learned all these different things, so that when I do move up, I’ve not have it all figured out, but I have like every possible tool ready to figure it out and be dominant.”

Love is not keen on setting expectations for himself so long as he learns through the process. Understanding how difficult the transition may be resonates with him. But he is approaching his future with an open mind.

“I don’t know what I don’t know, right?” Love said. “I’m kind of going into the whole process with no expectation other than being present in the moment and feeling reality. And then once you do that, you can go back on Monday and be conscious of what can I improve on, what can I learn from, what can I change, what do I not need to change, what’s clicking. But at the day, if you’re not present in the moment and you have all these like preconceived notions, you’re gonna crash and burn pretty quickly doing that.”

Posted on June 19, 2026June 20, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

CORONADO, Calif. — With the San Diego skyline in the background, Tyler Reif was one chicane away from his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win.

Instead, the 19-year-old went wide-right entering the left-right-right-left before the final corner, handing Layne Riggs the room needed to win in overtime at Naval Base Coronado. After a 30-second time penalty for short-cutting the course, Reif plummeted down the leaderboard to a 19th-place finish.

The devastation was apparent on Reif’s face upon exiting the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet despite impressing both his team and his competition in the final laps of NASCAR’s inaugural national series race on an active military base.

“Just kind of just drove over my head, right?” Reif said. “I’ve never been in that position. I’ve never been so excited in my life. And for the past month, I’ve been manifesting this, and I threw it away there at the end. I hit that corner 50 times perfect. I was one of the best cars through there all night, and then I missed it on the last lap because I let my head get to big. Gonna work on the mental side of stuff when I get home and go win the next couple.”

Before Reif could even unbuckle from his vehicle, team owner and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Al Niece leaned into the passenger-side window to tell Reif: “You drove your ass off today.” That was followed closely by appearances from Niece Motorsports general manager Cody Efaw as well as members of Riggs’ Front Row Motorsports team, including competition director Drew Blickensderfer and No. 34 crew chief Dylan Cappello.

“All four said the same thing. Dylan, Drew, Al and Cody just said, ‘Keep your head down. That was badass. There’s many more to come,’ ” Reif said.

Although Friday marked Reif’s first time in striking distance for victory, Efaw was not surprised at the young driver’s execution. Reif frequently competes on road courses in Legends cars and has turned in solid performances in his ARCA Menards Series and prior Truck Series starts on such tracks. Reif was second in last year’s ARCA race at Watkins Glen and turned in top 20s at both St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen in earlier Truck starts this season.

“He’s a good kid, good family. He’s a pleasure to be around. I saw a couple other team guys walking up from other teams, like, ‘Hey, great drive.’ I’m like, ‘Stay away from him! He’s mine!’ ” Efaw told NASCAR.com with a laugh. “Sick of losing drivers to other teams all the time. But the kid drove his heart out. I feel for him, but I think what we don’t look at sometimes is like he’s never been in that spot in the Truck Series. You’ve got a guy that’s winning races left and right on your bumper. Mentally, I can only imagine.”

Reif is eager to regroup from his Friday loss while also balancing what was an impressive performance, placing himself in position when restart leaders Kaden Honeycutt and Chandler Smith collided in Turn 1 and striking when the opportunity presented itself.

“I think the positive, obviously, is it’s only my (seventh) ever truck race and third time on a road course, and I’ve been a top-five truck every road course,” Reif said. “Just take the positives — the speed, the execution and just keep bringing the momentum onto the next race. And I think the win’s very close.”

Posted on June 19, 2026June 20, 2026 by Reid Spencer

CORONADO, Calif. — Short on fuel and long on perseverance and good fortune, Layne Riggs won Friday’s inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Naval Base Coronado on the Qualcomm Circuit.

It wasn’t until the final two corners of NASCAR Overtime that Riggs was able to claim his fourth Truck victory of the season and the ninth of his career. The No. 34 Front Row Racing Ford pilot was running second behind Tyler Reif entering the chicane that precedes the final corner on the 3.4-mile, 16-turn street circuit.

Under pressure from Riggs, Reif blew the chicane, steered to the inside of the tire barriers defining the racing line and came to a stop after exiting. Riggs grabbed the lead and reached the finish line 1.332 seconds ahead of runner-up Daniel Hemric, who ran the final circuit with a tire losing air.

“Layne van Riggsbergen came to play today, man,” Riggs chortled after climbing from his truck — a facetious reference to road-course superstar Shane van Gisbergen in the NASCAR Cup Series. “We’re undefeated in street course races — much respect, Shane. I hope I can be as good as you one day, man. I’m going to take all my glory here in the Truck Series.

“I don’t even know what happened at the end — sparks flying, people wrecking, staying in the throttle. I was running out of fuel the entire last lap. It was like St. Pete all over again (an earlier Riggs victory this season, also a street race).”

Entering the chicane on the final lap, Riggs was trying to force Reif into a mistake — and succeeded.

“I faked left to scare him, and he missed the corner,” Riggs said. “I really wasn’t going to dive it in there, and it worked for me … an amazing, historic win.”

Reif was trying to win in only his seventh start in the series. He finished 19th after being assessed a 30-second penalty for short-cutting the course on the final lap.

“I hear (Riggs was) one (car-length) back from me, and I didn’t want to give him a chance to get to me,” Reif said. “It was my mistake. It’s very unfortunate that I did that. I don’t know how many more chances I’ll have like this, but I’m sure there’ll be more, and I’m going to make sure not to make that mistake again.”

MORE: Reif details Naval Base Coronado result

The final two laps featured a surfeit of twists and turns. Superior strategy put Chandler Smith at the front of the field for the overtime restart on Lap 52, with fresher tires and more fuel than Riggs, his teammate.

Smith led the field to green with Kaden Honeycutt beside him, but Honeycutt brushed the wall on the downhill run toward Turn 2, and Smith crashed trying to avoid him. As cars bounced off each other behind them, Hemric briefly took the lead, only to be challenged and passed by Reif, who blocked Hemric’s Chevrolet into the wall approaching the chicane on the white-flag lap.

Reif held the lead from that point on until his mistake in the tight, freshly-paved chicane. In the overtime melee, Kaz Grala finished third, followed by Landen Lewis (a career best) and Ty Majeski.

Smith and Honeycutt ran 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson led two laps but finished 30th after spinning twice and losing power in the final stage. Johnson was making his second start in the series, 18 years removed from his first.

MORE: Craftsman Truck Series standings | Craftsman Truck Series schedule

The race featured 16 lead changes among six drivers, with Riggs leading a race-high 21 circuits and Smith 13. There were seven cautions for 13 laps.

Riggs, who won Stage 1, increased his series lead to 65 points over Honeycutt, with Smith trailing by 128 points in third place with five events remaining in the Truck Series regular season. Parker Kligerman won Stage 2 before finishing 18th.

The Truck Series returns to action on July 11 at Lime Rock Park (1 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Craftsman Truck Series garage, confirming Layne Riggs as the winner. The Nos. 88 and 99 ThorSport Racing trucks had one missing lug nut and will lose pit-stall selection for Lime Rock Park.

Posted on June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 by Zack Albert

CORONADO, Calif. — Chris Buescher made for some major movement on the NASCAR free-agency toteboard this week by not going anywhere. His decision to re-sign Tuesday as driver of RFK Racing’s No. 17 Ford gave near-equal measures of clarity for both the driver market and the NASCAR Cup Series veteran alike.

That dose of “Silly Season” serenity was a refreshing positive for Buescher as he approached the opening day of on-track activity at Naval Base Coronado, which will host the Cup Series for the first time in Sunday’s Anduril 250 (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) on the Qualcomm Circuit.

Buescher said the decision was a heartfelt one, choosing to continue his journey with team founder Jack Roush, who helped advance his career by believing in him so many years ago. The next box to check, Buescher said, would be to help RFK Racing back to its winning ways.

“It’s nice to put it, I guess, in the rearview, but to know you have a home and we’re going to be everyone pulling the rope in the same direction and being focused on the right things and not trying to figure out if you’re coming back or not,” Buescher said. “Fortunately, it’s another one of those times where I’m able to have that comfort side of it and that focus onto what’s really important when we go to race tracks and winning races. You’ve seen it through the years so many times, where it can become a massive distraction for others, and we won’t be listed in that category.

“So I think that we have a ton of potential right now. We’re really close, and it’s those last two steps that are always the most difficult, right? And they’re much smaller steps, but they’re the ones that are going to matter the most to be able to get into Victory Lane.”

Brad Keselowski, co-owner of RFK Racing, acknowledged that other teams made serious bids for Buescher’s services on the free-agency market, but Keselowski said he saw the value in keeping the 33-year-old driver in the fold.

“Chris right now is obviously a cornerstone of our company,” Keselowski said. “He’s delivered results. He puts us in a position to win and compete that I’m really proud of. He’s doing all the work he needs to do to be successful. He’s taken his lumps, paid a lot of dues, and we just want to give him the best car we can give him so he can win races. There was a lot of competition for Chris and a lot of teams in the garage area that wanted him. It was not a layup for us to re-sign him, but we feel fortunate that he felt our commitment was strong enough to want to stay with us.”

Buescher enters Sunday’s race ranked a solid seventh in Cup Series standings, searching for his first victory of the season. He enters as a stealthy road-course threat, holding a 9.76 average finish since 2022 on the twisty layouts.

Buescher’s most recent Cup Series win came in September 2024, when he famously outdueled heavy favorite Shane van Gisbergen for an impressive Watkins Glen International triumph. He may need to summon that sort of strength again come Sunday, but the hunger for a Victory Lane return remains a major motivation.

“We’re coming to the race track to figure out how to put wins on the board,” Buescher said, “and when you do that, and you’re in the hunt for it, and you’re close, you put points on the board. It’s the side effect of running well, not the goal, right? It’s not just to simply put numbers up and say that was good enough. It’s a race to win, and when you’re in the hunt, the rest comes with it.”

Ethan Smith | for NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 by Zack Albert

CORONADO, Calif. — Christopher Bell said Friday that his plans for going the full distance in Sunday’s inaugural San Diego street race will be a “game-time decision” as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury suffered in a crash two weeks ago.

Bell’s remarks came fresh from opening NASCAR Cup Series practice at the challenging Naval Base Coronado circuit, and he sported a newly re-done cast on his left wrist. After driving in the opening portions of the 50-minute session, Bell gave way to standby driver Brent Crews in an effort to provide him his first seat time in a Cup Series car. Whether Bell turns over the wheel to Crews during Sunday’s Anduril 250 (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) remains a significant question mark.

“I don’t know, that’s going to be a decision that we weigh out as it unfolds,” Bell said. “So we haven’t made the decision yet, and yeah, I think it’s gonna be a game-time decision.”

Bell suffered a fractured left wrist in a high-speed crash on June 7 at Michigan International Speedway, making heavy contact with the outside retaining wall after a collision with Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet. He was medically cleared to compete last weekend at Pocono Raceway and completed all 400 miles, saying his wrist felt fine except in moments when his No. 20 car absorbed any bumps from his competitors.

Like at Pocono, Bell said his pain threshold was less of an issue than how his injuries impeded from being as quick and aggressive with the steering wheel. The demanding 16-turn Qualcomm Circuit on Coronado, however, is a far different test for Bell than the sweeping, triangular Pocono layout, and the high rate of contact among all the NASCAR national series on Friday got his attention.

“Myself and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) are really going to have to sit down and talk about what our goals are,” said Bell, who combined with Crews for the 36th-fastest lap on the Cup Series practice chart after Friday’s opening session. “I will say that it is a very high-risk race track, and I can’t afford any setbacks. I’m already two weeks into this healing process now, so the goal certainly is to get back to 100% as quick as possible and then yeah, we’ll see what happens.”

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular Brandon Jones was on standby for Bell last weekend, but this week’s potential backup duty goes to Crews, a talented 18-year-old standout in his first year of O’Reilly competition who carries a strong road-racing background. Crews estimated that “hours and hours” of preparation have gone into this weekend’s San Diego inaugural, all the way up to his own stint in Bell’s No. 20 Toyota near the end of Friday’s Cup Series practice.

Typically, his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team on the O’Reilly Series side has a leg up on returning to established tracks, while Crews works to get more familiar with venues he’s visiting for the first time. “It’s normally just getting me up to speed, not so much them,” Crews said, “but for this weekend it’s both of us.”

The potential for his first Cup Series laps in race-day competition, though, is an intriguing piece of the rapid development of Crews’ career. The circumstance of Bell’s status, though, is something that Crews has on his mind as he sits ready to help Sunday.

“Yeah, it sucks for sure, but lucky enough to be able to be friends with Christopher for a while now,” Crews told NASCAR.com before Friday’s first practice. “We’ve raced a whole lot of dirt racing together and stuff like that, so being able to just kind of be around and shadow him a little bit more has been cool. I fit in the seat, so hopefully Christopher will be able to be all right and dig through it with his wrist, obviously having those issues. He’s extremely tough, so I think he is going to be just fine, but I’ll be ready if need be.”

MORE: Larson tops Cup practice | Paint Scheme Preview

Bell said the across-the-board unfamiliarity with the newly formed temporary circuit could be a boon for Crews, and he lauded the teenager’s ability to adapt.

“I really think that this is the perfect scenario for Brent, coming to a race track where it’s an equal playing field for everybody,” Bell said. “He’s obviously an amazing road-course racer. He did great in the simulator, and then yeah, practice, we’re really struggling with our car right now, but he certainly was doing a great job and was on a pretty respectable lap before he made a mistake late on the lap, so yeah, all things considered, I know that he will do really well, and if he races, we’re not going to be limited by driver.”

Bell’s cast was re-wrapped this week after it lost some of its shape post-Pocono. He said that the cast’s status was also week-to-week, and that he was working to be as close to 100% healthy as possible when the series returns to oval-track racing at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5.

Two road courses — San Diego this Sunday and Sonoma Raceway next week — remain before that date arrives, but Bell hopes another crack at the Naval Base Coronado course will also land on his 2027 schedule.

“It’s very frustrating,” Bell said. “I mean, I really truly hope that we get to come back here, because I had a blast out there racing, and I hope I get to race here at 100% at some point. It’s a bummer, but I’m very, very grateful that it’s just a couple fractured bones.”

Posted on June 19, 2026June 20, 2026 by Holly Cain

CORONADO, Calif. — Former Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen is walking around the San Diego paddock with an easy smile and a steely determination — eager to make his NASCAR debut Sunday in the Trackhouse Racing No. 91 Project 91 Chevrolet.

Shane van Gisbergen has set the bar high for these esteemed Project 91 drivers. The New Zealander and Australian Supercars champion won on the Chicago Street Course in his very first Cup Series start in July 2023.

The 33-year-old Danish driver, Magnussen, last raced full-time in 2024 for the Haas F1 Team and has a versatile resume that includes starts in sports car racing and IndyCar too.

“I’ve always been fascinated, and I always loved NASCAR,’’ Magnussen said. “My dad (sports car champion Jan Magnussen) had a little bit of experience with NASCAR, probably 15 years ago or so now, and did a race. He was testing for Hendrick and doing some work there. I was speaking to him, and he loved it so much and had such a great experience.

“And just for me as a racing driver, to be able to take part in NASCAR and have an experience there is just going to be great. I think, as I said, it’s a big privilege to have that chance. Not many European drivers get that opportunity, so I’m very thankful and privileged to be here.”

Asked about this new brand of close-quarter, fender-rubbing racing NASCAR presents, Magnussen laughed about having to adapt and race with his “elbows out,” insisting, “They’re always out.

“I think from what I know about NASCAR, it’s tough racing,” Magnussen said. “And, you know, the way the sporting rules are around racing each other is much more lenient than in European racing. So, yeah, that’s part of what I have to get used to. I got a message from Jenson Button, who also did some races here and he said, be careful and be aware … they’ll turn you around if they have any part of the track on your side. So, yeah, I think I’ll just take it all in and try and enjoy all of it.”

“Couldn’t think of a form or motorsports I wouldn’t try,’’ Magnussen added with a smile.

As for expectations, Magnussen said, he’s just really open. He was a respectable 29th among the 39 cars in Friday’s opening practice.

“I don’t know what to expect,’’ he said. “I expect to do my best and push the limits; try and get a feeling for the car as soon as I can. We don’t have a lot of practice. … I’ll just have to try and get going as smooth and as quick as possible.”

Posted on June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 by Staff Report

Kyle Larson was fastest in Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, California.

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver and defending Cup Series champion logged a 89.613 mph time toward the end of the 50-minute session to take the top spot.

Todd Gilliland (89.421 mph), Ty Gibbs (89.393 mph), Connor Zilisch (89.369 mph) and Carson Hocevar (89.342 mph) completed the top five around the 3.4-mile street course. Corey Heim (89.318 mph), Michael McDowell (89.158 mph), Shane van Gisbergen (89.135 mph), Austin Hill (88.948 mph) and Alex Bowman (88.901 mph) rounded out the top 10.

Van Gisbergen, Hill, McDowell, Gibbs and Gilliland were also the five quickest on five-lap consecutive averages.

Qualifying for the Anduril 250 is Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with the 75-lap race on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 by Zack Albert

CORONADO, Calif. — NASCAR’s drivers have yet to turn an official, competitive lap on the Naval Base Coronado grounds, but the sprawling, new street course that continued taking shape Thursday afternoon has already made a dynamic first impression.

Orientation day at the 3.4-mile Qualcomm Circuit gave many teams their first real-life introduction to the course that will host all three NASCAR national series this weekend. The otherwise quiet Thursday marked the eve of on-track activity and the welcoming of spectators through the gates on what promises to be a significantly louder day.

The dramatic backdrop of the USS Carl Vinson supercarrier came into clearer view, stretching nearly 1,100 feet along the waterfront at the bottom of the left-hand Turn 3. The mix of surfaces, little undulations and variations in the circuit’s width made for an intriguing track walk for drivers, crew chiefs and team members, who all made mental notes of the nuances.

All the simulation work, iRacing sessions and virtual training for NASCAR’s first race along the North San Diego Bay can only do so much to substitute for the actual on-track experience that will come in Friday’s first laps. “It’s kind of one of those unknown things,” said Craftsman Truck Series regular Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, who noted many of the bumps and spaces where the track’s barriers tighten. “We really don’t know till we get out there.”

What he did grasp was part of the surreal nature of walking through a Truck Series garage that materialized earlier that day on a live military installation, with grandstands, hospitality areas and fan amenities taking shape around them. He also noted the significance of racing here as the yearlong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary continues its march forward.

“I’m obviously not known as a road course, street course guy, but I think the opportunity to race here, I love the country and America, and I think it’s just awesome to be a part of this because you don’t ever know if this will happen again,” Queen said. “So, super cool to go walk the course and just really take a moment and soak in where we’re at, why we get to race, the people that make it possible, and I think that makes it even even cooler to me.”

Queen and the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series crowd will be the first to take to the track Friday (noon ET, FS2) as all three tours make their first practice laps. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series follows at 3:30 p.m. ET (The CW) with the headlining Cup Series taking its first practice laps at 5 p.m. ET (Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM). The Truck Series will then lead off again with the first race of the weekend Friday at 7 p.m. ET (FS1, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Paint Scheme Preview | How Coronado track was born

All three series parked haulers Thursday to establish their garage footprint, with their setups flanking the fan midway. The last of the catch-fencing was still going up amidst the hangars and vintage aircraft, but the true challenges of the track were also coming into view.

As they walked, 23XI Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Corey Heim pointed out the braking-point markers and other landmarks that helped identify where to get on the binders. The mix of fresh pavement and rough tarmac made for a curious blend, and an area in the slight Turn 4 bend presented what looked like trolley rails. The train-style tracks are actually to help guide cranes that are manned on the facility.

Drivers paid attention to those raised areas, in addition to the rest of Naval Base Coronado’s nooks and crannies. Friday, they’ll get an even better introduction behind the wheel.

Ethan Smith | for NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Press Release

SAN DIEGO — NASCAR and iRacing Studios unveiled NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson as the cover driver for NASCAR 26 during a live event Thursday evening aboard the historic USS Midway in downtown San Diego.

The event served as both the official cover reveal for NASCAR 26 and a media kickoff ahead of NASCAR San Diego Race Weekend at Naval Base Coronado.

Following remarks from NASCAR Vice President of Interactive & Emerging Platforms Nick Rend and iRacing Studios Vice President and Senior Producer Matt Lewis, attendees received new details about NASCAR 26, including confirmation that the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado will be featured in the game.

The evening’s signature moment came when Larson made a surprise entrance aboard the USS Midway flight deck in the NASCAR 26 cover car, performing a series of burnouts before joining Lewis on stage for the official reveal of the game’s cover art.

During the program, Larson discussed being selected as the face of NASCAR 26, the role gaming plays in growing the sport, and the upcoming NASCAR San Diego Race Weekend.

The event concluded with NASCAR presenting a donation in support of Freedom Park and the USS Midway Museum, recognizing the organizations’ contributions to preserving the stories of military service and leadership in the San Diego community.

Developed by iRacing Studios, NASCAR 26 is scheduled to launch in September 2026.

Posted on June 19, 2026June 20, 2026 by Dustin Albino

Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.

Fantasy Update: With 75 laps and 1,200 corners awaiting the field at Naval Base Coronado, unpredictability remains part of the equation this weekend. It’s a no-brainer to build around Shane van Gisbergen after overcoming two wall scrapes in qualifying and still claiming the Busch Light Pole. Austin Hill’s strong five-lap average in practice, in addition to top-five starting spots for Front Row Motorsports drivers Zane Smith and Todd Gilliland, also stood out. As for my lineup, I’m making just one change: Ryan Blaney replaces Tyler Reddick. Blaney’s road-course consistency has flown under the radar, and his 12.44 average running position on road courses since 2025 — good for seventh among all full-time drivers — makes him a compelling play. Meanwhile, Reddick had multiple woes during his qualifying attempt, and Toyota failed to put a car inside the top 10 during qualifying.

Starting five: Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher.
Garage pick: Ty Gibbs.

Many drivers believe Sunday’s Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could be among the trickiest courses in NASCAR history. Bumpy, narrow, technical, long and the picturesque views of the San Diego backdrop are adjectives that have described the 16-turn, 3.4-mile layout. Chase Briscoe said the drivers who didn’t put in the effort on the simulator will be exposed. With this level of difficulty, will road- and street-course ace Shane van Gisbergen show out once again, or will another driver dethrone the Kiwi?

Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36

MUST START

Driver: Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: A novel could be written about van Gisbergen’s road-course dominance. He has won six of the last seven road-course races and triumphed in two of the three street-course races in downtown Chicago. The New Zealander has run inside the top five for 83% of all laps on road courses since the start of last year and cracked the top 10 for 95% of the laps. As SVG explained last weekend, the biggest challenge could be the predicted red flags for carnage.

Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Reddick has always adjusted quickly to new challenges throughout his career. He has a quartet of road-course victories, including an upset of SVG at Circuit of The Americas in March. The regular-season points leader has 19 top-10 finishes in 25 road-course starts in the Next Gen car, the most among all drivers.

Driver: Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Van Gisbergen might have been toying with the field last year at Chicago, but McDowell was still at the point for 31 laps before experiencing a mechanical woe. McDowell has meshed well with the Next Gen car on road courses, winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2023 and compiling three straight top fives on left- and right-turning tracks with Spire Motorsports.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Hamlin’s run of dominance is over for at least the next two weekends. Admittedly, the winner of three straight events is aiming for top 15s at San Diego and Sonoma Raceway, though he finished fourth at Chicago last year. He has only a trio of top 10s in 24 road-course attempts in the Next Gen.

Driver: Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Gaining 10 positions in the championship standings — plus-73 points on the cutline — in the last month, Jones has moved into a provisional Chase spot with 10 races remaining. Unfortunately for the No. 43 team, he’s likely to bleed points the next two weeks. Jones has no top 10s in the last 20 road-course races.

Brett Farmer | Getty Images

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Allmendinger is always formidable on road courses, though he only had one finish better than 17th in three prior street-course events. The three-time Cup winner has three consecutive top 10s on road courses, banking 43 and 36 points at COTA in March and Watkins Glen in May, respectively.

Driver: Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: If any driver needs to put a finish on the board, it’s the young prospect. Zilisch ranks 34th in the championship standings, and he is one of four full-time drivers yet to post a top 10 in 2026. He is a road-course stud and will likely have the pace to contend in the top five, just as he did at Watkins Glen.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Denny Hamlin vs. Ryan Blaney
Pick: Blaney
Comment: Neither driver can gloat much about their road-course statistics in recent years, but Blaney will get the nod. He was lightning-quick at COTA but faded to eighth in the closing laps. While he hasn’t placed inside the top five in 26 consecutive road-course starts, he’s battling Hamlin, who has never claimed to be a road-course specialist.

Shane van Gisbergen vs. Tyler Reddick
Pick: Van Gisbergen
Comment: This battle is worthy of a WrestleMania main event when it comes to road courses. Entering the weekend, these two drivers should rank as the favorites. But the prohibitive favorite is van Gisbergen, unless something fluky occurs.

Kyle Larson vs. Connor Zilisch
Pick: Zilisch
Comment: With the amount of pace Zilisch can carry on road courses, even Larson would likely pick the upstart to finish ahead of him. It’s just a matter of whether the rookie phenom can finally have a clean race.

Chase Elliott vs. Ty Gibbs
Pick: Gibbs
Comment: With a 9.56 average finish across 43 road-course starts, Elliott remains one of the strongest road-course competitors of the Next Gen era, even though he has yet to secure a victory. His 10.88 average finish in the Next Gen car ranks fourth among all drivers. Still, Gibbs has flashed greater upside in recent road-course battles … if he avoids mistakes and incidents.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Shane van Gisbergen, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Chris Buescher.
Garage pick: Ty Gibbs.

36 FOR 36

Pick: Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Comment: If green-flag conditions prevail, SVG should once again demonstrate why he is considered the benchmark on road courses. His ability to manipulate stage strategy without sacrificing points has become a hallmark of his success. The No. 97 machine will be the focal point all weekend as van Gisbergen continues his pursuit of road-course greatness.