SAN DIEGO — Blue skies, comfortable temps in the low 70s and a light breeze – absolutely stunning weather all week matched only by the spectacular backdrop of the iconic Coronado Bridge high atop the surrounding San Diego Bay.
Mountains in the background and Navy ships in the foreground. Tens of thousands of Southern Californians – and fans from 17 countries in all – filled Naval Base Coronado all weekend, at last had a NASCAR race in this region of the country.
In only his 12th NASCAR Cup Series start, 23-year-old Corey Heim passed California’s own Tyler Reddick with three laps remaining to claim his first ever series trophy, delivering a dramatic ending to the inaugural NASCAR race weekend – a thrilling event that was popular with diehard fans and also those happy to have welcomed stock cars to this unique setting for the first time.
“I love NASCAR and it’s finally here,’’ Ventura County’s Carie Brinton, 72, said with a wide grin, “It’s much louder than I was expecting and my heart is just pounding with it all. I love this.’’
It’s exactly the vibe NASCAR’s bold Southern California initiative has enjoyed all week.
Kids wearing Connor Zilisch hats, their parents sporting Chase Elliott t-shirts and a whole lotta love for San Diego’s native son, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson who grew up in El Cajon – about a 20-minute drive from the track – all provided an unmistakable atmosphere enjoyed by fans and the industry alike.
Early in the week, a social media video caught drivers Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott laughing while they shared an electric scooter ride from their island hotel to the track – the friends winding through the Coronado neighborhoods – past houses and coffee shops with handmade signs posted out front welcoming NASCAR and its fans.
It was indicative of the warm welcome shared all week – fans lined up in the pre-dawn hours waiting for the gates to open onto the Navy base’s runways and busy racing midway. They patiently waited in long winding lines again inside the track for souvenirs and refreshments and autograph signings in the hours before Sunday’s inaugural Anduril 250 NASCAR Cup Series headliner. There was access and gratitude.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his family were trackside for pre-race ceremonies, which included a flyover by F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Band performing the National Anthem and the start-your-engines command delivered by uniformed sailors saluting from high atop the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier docked right along the 16-turn, 3.4-mile track.
“I’ve watched races for years and always wondered what the vibe was like,’’ said 59-year old Pacific Beach resident Jennifer Sprofera, who was among the 67 percent of the weekend’s attendees who had never been to a NASCAR race before.
NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer Ben Kennedy – the great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. – was effusive in his praise and hopes for the event. It was Kennedy that spearheaded the race weekend – making a two-year long process come to fruition. And succeed.
Yet another remarkable achievement in expanding the schedule to new race locales that in recent years have included successful events on the downtown Chicago streets, at the Los Angeles Coliseum and in Mexico City in just the past few years.
“If you have any ideas, send them our way, we’ll take any ideas,’’ a smiling Kennedy said of the inevitable “what’s next” question.
“I think that’s the beauty of it. We found a way to create a culture where innovation, we put a lot of energy around it internally at NASCAR and across the industry. That gives us a lot of these different ideas.
“I’m the one that speaks on behalf of NASCAR. But I can’t take credit for this idea. I can’t take credit for a lot of the work that went into this. But it’s the people at NASCAR that come up with a lot of these ideas. This was the next evolution of that.
“We’ve heard a lot of great ideas from folks internally, across the industry,’’ he continued. “Fans on social media every day have different ideas. Every time we have those ideas, we take them to the pipeline, vet them, see if there are any that come to fruition.”
Not only were the fans appreciative, the drivers and teams have been enthusiastic from even before the drop of the first green flag – from promotional visits in the area for months to the general positivity they have been met with.
“What an event,’’ fifth-place finisher and California-native A.J. Allmendinger said, impressed with the reception and loving the willingness of NASCAR to try something new.
“I’ve been fortunate in my life to go to some cool cities and run some good events, this might just be the best one. To be here on the 250th birthday [of our country] and just the background of it – the fans that are passionate about NASCAR were here and hopefully we made some new ones too.’’
As a team owner (23XI Racing ) and driver (Joe Gibbs Racing) Denny Hamlin was pleased with the whole weekend.
“It seemed like to me the people I interacted with, like lots of them, it was their first race,’’ Hamlin said. “Racing the racetrack, it felt like a normal NASCAR track to me. It was a little surprising the first time we hit the racetrack, but after that, once the race got going, it felt like any old road course that we’ve had.
“I thought great design, lots of passing zones, challenging in so many different ways with the surface. But when we come into this event, you want it to feel like the racing is a big part of why you’re here, but it’s not the only reason why you’re here.
“I thought they did a great job with their midway, how much activation they had. That’s the boxes we need to check. There’s many races that makes selling on a car really difficult. This was not one of ’em.”
And that’s exactly the kind of support and review that fuels Kennedy and the sport to continue its ability and willingness to try new projects. He said NASCAR executives will hold a “deep dive” after-action review of the weekend and the lead-up to the race weekend as both NASCAR and the Navy decide about future events here.
But in the meantime, Kennedy smiled and emphasized, “We’ve said from the start this is more than a race, this is a mission I think we all looked around the room today and we said ‘the mission has been accomplished.’”
