While NASCAR will no longer race in Chicago after the 2025 season, the street circuit experiment will continue in 2026 when they instead head west to San Diego. The sanctioning body announced Wednesday that their annual street race will take place on the island of Coronado, specifically at Naval Air Station North Island.
NAS North Island is a base used by the United States Navy; opened during the First World War, it is the “birthplace of naval aviation” since it was where the Navy’s first pilots trained for missions years before the island became a base. Most aircraft carriers in the Pacific also reside at North Island when docked stateside. Due to the base’s proximity and the nearby civilian seaport, San Diego is considered one of the biggest maritime cities in the country.
San Diego takes the place of Chicago, which had been introduced to the calendar in 2023. Street circuits are already polarising enough in open-wheel series like Formula 1, and the decision to go to Chicago was greeted with scepticism since many feared bulky stock cars would struggle to navigate through such layouts. Ultimately, the races proved to be decently popular and brought the sport to new audiences.
However, the Chicago Street Race was also plagued by political strife. It was put together under Mayor Lori Lightfoot in what critics called a desperate ploy to drum up support for her failed re-election campaign. Her successor Brandon Johnson eventually grew to like the race but stressed that its future depended on the city’s other elected officials. Chicago’s aldermen met with NASCAR days before the San Diego reveal, where they agreed to bring the race back in 2027 albeit on a different date than Independence Day weekend due to logistics.
To fill the void left for 2026, NASCAR approached San Diego. Like Chicago, it is one of the most populous cities in America and also comes with a rich tourism culture with attractions like the USS Midway Museum, baseball’s San Diego Padres and Petco Park, and the San Diego Comic-Con. All three are based in downtown San Diego right by Coronado, so NASCAR entertained the possibility of racing at either location before the Navy pitched its support.
San Diego also brings NASCAR back to Southern California. The region was long the host of Auto Club Speedway until its closure in 2023 for what has been a difficult reconfiguration process. NASCAR experimented with stadium courses in the area by bringing the Clash to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in from 2022 to 2024 before moving it east to Bowman Gray.
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
“One of the ideas that we had several years ago was to race on a military base,” explained NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy. A former driver and grandnephew of NASCAR boss Jim France, Kennedy is regarded as the lead figure for trying out new track ideas like Chicago and the Coliseum.
“We’ve had a number of conversations with bases across the country. We also wanted to find a way to have a presence back here in the Southern California market. We’ve had racing at Auto Club and for a number of years at the LA Memorial Coliseum. We felt like it was a good opportunity for us to get back to our fans here in the greater Southern California region.
“We started having conversations with Naval Base Coronado probably a couple years ago. Frankly, I’m pretty surprised we were able to keep a lot of it under wraps until recently. One thing led to another. The entire team on the base here has been fantastic partners.
“Similar to a lot of our other events, there’s a lot of work that happens up until the announcement. There’s much more work that’s going to happen over the next 11 months. We’re excited to get started with them, promoting this event, turn out what is going the biggest spectacle of all sports in 2026.”
Given NASCAR’s reputation as a deeply patriotic sport, it also seemed like a sensible decision to embrace that.
“As the United States Navy and our nation celebrate its 250th anniversary, we’re certainly proud to have NASCAR to Naval Air Station North Island,” Admiral Stephen Koehler commented. He has served as the United States Pacific Fleet’s commander since 2023.
“It will align the energy of stock car racing with the mission-driven ethos of naval service. This event offers the American public an unprecedented opportunity to engage with their Navy, not through static displays, but through live action that mirrors the speed, intensity and coordination of naval operations.
“Together, we’ll deepen the public understanding of our Navy and Marine Corps team, honour sailors and Marines, and inspire the next generation of those willing to wear the uniform. We’ll celebrate those things that unite us: a love of country, commitment to excellence, and teamwork.”
Racing on military bases?
While rare for obvious reasons, racing on military installations is not a unique concept. Similar to races at civilian airports such as IndyCar with St. Petersburg and Formula E’s Berlin ePrix, most of these events are primarily done on the bases’ runways since they are wide enough with overtaking zones. If you could fit massive cargo and bomber planes on it, there should be plenty of space to pass the car in front of you.
During the early 1950s, U.S. Air Force general and motorsport enthusiast Curtis LeMay leased out former air bases to the Sports Car Club of America for racing. Proceeds from the races mainly went towards military charities or improving quality of life on the base such as paying for better infrastructure and barracks.
In the San Diego area, deactivated Army training center Camp Callan hosted the Torrey Pines Road Races until 1955. Congress eventually shut down the races, appreciative of their philanthropy but deeming them a waste of military labour and resources.
Montgomery Air Base was one of the Second World War-era bases used by SCCA. In 1960, NASCAR competed there on a two-mile (3.2-km) triangle-shaped track where Rex White defeated the great Richard Petty. However, the race was dropped after just one year due to poor attendance.
In 2015 and 2016, Global Rallycross competed at Marine Corps Air Station New River (itself regarded as the birthplace of Marine aviation) in North Carolina. Being an off-road series, it was able to use the surrounding grass and dirt as part of the course in addition to the airstrip.
Even NAS North Island boasted racing experience well before NASCAR’s arrival. The base hosted the Coronado Speed Festival, a vintage car meet and racing festival, from 1997 to 2016. Unlike NASCAR, the festival took place exclusively on the runways.
Although a formal layout has not been confirmed, Kennedy mentions North Island will be a three-mile (4.82 km) course “completely on the base.” While the airstrip is expected to be used, the fact that the surrounding area will as well means NASCAR classifies San Diego as a street course akin to Chicago. Airports are officially deemed by NASCAR as road courses; besides Montgomery, the sport visited three civilian airports in the 1950s at Kitsap County Airport, Linden Airport, and Space Coast Regional Airport.
“We’re going to be weaving our way through the base too,” Kennedy continued. “You’ll see a couple of carriers, F-18s on the tarmac. Some of the course will be set in stone a little bit as we’re making our way through the streets here on the base, then a lot of it is going to be a blank canvas. There will be a portion going out onto the tarmac, might have some long straightaways, more technical sessions.”
