For the first time in history, NASCAR raced on an active military base. This marked a milestone for the sport that traces its roots back to 1948, but will this trip to San Diego be a one-and-done?
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According to NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Ben Kennedy, that remains something that the sport must address. It's too soon to determine if Naval Base Coronado in Southern California will see the three series on its tarmac once again.
"What I can tell you is that we feel like this is a tremendously successful event," Kennedy said on Sunday night after Corey Heim won his first career race. "Obviously, we want to be respectful that this is an active military base at the same time."
Putting this historic weekend together took some doing. NASCAR had to work out a deal with the United States Navy, and it had to figure out how to build a 3.4-mile temporary street course without causing a major disruption.
Obviously, the US Navy had to shut down some areas to accommodate the sport, and it had to open up the USS Carl Vinson so the ship could serve as a hub for the Prime Video operations.
Naval Base Coronado had to allow in more than 125,000 people covering all 50 states and 17 different countries.
You can't get any more American than this. pic.twitter.com/8kqokY0reo
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 21, 2026
This was not a small ask, especially considering the added security measures.
Yet the weekend still went (mostly) according to schedule. It's highly unlikely that anyone predicted multiple red flag stoppages for wall repairs throughout the weekend.
"What we are going to do after this weekend is have a deep dive after-action review with our entire team," Kennedy added. "We're also going to sit down with the United States Navy, talk about, 'Hey, what did we learn, what worked well?'
"I think there are things — and you guys had a chance to go around this weekend, see some new activations and elements that we were testing — might be able to apply to other tracks. Some areas that we want to make improvements on going forward.
"I'd like to sit down with them, have a debrief, and then have a conversation about, 'Hey, is there an opportunity for us to return here?'"
Making some new fans 🤳 pic.twitter.com/cWaEpZA8Tc
— NASCAR San Diego (@NASCARSanDiego) June 21, 2026
The weekend had its highlights, such as races that delivered excitement for the fans and military members in attendance. It also had some pain points, including issues with traffic and transportation options. Some concession stands also had food and beverage shortages.
NASCAR attempted to address some of these concerns throughout the weekend. They brought in extra food trucks and staff members for Sunday, and they limited the number of tickets sold each day to 50,000. They didn't solve every problem, but Kennedy says that put in the effort with nightly calls.
The street race weekend proved to be a learning opportunity for the sport, much like the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Chicago Street Races in years past.
Even if Naval Base Coronado is not an option in the future, Kennedy and NASCAR know that they have once again proven they can pick up the sport and take it to new locations.
This is something they hope to continue doing while taking the sport to the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and other areas where fans don't normally get to watch top-level stock car racing.
"There are a lot of markets across the country that we would love to be in that there are large military installations in," Kennedy said. "So, I want to be thoughtful and strategic around it.
"You know, I think a lot of these events do really good for two or three years. Obviously, we love to have events that last a lifetime, but for a model like this, it could be an opportunity for us to take it to other locations too."
