NASCAR San Diego delivers memorable debut for Navy and fans

Credit: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 21: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Spectrum Chevrolet, greets fans during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado on June 21, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

by Crystal Clay

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — More than 100,000 visitors attended the inaugural NASCAR San Diego Weekend at Naval Base Coronado, according to the U.S. Navy, as race fans, military families, service members and community members gathered for a historic three-day celebration honoring the Navy’s 250th anniversary.

Held June 19-21, the event marked the first time a NASCAR national-series race has been contested aboard an active military installation. The temporary 3.4-mile Qualcomm Circuit wound through Naval Base Coronado, taking competitors past military aircraft, operational facilities and ships including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati.

“This weekend showcased the extraordinary partnership between our Navy and the communities we serve,” Naval Base Coronado Commanding Officer Capt. Loren Jacobi said in a Navy release. “Working with NASCAR to host the inaugural NASCAR San Diego Weekend allowed us to showcase the amazing dedication and service of our Sailors and Marines while celebrating 250 years of Naval strategic deterrence.”

More than 100 drivers competed across NASCAR’s three national touring series, including the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Navy 250, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 and the NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 Race the Base.

Beyond the racing action, the weekend provided opportunities for fans to engage directly with service members while showcasing Navy operations and traditions. Thirty-nine Navy commands across the San Diego region partnered with NASCAR Cup Series drivers throughout the week, giving competitors behind-the-scenes access to ships, squadrons and military facilities.

The weekend also featured several high-profile guests, including former San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who served as Grand Marshal for Saturday’s United Rentals Driven to Serve 250. Brees, who is set to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this summer, returned to a city where he spent the first five seasons of his NFL career before leading the Saints to a Super Bowl championship.

Speaking before delivering the traditional command for drivers to start their engines, Brees compared NASCAR’s iconic pre-race moment to the call-and-response chant that became synonymous with his time in New Orleans.

“‘Drivers, start your engines’ is the equivalent of what our pregame chant was,” Brees said. “It was that calm before the storm, and then all of a sudden when you got to that moment, it was like, ‘Here we go.’”

Brees explained that the chant carried military roots, recalling a USO trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he trained alongside Marines before the Saints’ championship season.

“There’s some great history and some cool military connections with our chant,” Brees said. “It was inspired from a USO trip where I had a chance to get up one morning with the Marines and do PT.”

Additional military ceremonies throughout the weekend included performances by the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team, flyovers from multiple Navy aviation squadrons and a joint-service enlistment ceremony welcoming 20 future service members into the armed forces.

Drew Brees poses for a photo with a Sailor during NASCAR San Diego Weekend at Naval Base Coronado. Brees served as Grand Marshal for Saturday’s United Rentals Driven to Serve 250. (Photo: Crystal Clay/Racing Refresh)

Members of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs parachute team carry a giant American flag over Naval Base Coronado during pre-race festivities before the NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 in San Diego on June 21,2026 (Photo Credit: Scott Haber)

U.S. Navy Reserve officer and NASCAR driver #91, Cmdr. Jesse Iwuji, NASCAR driver #91, right, and U.S. Navy Capt. Loren Jacobi, commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado, speaks after Iwuji's promotion ceremony at NASCAR San Diego Weekend presented by Anduril, on Naval Base Coronado, June 20, 2026. Marking the nation and the Navy’s 250th birthday celebrations, NASCAR San Diego Weekend, hosted aboard Naval Base Coronado June 19-21, delivers a unique, high-profile sports experience that blends motorsports with Navy heritage. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Victoria Rodriguez)

One of the weekend’s most notable moments came Saturday when Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Benjamin Kohlmann promoted Navy Reserve officer and professional race car driver Jesse Iwuji during a pre-race ceremony.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson also embraced the military theme, piloting a special No. 84 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Chevrolet honoring the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21.

“It is such an honor for us to do this, to feel the reception from everyone on base,” Johnson said in the Navy release. “I know our sport, our fans, everybody is honored to be here.”

NASCAR San Diego President Amy Lupo called the event a privilege during a landmark year for both the Navy and the nation.

“The success of NASCAR San Diego Weekend at Naval Base Coronado was made possible through shared passion for excellence,” Lupo said. “Bringing NASCAR to the men and women who defend our nation and to the San Diego community in this landmark 250th year of our Navy and nation was an absolute privilege.”

According to the Navy, the relationship between NASCAR and the service dates back to 1957, when the Blue Angels performed flyovers for NASCAR beach races in Daytona Beach, Florida. Nearly seven decades later, that partnership reached a new milestone as Naval Base Coronado hosted a race weekend unlike any other in the sport’s history.