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The NASCAR Cup Series is gearing up for its second-ever street course race next weekend at Naval Base Coronado, a venture that drivers and analysts anticipate will be a significant departure from the inaugural event in Chicago and fraught with unique challenges. While Chicago’s Grant Park circuit presented a tight, twisty layout reminiscent of Martinsville with added right turns, Coronado’s 3.4-mile course promises higher speeds, steeper braking zones, and an unpredictable element of unpaved sections and railroad tracks.
"It’s very much going to be a survival race. Really challenging for the drivers," commented Brad Keselowski, a sentiment echoed by many in the garage area over the weekend at Michigan International Speedway. The consensus points towards an event characterized by chaos and demanding precision from the drivers.
The condition of the track itself is a primary concern. Ross Chastain noted, "They’re literally still paving sections of the track," highlighting the nascent state of the circuit. This lack of uniform surface, particularly the inclusion of railroad tracks, introduces an element of the unknown. Ryan Preece emphasized the critical role of ride quality, stating, "ride quality is going to be a big thing" in maintaining car stability on the long straights, as any deviation could lead to significant speed loss.
Adding a dramatic layer to the circuit’s uniqueness, a portion of the track runs parallel to San Diego Bay. While official safety measures are in place, the proximity to the water has sparked lighthearted, yet pointed, commentary among the drivers about the potential consequences of an off-course excursion. "I hope not," stated Erik Jones. "If I end up in the Bay, I may just have to call it quits. I don’t think I would race again after that." Chris Buescher echoed this sentiment, humorously adding, "I’ll have a swimming buddy if we do, I guess, but that’s not our game plan whatsoever. I feel like it’s a bad plan going into it and we’re going to avoid it at all costs." Chase Briscoe, recalling instances of Sprint Cars ending up in ponds, acknowledged the Navy’s presence with a wry comment about needing their scuba divers if such an event were to occur. However, these remarks are largely understood as jests, with the expectation being that safety protocols will prevent any actual contact with the bay.
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Beyond the scenic, yet potentially perilous, proximity to the water, the track’s technical demands are significant. Ryan Blaney, having participated in simulator sessions, described the layout as challenging. "Turn 1 is a pretty high commitment of speed, and then Turn 2 is very downhill, and it gets really rough through 3 and 4. The exit to 5 is super rough and they’ve worked on a couple of patches over the railroad tracks and stuff like that." He added, "They said they paved some of that to help us out but it’s still going to be bumpy. It’s going to be tight." Blaney also noted the increased scale of the track compared to Chicago, stating, "It’s a big racetrack. Challenging. It’s like three and a half miles so we have a lot of corners to prepare for and probably mess up and some point."
The nature of the challenge differs from Chicago. While the Chicago street course was characterized by sharp 90-degree turns that increased the likelihood of on-track incidents, Coronado is expected to feature more flowing sections. "I’d say there’s more flowy sections of the racetrack than Chicago," Blaney observed. "Chicago is a lot of 90 degree corners. There’s one flowing S-type of situation and we still have a handful of 90 degree turns. I think it’s good. It’s going to be different from Chicago because it’s not just 90 degrees after 90 degrees. There should be more of a rhythm to our racing that weekend."
Ty Gibbs identified Turn 1 as a potential flashpoint and suggested the larger track might lead to a more spread-out field. Joey Logano humorously likened the railroad tracks to a "Fast and Furious movie" scenario, while Gibbs contrasted Chicago’s "point and shoot" nature with San Diego’s more traditional road course characteristics. Tyler Reddick agreed to an extent, noting that while certain tight corners like Turns 6 and the 12 A/B complex will be challenging, "a lot of the areas do have more room than I think we had in Chicago." However, he cautioned that the true racing dynamics remain largely unknown until the cars are on track: "But it’s just so hard to know until we get there. Everyone kind of has an idea where the passing zones might be and where it’s going to be important to be fast, but we won’t really know until we’re there."
In anticipation of the inherent risks associated with street course racing, NASCAR has implemented enhanced safety protocols. Following a safety and competition meeting at Michigan, a consensus was reached to increase the number of track workers. This decision was partly influenced by criticism following the Watkins Glen race, where NASCAR faced scrutiny for a delayed reaction to Cody Ware’s significant impact with a barrier. Drivers had previously advocated for more corner workers at road course events.
Denny Hamlin expressed his approval of the increased safety measures. "Which is good because, I mean, this track is massive in size, right," Hamlin stated. "It’s got so many different corners and twists, and certainly, you’re going to think that this thing’s going to have walls on both sides because things can get hidden pretty easily. Corners can get disguised and you end up missing a car sitting there. It’s good that they’re putting more resources to that because we certainly need it on the road courses." Michael McDowell confirmed that NASCAR anticipates deploying 36 corner workers for the event. He added, "They just need to give us plenty of notice when something happens, right. I don’t think the racing will be much different than Chicago and we also have some responsibility to get slowed down and keep our heads up."
Further bolstering safety, some teams have requested an increase in the number of spotters. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. revealed that discussions have taken place regarding the deployment of up to seven or eight spotters per team. "Yeah, we brought that up," Stenhouse confirmed. "There were guys that have been there, like Chase Briscoe, who has brought it up and said the tightest area are like Turns 6, 7 and 8, where it gets really narrow and he was concerned about where the spotters are." Briscoe’s concerns centered on visibility issues within these narrow sections due to surrounding structures. Stenhouse elaborated, "Our spotters, I think they’re in Turn 8, but Chase felt with the building and things like that, that our spotters couldn’t see so I think everyone is planning on having five spotters but I think there were a lot of raised hands that said ‘hey, we could maybe use seven or eight spotters, depending on a lot of factors.’" The aim is to prevent pile-ups similar to those seen in Chicago, where a blocked track led to significant incidents. Stenhouse emphasized the proactive approach, "I think we on the Cup side, are trying to get ahead of that so Trucks and O’Reilly can put on a really good show as well. They’ll have it figured out by Sunday for our race, but I think we’re just trying to get ahead of it for everyone.”
As the Cup Series navigates this new frontier at Naval Base Coronado, the focus remains on a challenging and potentially unpredictable event, with teams and officials prioritizing safety and driver preparedness in the face of unprecedented track characteristics.
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