This weekend, NASCAR will race across an active U.S. military base for the first time ever when it conducts competitions for its top three national touring series at Naval Base Coronado off the coast of San Diego.
It feels like a seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for drivers, who will race 75 laps around the custom-designed 3.4-mile street course. The lure of the unique race is drawing back in former fan favorites from NASCAR, like seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson and former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, both of whom will drive in Friday’s Truck Series race.
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Racing at Naval Base Coronado also coincides with the United States celebrating 250 years of independence and deepens NASCAR’s longstanding relationship with the U.S. military.
But it won’t be the only time this year that stockcar racing honors the stars-and-stripes and the men and women who have served the country in combat.
The Ford Motor Company is partnering with NASCAR on a new race in November, the Proud To Honor Veterans Day Classic, an exhibition that aims to honor all six branches of the military. The race will happen on Veterans Day 2026 — Wednesday, Nov. 11 — and feature drivers racing in Mustang Dark Horse Rs, a car that was designed for International Motor Sports Association competitions.
“It’s an extension of Ford’s commitment to the military community to our racing business, and we tried to think of a way to bridge those two worlds and got creative and figured out a way to collaborate with another amazing American brand in NASCAR to do this special race on Veterans Day,” Nick Ford, the director of corporate strategy for the Ford Motor Company, told USA TODAY Sports. “As America 250 approaches, there’s a lot of companies out there that are going to talk about their American heritage, but Ford actually backs that up with action across all sorts of areas of our business.
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“Ford is the most iconic American company, and what better way to embody that than honoring the military?”
Along with the race, the Zac Brown Band will put on an exclusive concert. Ford Racing drivers competing in NASCAR and other motorsports are expected to participate.
Ford and NASCAR are still working out some of the details, such as where the race will happen and how fans can watch it from home, but the partners made the announcement on Wednesday, June 17 aboard the USS Midway in San Diego alongside Blue Star Families, former U.S. Marine turned actor Rob Riggle, the Zac Brown Band, the Travis Manion Foundation and other special guests.
Tim Clark, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief brand officer, told USA TODAY Sports that NASCAR will assist Ford with driver participation, providing a venue for the race and promoting the event.
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“As you look back on the almost 80-year history of a brand like NASCAR, it’s hard to think of a partner that’s more synonymous with that than Ford,” Clark said. “We’re really excited to work with Ford on this. We’ve got a lot of work to do over the next couple of months to pull this off, but it is such an amazing idea and initiative. I think that’s going to be the fun part.”
The limited-edition Super Duty Proud to Honor F-250. This all-purpose-built truck features striking red, white, and blue styling, darkened exterior trim, and aggressive black wheels.
With where Veterans Day falls on the calendar, this race will be held just three days after NASCAR’s Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Clark conceded that timing might present a little bit of a challenge, but also said it’s an opportunity for the sport to “crest that wave” amidst a “great season.”
Along with the new exhibition race on Veterans Day, Ford also unveiled its limited-edition Super Duty Proud to Honor package, which is available on F-250, F-350 and F-450 models. The all-purpose-built truck features red, white and blue styling, darkened exterior trim and black wheels. A portion of the proceeds from every package sold will go directly to Blue Star Families.
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Ford is also hosting its Ford Driving Skills for Life program this week in San Diego, tailored specifically for local military families.
“This is in our company’s DNA to show up for the military,” Nick Ford said. “We’ve been around for 123 years, and from day one we’ve tried to show up for the military, whether it’s Arsenal of Democracy in both World Wars, hiring disabled veterans after the wars. This is just another way to show up for the community, and to do it in a really fun way.”
More: Chris Buescher extends deal with RFK Racing as NASCAR silly season domino falls
Clark grew up in a military family and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. As NASCAR has explored unique road course venues in recent years — racing on the streets of Chicago and Mexico City — when the opportunity arose to put their cars on Naval Base Coronado, Clark said NASCAR saw it as a “no-brainer.”
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He hopes that this weekend isn’t the last time that fans see stock cars reaching high speeds on military grounds.
“That was my first thought when this came together,” Clark said. “Man, if we get this right, how awesome would it be to take this across the country to other installations and work with the various branches in the military? So, not to get too far ahead of myself, but I think I think there would be a lot of excited people if this could be the first of many.”
For the folks at Ford, the icing on the cake for this weekend would be to see one of its drivers take the checkered flag at Naval Base Coronado.
It’s been a bit of a bumpy season for Ford in NASCAR’s Cup Series so far, as its only win came at Phoenix in March when Ryan Blaney steered the No. 12 Team Penske car into victory lane. Blaney, Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric are the three Ford drivers currently positioned for NASCAR’s postseason Chase as they’re inside the top 16 in point standings.
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“It’s in our DNA. Ford was really born on the racetrack,” Nick Ford said. “And you know, it’s never been bigger than it is now. NASCAR has always been a huge focus for us.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ford, NASCAR to honor military with new race on Veterans Day for America 250
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