NASCAR nears its halfway point of the Cup Series season with a pair of Toyota machines at the top of the standings. Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 for 23XI Racing, is still in the lead by 19 points, but Denny Hamlin is closing in on him. The No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing has taken the checkered flag in each of the past three weekends.
But neither of those drivers will be viewed as the favorite on Sunday, June 21 when NASCAR enters uncharted territory. For the first time ever, the Cup Series is racing on an active U.S. military installation at Naval Base Coronado off the coast of San Diego. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will wave the green flag.
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The pole sitter is Shane van Gisbergen, widely viewed as the best road course racer in NASCAR at the moment. The 37-year-old is in just his second season of racing full-time at the Cup Level with Trackhouse Racing. van Gisbergen is entering what could be a historic stretch for him with NASCAR racing at Naval Base Coronado this Sunday and this next weekend at Sonoma — he is just two wins away from tying Jeff Gordon’s all-time record for Cup Series career victories at road courses. Should van Gisbergen drive into victory lane in these next two races, he would have tied Gordon’s mark of nine victories in just 16 starts, while it took the Hall of Famer 47 to get there.
But this track will present unique challenges, even for van Gisbergen.
The track blends together fresh pavement, worn streets of the base, a rough tarmac where jets land and even train-style tracks that are used to guide cranes on the facility. Drivers will have to navigate all that, some 16 turns, going uphill and downhill, and more than 3,000 barriers that were installed.
Racers in the Truck Series and second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Friday and Saturday encountered their own unique problems. A manhole cover got lodged in Corey Day’s radiator, walls were banged into and some machines caught air coming off one downhill portion of the track.
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Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for the Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado on June 21:
More: Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray headline NASCAR Truck Series race on Navy base
What time does the NASCAR Cup race in San Diego start?
The Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET Sunday in San Diego, California.
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race in San Diego on?
The Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado is the final race of the year to be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
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MRN will carry live radio coverage.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at San Diego?
Yes, the Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado will be streamed on Prime Video.
Individual driver cameras can be watched on HBO Max.
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at San Diego?
The Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado is 75 laps around the 3.4-mile track for a total of 255 miles. It is the longest track that NASCAR will compete at this season. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 20 laps; Stage 2: 20 laps; Stage 3: 35 laps.
Who won the last NASCAR Cup race on a road course?
Shane van Gidbergen has become NASCAR’s king of road courses, winning six of the last seven races on those styles of track. The New Zealand native and veteran of V8 Supercars won at Watkins Glen in May. He also won the last two races where NASCAR raced on a street course at a new venue for the first time, taking the checkered flag at the Chicago Street Course in 2023 and the 2025 road course in Mexico City. van Gisbergen needs just two victories at the Cup level to tie Jeff Gordon’s all-time wins record on road courses.
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What is the lineup for the Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado?
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(97) Shane van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
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(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
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(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
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(7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
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(88) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
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(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
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(33) Austin Hill, Chevrolet
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(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
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(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
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(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
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(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
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(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
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(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
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(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
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(91) Kevin Magnussen, Chevrolet
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(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
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(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
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(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
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(41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet
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(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
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(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
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(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
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(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
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(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
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(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
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(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
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(84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota
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(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
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(51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR at Naval Base Coronado: Start time, streaming, lineup for Anduril 250
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