NASCAR races – For the first time, NASCAR will race on an active military installation off the coast of San Diego this weekend, with the Navy 250 kicking off Friday on a 3.4-mile road course and a second NASCAR event on Sunday.
Friday evening at Naval Base Coronado won’t sound like a typical NASCAR kickoff. The cars won’t be lapping a familiar speedway; they’ll be running a 3.4-mile road course on an active military installation off the coast of San Diego. For NASCAR, it’s a first. For the people who live and work at the base, it’s something they’ll watch happen close up.
The event begins with a Craftsman Truck Series race, the Navy 250, with the action starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. The entry list is packed with recognizable names and former stars, including former seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and Jamie McMurray.
Johnson. a native of Southern California. is returning to the Truck Series for what will be only his second time in the series. He most recently competed in 2008 at Bristol for a team owned by Hall of Fame NFL wide receiver Randy Moss. where he led 29 laps before crashing out and finishing 34th. This time, Johnson will be piloting the No. 1 Toyota for TRICON Garage, with Jerame Donley serving as his crew chief.
The moment carries extra weight for Johnson. “Growing up just miles from San Diego. I dreamed about racing here in a NASCAR vehicle someday. but I never thought it would be possible. I just came to the realization that there would be no way NASCAR could race in that city – as there would be nowhere to put a track. ” he said in a statement earlier this year. “So, it’s just mind-blowing to me that NASCAR made this a reality.”.
The weekend doesn’t end after the Trucks. Johnson is also set to race in Sunday’s Cup Series race, the Anduril 250, driving the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club as the team’s third car in the race. Since retiring from full-time racing after the 2020 season. Johnson has competed in a handful of Cup Series races and ran the Daytona 500 annually. including a third-place finish in 2025. In his NASCAR career, he has just one road course win—taking the checkered flag at Sonoma in 2010.
Jamie McMurray brings another kind of star power to the Navy 250. In 16 seasons as a Cup Series driver. McMurray won a pair of NASCAR crown jewels: the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in 2010. He was NASCAR’s Rookie of the Year in 2003. won an all-star race. and was also part of a team that won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2013.
McMurray’s Truck Series history is shorter. He competed in 25 Truck Series races and won one in 2004 at Martinsville. His last Truck race was in 2008. In San Diego, he’ll be driving the No. 25 Ram for Kaulig Racing.
The standings add another layer to Friday night’s stakes. The current points leader in the Truck Series is Layne Riggs, driver of the No. 34 Ford, with three wins. Kaden Honeycutt, driving the No. 11 Toyota. is second in the standings and won the last truck race at a road course—taking the checkered flag at Watkins Glen in May.
Besides Johnson and McMurray, Friday’s Navy 250 includes a roster of drivers with their own histories on big stages. Brendan Gaughan, a veteran of the Truck Series, has won multiple stock car and off-road competitions, including the 2025 Baja 1000 Class 1. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2002 and voted as the Most Popular Driver of the series in 2003. Over 217 races in 14 seasons, he logged 80 top-10 finishes and won eight races. In his final full-time Truck Series season in 2013, he finished in the top five 10 times. Gaughan will drive the No. 20 Chevrolet for McAnally Hilgemann Racing.
Kaz Grala is another name drawing attention. In 2017. he became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR race at Daytona. taking the checkered flag at age 18 in the Truck Series race that year—still his only victory across NASCAR’s top three levels. He has two top-10 finishes in the Cup Series and ran a full-time schedule at the top level of the sport for Rick Ware Racing in 2024. Now 27, Grala has 19 top-10 finishes in the Truck Series in 51 races. For the past two seasons. he has been Legacy Motor Club’s reserve and simulation driver. and he has raced part-time for Sam Hunt Racing in the O’Reilly Series. Last year in the second-tier series, he placed 11th at Watkins Glen and finished fourth at the Charlotte Roval. Grala will drive the No. 62 Toyota for Halmar Friesen Racing.
Adam Andretti will also be on the grid—another entry that underlines how much of this field mixes racing pedigree with fresh opportunity. He is the younger brother of the late John Andretti and the nephew of Mario Andretti. This will be the fifth time the 47-year-old has raced in the Truck Series this season. with a best finish of 12th at Atlanta. Andretti will drive the No. 5 Toyota for TRICON Garage.
Justin Marks rounds out the notable list. Marks is the owner of Trackhouse Racing. the Cup Series team featuring Ross Chastain. Connor Zilisch. and road course ace Shane van Gisbergen. But his record in the cockpit isn’t just a footnote—he finished 12th in the 2018 Daytona 500 and. in 2016. won an O’Reilly Series race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He also has four top-10 finishes in the Truck Series. In San Diego, Marks will pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
The thread running through the lineup is clear: this weekend places high-profile NASCAR experience onto a base built for something entirely different—mission readiness. not motorsport rhythm. When the lights come on at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 for the Navy 250, it won’t just be a new venue for familiar faces. It will be a test of how the sport adapts when the setting demands discipline. precision. and respect for the people who already call the location home.
NASCAR Navy 250 Naval Base Coronado Jimmie Johnson Jamie McMurray Truck Series Anduril 250 Legacy Motor Club TRICON Garage FS1