Reports of NASCAR returning to Southern California surfaced in mid-June, but if you ask Ben Kennedy, this move was actually several years in the making.
He's honestly surprised that next year's inaugural street race on Naval Base Coronado remained a secret for as long as it did.
"One of the ideas that we had several years ago was to race on a military base," Kennedy, NASCAR EVP, Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer, said in response to a question from AltDriver. "We've had a number of conversations with bases across the country.
"We also wanted to find a way to have a presence back here in the Southern California market. We've had racing at Auto Club (Speedway) for a number of years, at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. We felt like it was a good opportunity for us to get back to our fans here in the greater Southern California region.
"We started having conversations with Naval Base Coronado I would say probably a couple years ago. Frankly, pretty surprised we were able to keep a lot of it under wraps until recently."
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The announcement officially happened on Wednesday as Kennedy and NASCAR revealed that a tripleheader weekend will take place on June 19-21, 2026. All three national series will race for the first time on Naval Base Coronado while aircraft carriers and the San Diego skyline serve as the backdrop.
They will also celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy while racing for playoff spots.
"We wanted to push to make this happen in 2026," Kennedy added. "We believe it's a once-in-a-lifetime moment for our sport, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country and our Navy, then to put on a spectacle of an amazing race for our fans."
Of course, this announcement is only one step toward the historic race weekend. As Kennedy noted, so much work remains in the next several months for NASCAR and newly appointed track president Amy Lupo.
One key part of this process is the creation of the track. NASCAR has yet to finalize the layout for the tripleheader weekend, and it continues to push toward this outcome while working with iRacing.
This will continue in the coming months as Kennedy and NASCAR prepare for the full reveal. They will continue to work with iRacing and NASCAR drivers while figuring out which course will best suit the vehicles competing in the respective series.
"What I would share is it's around a three-mile circuit," Kennedy said. "It's going to be completely on the base. We want to create both for the viewers watching at home on Prime or on The CW or one of the FOX channels, then the people that are coming here as well, is creates different experiences in different neighborhoods around the base so people can go and experience.
"You're going to see shots that will -- you'll have the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, you'll see other shots of the backdrop of San Diego. Actually being here in a bit of the peninsula, in between the bay and the ocean is going to make for an amazing backdrop.
"We're going to be weaving our way through the base, too. You'll see a couple of carriers, F-18s on the tarmac. Some of the course will be set in stone a little bit as we're making our way through the streets here on the base, then a lot of it is going to be a blank canvas. There will be a portion going out onto the tarmac, might have some long straightaways, more technical sessions."