The 2026 Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado
It's the moment that everyone has been waiting for, the Anduril 250. The inaugural race at the San Diego street circuit, which may be one of the trickiest tracks on the schedule with all the uneven surfaces and tight corners of the Naval Base Coronado. Well, let's get into it.
During the first stage, there was a few accidents like Austin Dillon spinning on lap 2, and Jimmie Johnson hitting the tire barrier in the final chicane. Although the first caution didn't come out until lap 12, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had car issues and stopped at the chicane right after SVG had taken the lead. SVG lost the lead to Blaney with four to go in the stage, but a few laps later the caution came out when Bubba Wallace lost a wheel with two to go. Ryan Blaney would go on to win a chaotic first stage as the Anduril 250 continues.
Things went smoothly in stage 2 for the most part, but on lap 30 Brent Crews, who had replaced Christopher Bell earlier in the race, had some sort of gearbox issue and stopped on track bringing out the yellow. Then on the restart, there was a huge incident in turn 1 involving many contenders, including SVG. The red flag came out for wall repairs and track cleanup. There were a good few pit stops towards the end of the stage, but the one who emerged with the stage win in the end was the 60 of Ryan Preece.
Preece led to start the final stage, but just one lap in there was a caution for debris in turn 2. We went few a lot of lead changes, then even more when green flag pit stops started on lap 51. Then, right after the two leaders-who were Larson and Heim-pitted, the caution came out for oil on the track. Nothing much happened in between that caution and the end of the race, although there was one thing that sparked some controversy. While Tyler Reddick and his teammate Corey Heim were battling for the lead, the 45 got into Heim in turn 5, causing the 67 to go into the high lane, and the Reddick just decides to slow down and let him by. I'm sorry, but this is NASCAR. You don't let somebody by because you accidently hit them. People watch NASCAR for the action, not for drivers just handing the win to their teammate. Anyways, that move got Heim his first cup win.
Well, that race was very eventful. I liked the track, though. It had some pretty good parts in it. It's crazy how the cars get airborne over that hill after turn 1. Anyway, see you in Wine Country.