The NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Naval Base Coronado is going to be unforgettable, with many drivers describing the road course as the most difficult in NASCAR history. That’s why there was a lot more intrigue with the NASCAR practice results today from San Diego.
After going through the simulator and iRacing of the San Diego Street Course for hours leading up to this weekend, drivers finally hit the track in the Next Gen car on Friday afternoon. While some of the usual suspects like Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen posted the fastest lap times, we also got a few surprises as well. Of note, Cup Series qualifying is tomorrow with no additional practice for drivers.
Takeaways from Naval Base Coronado
Here’s a few of our takeaways from the practice session.
Corey Heim Stands Out
Just a few weeks after 23XI Racing announced that he will be a full-time driver for the Cup Series team in 2027, Corey Heim showed that Tyler Reddick might not be the only 23XI driver with some impressive road-course skills. Heim put down the fifth-fastest lap time (2:17.863), just ahead of Reddick (2:17.878).
Tire Cording an Issue Early
Teams were given 3 sets of tires for the Cup Series practice on Friday, and that proved to be a good thing. After six laps, Chris Buescher came in and had noticeable cording on his tires, with other teams reporting similar issues. It will be something everyone has to keep in mind for Sunday, since that will be 75 laps covering 255 miles. Shane van Gisbergen compared things to the ROVAL, where tires only last 2-3 laps.
Brent Crews Gets His Shot in a Cup Series Car
One big uncertainty coming into the weekend was who would be behind the wheel of the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. Christopher Bell, who completed last weekend’s race at Pocono just days after suffering a fractured wrist, got a few laps in at Naval Base Coronado. However, with the extreme difficulties of navigating the turns and wrecks, there is a very real chance he starts Sunday’s race and then gets out to be replaced. We got a look at that later in practice, with teenager Brent Crews getting behind the wheel of the No. 20 car, and he matched the time set by Bell.
Shane van Gisbergen Unhappy with Car
For anyone expecting Shane van Gisbergen’s reputation as one of the best road-course racers to result in him shining in practice, that was not necessarily the case on Friday. He put down the eighth-fastest time at Naval Base Coronado and reported some difficulties, including the team not hearing him when he wanted to come in. He felt “slow,” but that experience was shared by everyone, and there was significant falloff. More changes will be made to the car’s handling. Just keep that in mind, since SVG’s five-lap average was nearly a full second faster than the next best driver.
Promising Day for 23XI Racing, Spire Motorsports
Two teams that should feel pretty good coming out of practice today are 23XI Racing and Spire Motorsports. Over at Spire, Carson Hocevar posted the fifth-best lap time on Friday. Behind him, teammate Michael McDowell recorded the seventh-best time with the third-best five-lap average. As for 23XI, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and Corey Heim all finished top 10 in five-lap average, and all four 23XI drivers finished top 20 in fastest lap time.
Wrecks are Coming
One prevailing theme from the NASCAR practice today was cars getting very loose and either spinning around or needing to be saved. There were a few instances of contact with the wall, but disaster was avoided on Friday for all 39 Cup Series cars. However, given how loose the back end of the cars were and the issues with tire fall-off, we are going to have numerous instances on Sunday where a car gets loose and hits the wall or a tire barrier. With the limited number of spotters and high speeds, pileups feel inevitable.
Best 5 Lap Averages
Here were the fastest five-lap averages from NASCAR practice today at Naval Base Coronado, via Matt Weaver.
- Shane van Gisbergen: 2:18.19
- Austin Hill: 2:19.15
- Michael McDowell: 2:19.26
- Ty Gibbs: 2:19.65
- Todd GIlliland: 2:19.69
- Tyler Reddick: 2:19.72
- Kyle Larson: 2:20.35
- Connor Zilisch: 2:20.54
- Bubba Wallace: 2:20.62
- Corey Heim: 2:20.88
NASCAR Practice Results San Diego
Here are the NASCAR practice results today for San Diego in the Cup Series.
| Position | Driver | Lap Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 2:16.588 |
| 2 | Todd Gilliland | 2:16.881 |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 2:16.924 |
| 4 | Connor Zilisch | 2:16.960 |
| 5 | Carson Hocevar | 2:17.001 |
| 6 | Corey Heim | 2:17.039 |
| 7 | Michael McDowell | 2:17.284 |
| 8 | Shane van Gisbergen | 2:17.320 |
| 9 | Austin Hill | 2:17.609 |
| 10 | Alex Bowman | 2:17.6871 |
| 11 | Tyler Reddick | 2:17.878 |
| 12 | Joey Logano | 2:17.882 |
| 13 | Riley Herbst | 2:17.962 |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | 2:18.005 |
| 15 | William Byron | 2:18.213 |
| 16 | Ty Dillon | 2:18.342 |
| 17 | Ryan Preece | 3:18.391 |
| 18 | Ryan Blaney | 2:18.476 |
| 19 | AJ Allmendinger | 2:18.629 |
| 20 | Bubba Wallace | 2:18.633 |
| 21 | Chase Elliott | 2:18.713 |
| 22 | Zane Smith | 2:18.819 |
| 23 | Chase Briscoe | 2:18.918 |
| 24 | Cody Ware | 2:19.082 |
| 25 | Cole Custer | 2:19.117 |
| 26 | Chris Buescher | 2:19.167 |
| 27 | Austin Dillon | 2:19.182 |
| 28 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 2:19.312 |
| 29 | Kevin Magnussen | 2:19.375 |
| 30 | John Hunter Nemechek | 2:19.423 |
| 31 | Noah Gragson | 2:19.470 |
| 32 | Ross Chastain | 2:19.516 |
| 33 | Daniel Suarez | 2:19.693 |
| 34 | Josh Berry | 2:20.115 |
| 35 | Brad Keselowski | 2:20.346 |
| 36 | Christopher Bell | 2:20.509 |
| 37 | Austin Cindric | 2:21.132 |
| 38 | Jimmie Johnson | 2:31.654 |
| 39 | Erik Jones | 2:21.851 |
More must-reads:
