Back when he was a teenager growing up in nearby El Cajon, California, Jimmie Johnson loved to surf off the beaches of San Diego. As he was riding the waves and hanging ten, off in the distance he’d see the massive Naval Base Coronado a.k.a. NBC.
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Because he had a number of family members who served in the U.S. military, Johnson would have considered joining the Navy several times in his youth if he had not gone on to become an auto racing star. That possibility was never lost on him, even after he became a big NASCAR star, as Johnson took part in numerous promotions and events involving the military.
Next year, Johnson will get a chance to combine his love for his hometown, NASCAR, and the Navy, as NASCAR will hold its first-ever race on a military base when it holds an event on a temporary street course to be built on NBC. To say Johnson is looking forward to the event is an understatement.
“With my connection, my grandfather serving, brother-in-law, friends, it’s just been close to my heart for a long time,” Johnson said. “To enter into the NASCAR space in the way that NASCAR as an industry honors men and women that serve, it’s just been a good collaboration of sorts. I feel fortunate to be in a series that is so focused on it.
“With all that, it gives me great confidence as we come to San Diego and race on a military base that it will be done top-notch and be correct.
“(I’m) excited to come back for personal and, I guess, professional reasons. I think NASCAR’s pre-race show, their intentionality around honoring men and women who serve or have served, I think they do it better than anybody. I can’t wait for them to shine again.”
Racing on a naval base was a ‘no-brainer’
NASCAR Vice President Ben Kennedy, grandson of late NASCAR Chairman Bill France Jr., calls holding the race at Coronado “a no-brainer” given the long and successful relationship between the sport and the military.
Among the more high-profile involvements is the annual honoring of current and former military members and their families prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
While there’s a possibility that Johnson may try to find a ride in the Coronado event — after all, even though he’s technically retired, he still made two Cup starts this season — when he was first approached by NASCAR to give his insights on such a race, Johnson was all-in right away.
“To a San Diegan, to hear those words, I’m just smiling, like no way, this really can happen,” said Johnson, who got some of his earliest racing action in the now-defunct El Cajon Speedway. “To see this all come together now, I am so excited to have a race back in my hometown.”
While some may think racing on a naval base may be unusual, it’s actually not. The race will be held as part of the Navy’s 250th anniversary year, will serve as a great recruiting tool for both the Navy and NASCAR, and bring Cup, Xfinity, and Truck racing back to Southern California, which saw its last NASCAR event at Auto Club Speedway in 2023.
“From everyone at NASCAR and their vision of growth, vision of being in Southern California doing something unique and different, credit to everybody at NASCAR for putting this together and being so adamant in San Diego being the destination and where the street circuit needs to go,” Johnson said.
