To some people, life’s a beach. NASCAR Cup driver William Byron appears to be one of those, as the former points leader (he’s now second in the standings) is more excited about next season’s planned temporary street course race on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego than he was about the last three street races in downtown Chicago.
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Granted, the Chicago course skirted the edge of Lake Michigan and nearby beaches, but San Diego brings a number of advantages over the Windy City.
That includes over 300 days of sunshine a year (the first two street races in Chicago were impacted by rain), it’s a new market for NASCAR and returns racing to Southern California for the first time since 2022, is just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border (which should draw a lot of fans from south of the border to cheer on Daniel Suarez — if he signs with a new team for 2026), and the afore-mentioned San Diego beaches.
“Oh yeah, it’s awesome,” Byron said of going to San Diego during Friday’s media availability at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It’s a big deal. I got really excited when we went there and promoted it and did that video (the promotional video NASCAR released to promote the race).
“I was actually really excited about the race when I left (after filming the promo video at the navy base),” Byron said. “If (the event) pans out the way it looks, it’s going to be amazing.”
It’s not that Byron hated racing in Chicago. On the contrary. But his most recent outing last month, he qualified 38th and then crashed out on the first lap, ending his day with a last-place (40th) finish, after finishes of 8th and 13th in the two previous Chicago street races.
“I’m definitely more excited about (San Diego) than I was Chicago,” Byron said. “Chicago is a great event, but it seemed like at times like some of the people there didn’t necessarily buy into it.
“And I feel like San Diego, everyone there is going to be bought into it, and it’s going to be just an exciting summer event. So, I’m pretty pumped for it.”
San Diego Seems to Have More Local Support Than Chicago Did
Yes, Chicago residents seemed mixed in their feelings about the street race. They were forced to endure street closings of major parts of the downtown area, as well as a complete blockage of the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive to accommodate part of the track layout.
And then there was fear about crime, a major issue in Chicago. Just days before the race, four people were shot and killed, and 14 others were injured in a drive-by shooting at a club about one mile from the street race layout.
“It seemed like around the Chicago event, you always heard like positive and negative reviews and a lot of skepticism,” Byron said. “When we announced San Diego, it doesn’t seem like any skepticism.
“It seems like a lot of positivity and excitement, people are appreciative, and that’s what makes me excited. It’s like everyone’s going to look forward to that event on the schedule, and that’s just going to make it fun.”
