NASCAR Celebrates with the U.S. Navy in San Diego with a Special Weekend of Races
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KEYT) - Racing fans have a chance to see some of the top drivers in the world once again in Southern California.
NASCAR returned this weekend and fans have been very excited about coming to this unique set of races on the U.S. Naval Base at Coronado Island in San Diego.
The event has been more than two years in the making to celebrate the Navy's 250th anniversary.
Levi Shepey went to Santa Barbara City College and now lives in San Diego. He was attending with friends and checking out the track and the many interactions and exhibits on the grounds.
He was impressed with the driver's skills on this course, and seeing it up close was so different than watching it on TV.
He said, "The physics is insane, all the drafting and technicality that goes into spacing and speed and passing, it's very fascinating."
In many areas there's a chance to see the behind the scenes planning and mechanics of racing both on the track and in the fan zone.
This is one sport where the fans can get up close and personal and see their drivers right before they go racing with introductions that often get a hand slap, a fist pump or an autograph.
It's an exciting time for drivers too. Williams Byron with Hendrick Motorsports said, "I don't get to make it over here very often, but when I have, I've been blown away by how amazing it is here. The weather, the, the fans, the atmosphere, I love it on the West."
A Huntington Beach driver, Zane Smith who is now competing at the top tier of NASCAR said, "there's a lot of drivers, especially in the Cup Series from California, and so to be in So Cal and race in a cup car is, it's honestly just so cool." He grew up riding skateboards in Orange County and to get around the navy base he is on a small scooter.
With these three races, NASCAR shows it can go to many locations in the country beyond the traditional tracks. This race is a 16 turn road course over 3.4 miles. It is the longest race course NASCAR has competed on.
On Saturday, Austin Hill won the United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with a last lap pass on Taylor Gray. The race was emotional for Richard Childress Racing, marking their first victory across the major NASCAR series following the passing of Kyle Busch.
Friday, Layne Riggs won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado on the Qualcomm Circuit. The victory came in overtime with a thriller for fans.
