A Track Like No Other
The Anduril 250 is set to make its debut on June 21 at Naval Base Coronado, a venue that blends smooth public pavement with rugged military concrete and a series of expansion joints. The hybrid surface creates a unique challenge that has never been seen in a NASCAR‑affiliated event.
Drivers have been vocal about the difficulty of the layout. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch have all highlighted the technical demands of the track, noting that the mixture of surfaces forces teams to compromise on car setup in ways that differ from traditional oval or road‑course venues.
Drivers Brace for Unprecedented Challenges
The Next Gen car, with its low ride height and stiff suspension, was designed for stability on relatively even surfaces. On the bumpy concrete of Coronado, engineers fear that the chassis may be forced into a setup that sacrifices aerodynamic efficiency, potentially compromising handling through the track’s tight corners.
Adding to the complexity, spotters will be positioned in unconventional locations to monitor blind spots that arise from the track’s abrupt changes in direction. Ross Chastain, who will share a garage with van Gisbergen, is leaning heavily on his own experience to guide his teammate through the most awkward corner sequences.
Van Gisbergen arrives as the clear favorite, having already proven his ability to excel on similar terrain in New Zealand and Australia. His championship pedigree and recent race wins on comparable surfaces have raised expectations that he could translate that success to the Coronado challenge.
Teams, however, are entering the event with limited data. Cars are being assembled from a patchwork of components sourced from public roads, military concrete and active airfield pavement, leaving engineers with only a handful of reference laps to fine‑tune setups before the green flag drops.