A Night of Upsets and Milestones
The inaugural Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado turned into a chaotic affair when a nine‑car pile‑up took out Shane van Gisbergen, dropping the race favorite outside the top‑16 and leaving him 17th in the standings, five points behind Ryan Preece with nine races left in the regular season.
Connor Zilisch, van Gisbergen’s teammate, also endured a 37th‑place finish, marking his fourth consecutive race ending in 37th or worse and underscoring the volatility of the event.
The incident was sparked by Austin Hill’s locked‑up brakes, which sent the field into a multi‑car tumble that also involved Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell, among others.
Tyler Reddick’s untimely tire issue opened a window for Denny Hamlin, who capitalized to narrow the points gap to just eight points, positioning himself as a serious contender in the closing stretch.
Bubba Wallace fought back from a two‑lap deficit to claim second place, delivering his best road‑course result to date, while Kyle Larson led the Chevrolet contingent with a third‑place finish as he seeks to end a 41‑race winless streak.
Zane Smith continued Ford’s resurgence with a fourth‑place showing, his third top‑10 finish in the past five outings, whereas Christopher Bell’s day unraveled due to a mechanical issue that dropped him from 10th to 12th in the driver standings.
Adding a personal note, Goodyear Racing associate Art Clever returned to Naval Base Coronado for a special homecoming, reflecting on 41 years since his own service there.