PREVIEW: Many happy returns for series veterans at Naval Base Coronado
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Parker Kligerman, @pkligerman
LASTCAR TRACKSIDE COVERAGE
This weekend’s action in San Diego marks my first trackside coverage of the 2026 season, and will lead-off a two-week stretch of reporting through the following race at Sears Point. Stay tuned both to this website and to my Twitter / X feed at @LASTCARonBROCK for more updates!
Friday, June 19, 2026 (Green Flag 7:23 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 13 of 25
Navy 250 “Forged by the Sea” at Naval Base Coronado
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event
ENTRY LIST
Despite the prestige of this weekend’s venue, all three of NASCAR’s national series will run short fields, so all entrants will make the main event. The Truck Series event sees 35 drivers attempt the field of 36, marking the second short field of the year and first since Texas in May.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Today’s race marks just the second ever Truck Series start for seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who will run double-duty with the Cup Series for this weekend’s landmark race, not far from his hometown of El Cajon. Johnson’s only previous Truck Series start came on August 20, 2008 at Bristol, where he led 29 of the first 101 laps in Randy Moss’ #81 Chevrolet before a crash left him 34th. This time, he takes the wheel of TRICON’s “all-star” #1, taking the place of Michigan race winner Corey Heim, who will focus on Sunday (see below).
DRIVER CHANGE: #2-Team Reaume
Jackson Lee returns for his third career Truck Series start (all of them this season), looking to further improve from his 29th-place debut in St. Petersburg and 26th-place showing his last time out in Watkins Glen. He takes the place of ARCA part-timer Morgen Baird, who finished 26th last time out in Michigan.
MISSING: #4-Niece Motorsports
The Niece team has not entered its part-time #4 entry with which Cleetus McFarland came home 25th in Michigan.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-TRICON Garage
Adam Andretti has run a mix of ovals and road courses in this, his first season in NASCAR, yielding a best finish of 12th in this TRICON #5 entry. He last took the green flag in Watkins Glen, where a crash left him 25th, one month after another crash in Rockingham put him in last place. He looks for a better outcome as he takes the place of Spencer Davis, whose series return in Michigan was hamstrung by early fender damage, leaving him 24th at the finish.
DRIVER CHANGE: #20-McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Welcome back Brendan Gaughan, who has not made a NASCAR national series start since October 4, 2020, when he led two laps at Talladega for Beard Motorsports before a mid-race crash left him in 35th place. This time, Gaughan returns to the Truck Series, where he nearly won the series championship in 2003, when he scored six of his eight series victories. It’s been even longer since he last race in the series – November 15, 2013 at Homestead, when he closed out a season driving for Richard Childress Racing. His familiar South Point Hotel & Casino colors will adorn the #20 from the McAnally team – the same organization which helped start Gaughan’s famed Orleans Racing team in the Winston West Series before it moved on to the Truck Series. This time, Gaughan takes the place of Daniel Dye, who finished 15th at Michigan.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Team Reaume
Austin Varco has dreamed of racing in NASCAR for years, ever since he set a track lap record at a rental karting track in San Diego. He’s focused on road course racing, working his way into Spec Miata while pursuing his education. And, similar to fellow Reaume driver Armani Williams, he’s accomplished all this while on the Autism spectrum, and has used his racing experience to advocate for others dealing with the condition. Taking the place of team owner Josh Reaume, who finished 30th in Michigan, Varco carries sponsorship from the Autism Society of San Diego plus restaurants Dave’s Hot Chicken and Tacos El Franc.
DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Kaulig RAM Racing
RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
With RAM closely involved in promotions for the America 250 program, and the Kaulig team redecorating its fleet of trucks so the iconic RAM logos wear jet fighter helmets, the “all-star” #25 goes to another driver returning to the Truck Series after a long absence. Jamie McMurray made 25 starts in the series from 1999 through 2008, and last raced on October 18, 2008 at Martinsville, where he finished 18th for Jack Roush. Most of those starts came driving for Mike Mittler in 2000, just before Tony Roper took over the ride late in the season. McMurray is also a one-time winner in the series, taking the checkers at Martinsville on October 23, 2004 for Jim Smith. McMurray takes the place of Parker Kligerman, who will also compete today. Kligerman reunites with Henderson Motorports, a team that’s been absent since Corey LaJoie’s 34th-place finish in this year’s Daytona opener, the result of late-race engine woes. Logistics firm FMS is Kligerman’s sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Niece Motorsports
Foundation for Pops joins as sponsor for a returning Tyler Reif, who outside of a pair of crashes on the concrete tracks at Bristol and Nashville has finished no worse than 17th in his other four career starts, including his last two on the road courses in St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen. The Nevada-born Reif looks for another strong run as he takes the place of Cup regular Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who finished 7th in Michigan.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports
Also one to watch is Landen Lewis, who finished 6th earlier this year at St. Petersburg and made his Truck Series debut at Mid-Ohio back in 2023. The protégé of Kevin Harvick most recently ran at Rockingham, where he also finished a respectable 14th in this same #45 entry from Niece Motorsports. He looks for another good run as he takes the place of Cup regular Ross Chastain, who has driven this truck in all seven races since “The Rock.”
WITHDREW: #56-Hill Motorsports
After not entering the previous race at Michigan, Timmy Hill will not be among this week’s entrants as their team withdrew at first publication of the entry list on Monday.
DRIVER CHANGE: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing
Still another driver making a welcome return to the series is Kaz Grala, whose 51st and most recent series start came on July 22, 2023 at Pocono, where a late-race crash left him in 31st. The 2017 Daytona winner returns to the series in the high-powered second Halmar entry, taking the place of Cup regular and Bristol winner Christopher Bell. Since he last competed in this series, Grala ran two-thirds of the 2024 Cup Series season for Rick Ware Racing and made a few O’Reilly starts for Sam Hunt and Our Motorsports just last fall, most recently a 4th-place showing on the Charlotte “Roval.” Fire Dept. Coffee, a longtime sponsor of Grala’s, rejoins him today.
DRIVER CHANGE: #76-Freedom Racing Enterprises
Nathan Nicholson continues his “road ringer” duty for owner-driver Spencer Boyd in the #76, which will again carry Nicholson’s sponsorship from Whelen Engineering. After a late-race crash in St. Petersburg, Nicholson recovered well at Watkins Glen with a lead-lap finish in the 20th spot.
DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports
Today will mark the 40th Truck Series start for Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks, who returns to the series as a driver for the first time since July 9, 2022 at Mid-Ohio, where he qualified 8th in the Niece #41, only for a mid-race crash to leave him 31st. Most recently, he qualified 12th for the first O’Reilly race on the Chicago Street Course, but lost the engine on Kaulig’s #10 after only 3 laps, leaving him in last place. This time around, Marks drives for Spire Motorsports in place of Cup regular Carson Hocevar, the 3rd-place finisher at his home track in Michigan. Marks’ scheme will also honor the 150th anniversary of Trackhouse sponsor Jockey.
MISSING: #93-Costner Motorsports
ARCA part-time competitor and current owner-driver Caleb Costner is not among the drivers making the long journey west following a 27th-place finish in Michigan.
CUP INVADERS: None
Saturday, June 20, 2026 (Green Flag 5:14 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 18 of 33
United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 at Naval Base Coronado
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 drivers entered for 38 spots, marking only the second short field of the series in 2026, the first since 37 also showed up in Kansas in April.
DRIVER CHANGE: #0-SS-Green Light Racing
Road course racing means series veteran Alex Labbe, who returns in place of 12th-place Pocono finisher and Cup Series regular Cole Custer in Bobby Dotter’s #0 entry. Labbe carries sponsorship from “Vet The Vote” as he makes his fifth start of the season and first since his 19th-place showing for this team in Watkins Glen.
DRIVER SWAP: #1-JR Motorsports
MISSING: #9-JR Motorsports
After a 9th-place finish last time out in Pocono, Connor Zilisch will not be pulling double-duty this weekend in San Diego, so Carson Kvapil rejoins the #1 team in place of the #9, which isn’t entered this week. Last time out in Pocono, Kvapil finished in 10th, one spot behind Zilisch.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #88-JR Motorsports
Andrew Patterson makes his 5th series start and first since his 28th-place showing in the rain-shortened Charlotte race, once again piloting the Jordan Anderson owned #32. Patterson takes the place of Rajah Caruth, who after his 7th-place finish in last week’s run for Anderson rejoins JRM’s #88 team in place of Cup regular William Byron, who took 3rd.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen / Mike Harmon Racing
As of this writing, Dawson Cram is working overtime to help prepare his #35 entry for tomorrow’s race as he takes the place of 27th-place Pocono finisher Carson Ware in the joint Gase / Harmon effort.
MISSING: #38-RSS Racing
Neither the RSS team’s Ford, nor the Chevrolet that Patrick Emerling ran to a 31st-place finish last week in Pocono, are entered this week.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Baltazar Leguizamon returns to make his third series start with a third different team, having finished 37th after DNFs in each of the last two races in COTA (one for Joey Gase Motorsports, the other for Barrett-Cope Racing). This time, Leguizamon takes the place of 35th-place Pocono finisher Nathan Byrd in the #42 for Randy Young’s team. He carries sponsorship from a pair of Argentinian energy companies.
RETURNING: #50-Pardus Racing
Also rejoining the action this week is Preston Pardus and his family’s #50 team, who we last saw finish 21st in Watkins Glen last month. Pardus makes his 35th career O’Reilly start looking to once again turn heads on a road course with Chinchor Electric, Inc. continuing as sponsor.
TEAM UPDATE: #51-Jeremy Clements Racing
Jeremy Clements will start his record 548th O’Reilly race, breaking his tie set last week with Kenny Wallace for the most career starts by any O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver. Alliance Driveaway Solutions is the listed sponsor for this week.
DRIVER SWAP: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
DRIVER CHANGE: #55-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Brad Perez returns to action for the third time this season – not counting his relief driver roles at both COTA and Bristol – but this time isn’t entered in Randy Young’s #42. He will this time pilot the Gase #53 in place of Gase himself, the 36th-place finisher at Pocono after carburetor problems. Gase will also run tomorrow as he moves to the #53 in place of 34th-place Pocono finisher Natalie Decker. As of this writing, Perez is still looking for additional sponsors to adorn the hood of his Toyota, which carries associate backing from Sacred Dose Energy Pouches.
DRIVER CHANGE: #87-Peterson Racing Group
Last week in Pocono marked the first time in 2026 that Austin Green has had to step out of his ride at the Peterson Racing Group for an incoming Nick Sanchez, who finished 23rd and will run more oval races in Green’s place next month. Looking to make a statement on back-to-back road course races, Green returns to the #87 looking to follow up his 9th-place finish in the last road race at The Glen.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Appropriately, U.S. Navy officer and part-time NASCAR competitor Jesse Iwuji will return to action tomorrow in the Gosselin team’s #91. Iwuji’s return to the circuit for the first time since his 20th-place run at Talladega in April 2025 was introduced with a fun Power Rangers parody he posted on social media, complete with sponsorship from Navy Exchange. Iwuji takes the place of Dexter Bean, who ended up collected in two wrecks at Pocono on his way to a 30th-place finish.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, June 21, 2026 (Green Flag 4:29 P.M. ET, PRIME)
CUP Race 17 of 36
Anduril 250 Race the Base at Naval Base Coronado
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event
ENTRY LIST
There are 39 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 15th short field in 17 Cup races this season, and the seventh in a row since 40 last took the green in Talladega.
TEAM UPDATE: #20-Joe Gibbs Racing
In spite of his broken wrist suffered in Michigan, Christopher Bell is slated to run this Sunday’s race, just as he had last week in Pocono, though Brent Crews has received approval to be on standby.
MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports
The Beard Motorsports team will not make the trip to California after a frustrating weekend at Pocono, where a loose wheel put him into the wall in Turn 2, causing significant damage to the car the team plans to run at Indianapolis. Mears finished 36th in that race.
RETURNING: #67-23XI Racing
Corey Heim’s red-white-and-blue #67 Mobil 1 / O’Reilly Auto Parts Toyota has the faint resemblance to a Buddy Arrington throwback scheme as he embarks on his 13th career Cup start and sixth of the season, his first since a 25th-place showing in Nashville.
MISSING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
Both driver Daniel Dye and team owner B.J. McLeod’s #78 team are not among this week’s entrants following a 29th-place showing in Pocono.
RETURNING: #84-Legacy Motor Club
Fresh off a strong run by both LMC’s full-time cars in Pocono, Jimmie Johnson will pull double-duty with the Truck Series and Cup Series races, each sponsored by Carvana. This will mark Johnson’s 702nd career Cup start and first since this year’s Daytona 500, where he crashed on the final lap and finished in 29th.
RETURNING: #91-Trackhouse Racing “Project 91”
One of the most exciting storylines revolves around the return of Trackhouse’s “Project 91” for the first time since Helio Castroneves’ frustrating Daytona 500 bid in 2025. This time, the driver is Kevin Magnussen, a veteran of 185 Formula One Grands Prix from 2014 through his most recent starts for the HAAS team in 2024. Magnussen, whose father Jan made his own Cup debut at Sears Point in 2010, will take his first laps in the #91 sponsored by Qualcomm, the San Diego-based tech firm which also sponsors this weekend’s circuit.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (June 19, 2000): Michael Waltrip picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Pocono 500 at Pocono when his #7 NationsRent Chevrolet lost the engine after 35 laps. This race also marked one of the six DNQs of brother Darrell Waltrip’s “Victory Tour 2000.”
