Overview
- Qualifying, which set the grid Saturday, put Shane van Gisbergen on the pole with Carson Hocevar alongside him for Sunday’s Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado.
- Saturday’s 25-car crash in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series forced a 43-minute red flag to repair a damaged concrete wall and removed many competitors without causing serious injuries.
- Drivers and teams warned that the 3.4-mile, 16-turn mixed-surface street circuit — concrete, worn pavement and embedded track sections — is producing heavy rear-tire degradation and high risk of concrete contact.
- Christopher Bell, still recovering from a broken wrist, qualified 37th and has Brent Crews on standby as a relief driver, while Kevin Magnussen makes his Cup debut and Jimmie Johnson starts in his hometown race.
- NASCAR staged its first Cup points race on an active U.S. military installation with tightened base security and limited on-site practice, a setup that increased teams’ reliance on simulation and heightened logistical scrutiny going into the race.