{"id":16726,"date":"2026-06-21T07:31:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726"},"modified":"2026-06-21T07:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:31:49","slug":"cup-drivers-get-first-look-at-coronados-nascar-track-the-risk-versus-reward-here-is-off-the-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726","title":{"rendered":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Shane van Gisbergen knows road courses.<\/p>\n

He has won seven of the first 13 NASCAR Cup races he has contested on road and temporary street courses.<\/p>\n

Read more Layne Riggs wins Craftsman Trucks series race, kicking off NASCAR\u2019s San Diego Weekend in Coronado<\/a><\/p>\n

So, the 37-year-old New Zealander seemed the perfect driver to start with Friday when trying to determine the degree of difficulty of the 3.4-mile, 16-turn temporary road course at Naval Base Coronado hosting this weekend\u2019s historic NASCAR San Diego races.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrouble spots?\u201d van Gisbergen said. \u201cStart at Turn 1 and count to 16. Every corner looks difficult. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to have a perfect lap here. It\u2019s going to be really hard to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which is why van Gisbergen was upset Friday when it was once again noted that he is the odds-on favorite heading into Sunday\u2019s featured 255-mile race for NASCAR\u2019s premier Cup Series cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat upsets me a bit,\u201d van Gisbergen said. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair to me and it disrespects the competition, which is really good. Ten guys can win this race. I don\u2019t think it will be easy for anyone, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s 50-minute practice session \u2014 the Cup cars\u2019 only time on the track before Saturday\u2019s qualifying and Sunday\u2019s race \u2014 drivers were united in their concerns about the multi-surface circuit\u2019s lack of grip, tight walls and fears of a high attrition rate in Sunday\u2019s 75-lap feature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the limit here is always being on the edge of it,\u201d said Carson Hocevar. \u201cSeventy-five laps is a long way to go here without a mistake. Every corner is a concern of mine. I don\u2019t want to be part of the attrition. I don\u2019t want to take myself out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Friday\u2019s practice produced some unexpected results.<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen was not the fastest car. In fact, his Chevrolet Camaro was eighth among the 39 entrants. He broke off one practice run after six laps due to tire wear.<\/p>\n

The top practice speed was posted by two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, whose Hendrick Motorsports Chevy turned a lap in 136.588 seconds, an average of 89.613 mph. When last seen, Larson was doing burnouts and donuts on the flight deck of the Midway Museum Thursday during a pre-race function.<\/p>\n

Todd Gilliland\u2019s Ford Mustang was a surprise No. 2 at 89.421 mph, followed by Ty Gibbs\u2019 Toyota (89.393), the Camaro of van Gisbergen\u2019s 19-year-old Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch (89.369), Hocevar (89.342), Corey Heim (89.318), Watkins Glen runner-up Michael McDowell (89.158) and van Gisbergen (89.135).<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Some of NASCAR\u2019s top names struggled.<\/p>\n

Points leader Tyler Reddick, who many see as the top threat to van Gisbergen, was no better than 11th in practice at 88.774 mph. Three-time series champion Joey Logano was 12th (88.772). Denny Hamlin, who is seeking a fourth straight win at Coronado, although street and road courses are not his strong suit, was 14th at 88.680.<\/p>\n

Read more NASCAR notebook: Jimmie Johnson hopes races stay in Coronado; ticket numbers tell tale<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel Suarez was 33rd (87.621), and seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was 38th among the 39 entrants (86.468).<\/p>\n

But none of Friday\u2019s speeds carry forward. The field will be set during a one-hour qualifying session starting at 11:30 Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight is a full study night,\u201d said van Gisbergen, who will be among the first qualifying group Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s important to be as close to the front of the field as possible in this race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several things caught the Cup drivers by surprise Friday, including the fact that the true lap times weren\u2019t as fast as times produced on the course simulators. The cars also got airborne coming down a hill leading into Turn 2. And the difference in surface conditions caused problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are five different surfaces on one track,\u201d said Gibbs. \u201cI was sliding around a lot. When you are sliding around, you\u2019re killing the tires. And if you slide too far off line, there are a lot of marbles that want to carry you into more trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe risk versus reward here is off the charts,\u201d said van Gisbergen.<\/p>\n

Said Reddick: \u201cOur approach at the start of the race will be fairly conservative, because the implications of making a mistake are huge. Drivers and crews will have to be very calculated. The walls are very close and they don\u2019t seem to be perfectly placed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest points of impact Friday seemed to be the outside of the Turn 16 wall entering the main straight and the Turn 5 and Turn 6 complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing caught my eye on my first lap on the track,\u201d said Reddick. \u201cThe aircraft carrier (Carl Vinson).\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the Cup practice, the O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series cars held their only practice session with Austin Green posting the fastest lap at 90.330 mph, which was faster than the top Cup car. Brent Crews was No. 2 (90.158) followed by season points leader Austin Hill (89.845). El Cajon\u2019s Sheldon Creed was No. 7 89.235).<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018SVG\u2019 the driver to beat as San Diego hosts first-ever NASCAR Cup race on Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n

The O\u2019Reilly Series cars qualify and race Saturday.<\/p>\n

United Rentals 250<\/h4>\n

What:<\/strong> NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series race<\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> 2 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n

Length:<\/strong> 204 miles (60 laps; Stages of 15, 15, 30 laps)<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> The CW<\/p>\n

Other key Saturday event:<\/strong> NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTrouble spots? Start at Turn 1 and count to 16.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cTrouble spots? Start at Turn 1 and count to 16."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726\"},\"wordCount\":905,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726\",\"name\":\"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16726#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"\u201cTrouble spots? Start at Turn 1 and count to 16.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019","datePublished":"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726"},"wordCount":905,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726","name":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019 - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-21T07:31:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c904cb341aa9516ae09bb975ac3d3c32.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16726#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cup drivers get first look at Coronado\u2019s NASCAR track: \u2018The risk versus reward here is off the charts\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}