NASCAR Rumor: NASCAR near deal to run San Diego street race

NASCAR is working toward finalizing a deal to race on a street course next year in the San Diego area, multiple industry sources told The Athletic, which would return its premier Cup Series to the Southern California market after a multi-year absence.

NASCAR and the city of San Diego have not yet agreed on a deal, but discussions are ongoing, and it is expected that an agreement will be reached, according to those sources. An announcement is tentatively slated for next month, pending a finalized deal.

NASCAR and Sports San Diego, the city’s sports tourism commission, declined comment.

Adding a race in San Diego would accomplish NASCAR’s stated goal of returning to Southern California, a move likely to be popular in the garage and throughout the sport’s landscape. It would be the first points race in the market since California Speedway in Fontana was indefinitely shuttered in 2023. NASCAR last raced in Southern California in 2024, when it held the final of three straight season-opening exhibition races on a purposely-built oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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How San Diego would fit within the 2026 schedule is not yet clear. A current race would have to be dropped to accommodate any addition, as the schedule is presently at its 38-race cap (36 points races plus two exhibitions).  The Athletic