Move over, Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. The flashiest new NASCAR race will be the Anduril 250, part of a high-speed weekend slated next year at the U.S. Navy’s Naval Base Coronado near San Diego.
It’s believed to be the first big-time sponsorship deal for Palmer Luckey’s Anduril Industries, which is concentrating on revamping America’s military might.
The stock car race is officially called the Anduril 250 Race the Base. The company will also be the “presenting sponsor” next year of the NASCAR San Diego Weekend, slated to run from June 19-21.
The weekend will be the first NASCAR event on an active military base, according to Anduril. A NASCAR spokesman confirmed to the Business Journal that the Anduril 250 will take place on the sprawling military installation.
As another part of the racing arrangement, Costa Mesa-based Anduril said earlier this month it has been named the “official defense partner” of the No. 1 car racing series in the U.S. as part of a multi-year agreement.
Financial details were not released.
“The headline event of NASCAR San Diego Weekend presented by Anduril will be the Anduril 250 Race the Base Cup Series street race that honors the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy,” Anduril said on its website.
Anduril provides an array of defense tools, ranging from underwater drones to attack aircraft, and is seeking to compete with such defense giants as Boeing, RTX and Lockheed Martin.
2 High-Performance Teams
“Anduril is an American company that’s pushing boundaries in defense technology, and they bring that same drive and forward-thinking mindset,” said Craig Stimmel, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at NASCAR.
“It’s a great match — two high-performance teams coming together with a shared vision for the future, both on and off the track.”
President Donald Trump is a big fan of NASCAR racing. Anduril co-founder Luckey is a vocal Trump backer, and his company expects to keep receiving a steady stream of military business during the current administration.
The Anduril 250, second-ever Cup Series street course, will take place on June 21, 2026.
Course Layout in Near Future
The Anduril 250 will be preceded by high-energy races for the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series races on June 19, 2026 and June 20, 2026. The official NASCAR San Diego street course layout will be unveiled in the near future, according to Anduril.
“NASCAR is one of America’s most iconic platforms with a huge fan base among U.S. service members, veterans and their families,” said Jeff Miller, vice president of marketing at Anduril. “Partnering with NASCAR for the Race on the Base is a natural fit reflecting our shared values of technical innovation, speed and support of our military. We’re proud to be part of an event that celebrates the Navy’s 250th anniversary and honors everyone who serves.”
Anduril takes a different approach from traditional defense contractors, combining private capital with rapid product development to deliver advanced capability, often using autonomously guided systems.
Anduril ranked No. 2 on this year’s Business Journal list of top OC defense companies by headcount, with 3,200 local employees and 6,000 companywide.
Tickets on Sale This Fall
The Anduril 250 will be the final race of Prime Video’s five-race Cup Series broadcast window for 2026.
Tickets for the 2026 NASCAR San Diego Weekend will go on-sale this fall.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing — NASCAR — is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities.
Anduril Valuation More Than Doubles
In June, Anduril secured a new funding round of $2.5 billion, bringing the company’s valuation to $30.5 billion.
Founders Fund, the venture capital firm backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, led the new funding round with a $1 billion investment. The funding more than doubles the valuation of the company, whose valuation reached $14 billion last year.
That same month, Luckey told CNBC that his company will “definitely” go public but did not a specify a time frame for the listing.
Luckey said there isn’t “really a path” for a company like Anduril to win trillion-dollar contracts as a private company.
