NASCAR teams will arrive at Navy Base Coronado this week with no data on the track.
A general view of construction workers installing fencing to the top of concrete barriers for the NASCAR San Diego course at the Naval Base Coronado.
It’s hard to see the parallels, but auto racing and baseball are very close when it comes to dependence on data and analytics. And the data used in auto racing studies everything happening inside and outside the car.
“We usually arrive at one of our tracks loaded with information from past races at the site,” said Billy Scott, crew chief on Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota Camry NASCAR Cup points leader. “We’ll use it as a base point before the first practice session, using the car setup from past track conditions and temperatures as a starting reference.
“Things are always changing with our cars and tracks, but arriving at a race with data gives you a solid head start. At some tracks, we might have data from three cars dating back over more than a dozen races. It gives us a chance to quickly zero in on a starting point.
”“This could be a very interesting weekend,” said Scott, who prepared cars that opened the 2026 season by setting a Cup record by winning three straight races under Reddick.
“We’ll bring some information we learned from running on the temporary street course in Chicago. “But Coronado is going to be a unique track. There will be sections of different surfaces. Parts of it are bumpy.
We expect cars to bottom out in areas. Parts have been repaved. Other parts are normally used for jets and helicopters. And sections are narrow.
What is the surface going to be like off the main line when the rubber and marbles build up?
“We don’t know. Usually, we go into a race with an idea of how the track will evolve during a race, because every track goes through changes as cars and trucks pile up the laps. But Coronado is a total unknown.
“We’ve all watched laps on the simulator. My guess is that we have a 90% understanding of what to expect. But that’s not where you want to be. It’s really exciting to get something totally new like this.
My guess is the first team to figure this out wins. ”And figuring out Coronado begins Thursday afternoon with a most pedestrian exercise — a walk around the 3.4-mile, 16-turn circuit. NASCAR will open the track to two walks before the first car is on the surface. Crew chiefs, drivers and engineers will be studying the surface.
“The track walks will be huge,” said Scott. “Everyone will be looking for something different. The drivers might be looking for braking points and entrances and exits from turns. We’ll be looking at the changes in the track surfaces.
We’ll do scans of the surface, and we’ll all be building visual references. Then comes Friday afternoon’s 50-minute practice session before Saturday’s Cup qualifying and Sunday’s 75-lap race “Practice on a long street course like this carries its own set of concerns,” said Scott.
“If we can get 14 laps at speed, that would be a pretty good goal. That would give us a lot of data and most drivers get what they need in that span. The brakes and tire wear get checked out.
“But we have to get information from that practice. That is going to depend on no one having any issues. If there are incidents and accidents, the laps are going to be significantly reduced, that will represent a problem for every team. On a long, tight track like this, it will take longer to clear any accident and that will reduce the number of practice laps at speed.
And if you get caught in slower traffic … “We go into practice with no idea on tire wear. We have some expectations, but no knowledge. The fall-off on tires could be pretty distinct. That’s what we’ll learn if we get the needed laps in.
If we don’t, we’ll be guessing. Same with the strategy. There are a lot of unknowns at Coronado.
“Personally, I don’t think there will be a lot of passing opportunities. That’s usually an element of street and road racing. It’s tough to pass. So there’s a premium on getting the setup right and qualifying high.
It is tight, but there are some open areas.
“This is a very interesting, unique track. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen anything quite like this track before. This presents new challenges. And I’m excited to get something new. ”
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