NASCAR Eyes Its Next Street Circuit
A San Diego street race could bring NASCAR back to Southern California next year. Meanwhile, a stadium event is being pondered in Philadelphia.
The Morning Warmup
Good morning and Happy Friday! Welcome to another race weekend. I’ll be spending it sweating out Game 7 of the NBA Finals as an Indiana Pacers fan. But in the meantime, we’ve got some potential future NASCAR hosts and a surprising crew chief cameo from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to discuss.
June 20, 2025
Today’s Top Stories
1) NASCAR reportedly closing in on San Diego race deal, considering Philadelphia race (NASCAR Cup)
NASCAR is weeks away from wrapping up a three-year tenure competing on the streets of Chicago. But even if it doesn’t return, a new street circuit in a much-needed market could soon welcome America’s top racing series.
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi reported Wednesday that NASCAR is working to finalize a deal that would see it run a street course race in the San Diego area next year. Bianchi reported that no deal has been reached yet, but “it is expected that an agreement will be reached” according to multiple industry sources.
An announcement could come as soon as next month if it’s locked in. (This is speculation on my end, but should that happen, the logical timing would be when NASCAR ventures to California’s Sonoma Raceway on July 12-13).
Should the race come to fruition, it will accomplish a key goal for NASCAR. With California Speedway’s indefinite closure in 2023 for a planned facility reconstruction, NASCAR has been in search for a new home in the key Southern California market. It held three season-opening Clash exhibition races in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but that was a special opportunity and never meant to be a long-term solution.
San Diego would hit the right market and continue NASCAR’s push into new racing opportunities. Chicago hosted the first Cup Series street circuit race in 2023. The series has an option to return to the city in 2026. Logic would dictate that one street circuit be swapped for another, but NASCAR showed in replacing a Richmond Raceway date with last weekend’s Mexico City race that it can pull other races for a value-adding event if it makes sense.
Of course, San Diego isn’t the only new market being researched. Pocono Record journalist Mason Smith reported Wednesday morning that NASCAR is considering a race in Philadelphia, two hours down the road from Pocono Raceway.
“Pocono has delivered for us in terms of fans, but when you look at opportunities, one of the places we looked was Franklin Field," NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell said. "It was one of the only places we could've put a race track inside. Those are the type of things that, within a city, we're gonna look at.
"The days of just building a rural track are over, but if we can build a track with some real estate development around it and partner with some people, we're gonna look at major cities and bring the product to the fan base within the city as well."
Franklin Field is the oldest college football stadium in operation, opened in 1895 and renovated in 1922. The field, which currently hosts the Penn Quakers, has a similar Olympic-style structure to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, providing enough space for one of NASCAR’s purpose-built ovals.
(Source(s): Jordan Bianchi / The Athletic, Mason Smith / Pocono Record)
2) Dale Jr. to crew chief for Connor Zilisch in Pocono (NASCAR Xfinity)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has accomplished a lot in his NASCAR career, whether on-track, as a team owner or in the media.
JR Motorsports announced Wednesday that Earnhardt will fill in atop the box for Marty Lindley, who has a one-race suspension for loose lug nuts at Nashville Superspeedway. In doing so, the two-time champion will work with Connor Zilisch and the No. 88 team.
It will mark Earnhardt’s first time as a crew chief in a NASCAR national series event. He’ll add to a busy weekend that includes working with the Prime broadcast crew, looking to help JR Motorsports score its eighth victory of the 2025 Xfinity Series season.
Zilisch will roll into Pocono fifth in the championship standings, with one win from an early season trip to Circuit of the Americas.
(Source(s): Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
News and Notes
NASCAR
The legal sagas off-track are continuing. Here are a couple small, but notable, updates:
RAM CEO Tim Kuniskis was a guest on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” this week. He says Dodge is eying a 2027 Cup entry, though he’s been told he should push it to 2028. (Harvick’s Happy Hour/X)
David Starr and Garage 66 will return to the Cup Series field for the upcoming Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. (Zach Evans / Racing America)
Kaz Grala is set to join Sam Hunt Racing for a trio of upcoming Xfinity Series road course races. (Toby Christie / TobyChristie.com)
The rumored news is now confirmed: Supercars ace Cam Waters will run the Truck Series race at Lime Rock Park for ThorSport Racing. (Kevin Rutherford / Frontstretch)
Josh Bilicki will make a pair of Truck appearances later this season for Niece Motorsports, contesting two road course races. (Christopher Hansen / Frontstretch)
Prime Video has tried something new during its Cup broadcast slate with the ‘Burn Bar’ - a meter tracking fuel savings from drivers. The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck wrote about the new broadcast element for a Thursday story.
Pocono Raceway is still set for another strong crowd this weekend, unaffected by schedule changes. (Keith Groller / The Morning Call)
Taylor Reimer will join Nitro Motorsports/Venturini Motorsports for the ARCA Menards Series race at Elko Speedway. (Catchfence)
The 2001 Daytona 500 - and particularly its finish - has been widely covered for obvious reasons, so it’s rare to see something new tied to it. But this picture shared on Reddit was new (and ominous) to me. (NASCAR on Reddit)
I won’t share this full conversation between Kenny Wallace and Mark Martin, but this brief clip of Martin’s perceived diminished accomplishments is interesting. It’s an aspect of modern NASCAR’s changes that’s rarely discussed.
IndyCar
Arrow McLaren apologized for a radio outburst from Nolan Siegel during Sunday’s race, though the beef tied to it remains untouched. (Ben Hunt / Motorsport)
IndyCar’s summer schedule shift saw it race during Sunday primetime last weekend. Penske Corporation CEO Bud Denker wouldn’t mind doing that again in the future. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Kyle Kirkwood is now an oval winner. But with that result, does he see himself as a championship threat? (Federico Faturos / Motorsport)
Will Power is an all-time great in IndyCar competition - so why is he facing an uncertain future? (Jack Benyon / The Race)
F1
Let the FIA drama continue. Sara Mariani - the head of sustainability, diversity and inclusion - has been sacked. She wrote a note critical of company leadership afterward. (Andrew Benson / BBC)
On the bright side, South Africa’s hopes for an F1 return saw gains this week, with Kyalami having plans approved to become a Grade 1 circuit. (Josh Suttill / The Race)
Williams team principal James Vowles has signed a new long-term contract extension that will keep him with the squad moving forward. Vowles leapt from Mercedes to Williams prior to the 2023 season. (F1.com)
People who know me know that I love tech. So when a tech-racing crossover story comes about, I geek out over it. Case in point: This story from Wired’s Julian Chokkattu about how Apple created a custom iPhone camera for its “F1: The Movie” action shots, which I read twice yesterday.
Everyone know Max Verstappen was Franz Hermann in a recent GT3 test. So he’s made some cheeky merch to commemorate the occasion. (Henry Valantine / Planet F1)
Sports Cars
With the 24 Hours of Le Mans now in the rearview mirror, The Race’s Thibaut Villemant and Valentin Khorounzhiy looked back at the standout drivers from this year’s edition of the iconic event.
It was a rough weekend for Toyota, who saw its worst result in nearly a decade and wasn’t shy about blasting the Balance of Performance afterward. (Ben Vinel / Motorsport)
Creventic has added the 12H Sepang to its schedule. (Graham Goodwin / Daily Sportscar)
Moto
Japanese sensation Ai Ogura has been cleared to return to MotoGP competition with Trackhouse Racing at Mugello. (Maciej Hamera / Motorsport)
Yamaha has signed Andrea Dovizioso as a test rider through 2026. (Maciej Hamera / Motorsport)
With Toprak Razgatlioglu confirmed for a ride at Pramac next season,. Jack Miller is considering his MotoGP future. (Maciej Hamera / Motorsport)
Drag Racing
Tony Stewart has succeeded in one of drag racing’s top levels. But he isn’t as confident about competing in a Pro Mod. (Drag Illustrated)
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On Track
Formula 1’s off this week, but not much else. Whether you like NASCAR, IndyCar, MotoGP or Supercars, there’s race to enjoy all around the world this weekend. And if you didn’t get enough 24-hour racing at Le Mans, they’re back at it around the Nurburgring. It should be a good weekend.
All Times ET
Friday, June 20
NASCAR
At Pocono Raceway
Truck Series Practice: 12:35 p.m., FS2
Truck Series Qualifying: 1:40 p.m., FS2
Truck Series MillerTech Battery 200: 5:00 p.m., FS1
IndyCar
At Road America
Indy NXT Practice: 3:30 p.m., FS2
IndyCar Practice: 4:30 p.m., FS2
Supercars
At Hidden Valley Raceway
Supercars Qualifying - Race 17: 7:05 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Qualifying - Race 18: 7:55 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Race 17: 10:15 p.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At Watkins Glen International
Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 1: 1:55 p.m., Peacock
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 1: 2:55 p.m., Peacock
Dirt
Major Races
LOLMDS Lucas Oil Firecracker 100 (Lernerville Speedway): 5:45 p.m., FloRacing
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars (Huset’s Speedway): 6:00 p.m., DirtVision
USAC Eastern Storm (Williams Grove Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
Would of Outlaws Late Models/Xtreme Outlaw Midgets (I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park): 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
ASCoC NAPA OH Speedweek (Moler Raceway Park): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
American Sprint Car Series (Crowleys Ridge Raceway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
NARC Super Dirt Cup (Skagit Speedway): 8:45 p.m., FloRacing
Other Offerings
The Quebec Bowl (Autodrome Granby): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
IRA Sprints (Outagamie Speedway): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Utica-Rome Speedway): 6:45 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Jacksonville Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
IMCA Weekly Racing (Marshalltown Speedway): 7:30 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
Senators Cup (Stafford Motor Speedway): 5:30 p.m., FloRacing
SlamFest (Slinger Speedway): 7:30 p.m., FloRacing
Drag Racing
At Virginia Motorsports Park
Virginia NHRA Nationals: 10:00 a.m., NHRA.tv
Saturday, June 21
NASCAR
At Pocono Raceway
Xfinity Series Practice: 10:00 a.m., The CW App
Xfinity Series Qualifying: 11:05 a.m., The CW App
Cup Series Practice: 12:35 p.m., Prime Video
Cup Series Qualifying: 1:45 p.m., Prime Video
Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250: 3:30 p.m., The CW
At Elko Speedway
ARCA Menards Series Shore Lunch 250: 9:00 p.m., FS2
IndyCar
At Road America
Indy NXT Practice: 10:00 a.m., FS1
IndyCar Practice: 11:00 a.m., FS1
Indy NXT Qualifying: 1:30 p.m., FS1
IndyCar Qualifying: 2:30 p.m., FS1
Supercars
At Hidden Valley Raceway
Supercars Race 18: 1:40 a.m., SuperView
Supercars Qualifying - Race 19: 7:35 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Top Ten Shootout - Race 19: 10:05 p.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At Watkins Glen International
Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 2: 7:55 a.m., Peacock
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge LP Building Solutions 120: 11:40 a.m., Peacock
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying: 2:15 p.m., Peacock
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 2: 4:05 p.m., Peacock
At the Nurburgring Nordschleife
ADAC Ravenol 24H Nurburgring: 2:45 a.m., Nurburgring 24 on YouTube
Dirt
Major Races
LOLMDS Lucas Oil Firecracker 100: 5:45 p.m., FloRacing
ASCoC NAPA OH Speedweek (Atomic Speedway): 5:00 p.m., FloRacing
USAC Open Wheel Madness (Port Royal Speedway): 5:45 p.m., FloRacing
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars (Huset’s Speedway): 6:00 p.m., DirtVision
World of Outlaws Late Models/Xtreme Outlaw Midgets (I-55 Federate Auto Parts Raceway Park): 6:15 p.m., DirtVision
American Sprint Car Series (Batesville Motor Speedway): 7:45 p.m., DirtVision
NARC Super Dirt Cup (Skagit Speedway): 8:45 p.m., FloRacing
Other Offerings
Thunder on the Thruway (Fonda Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
IRA Sprints (Plymouth Dirt Track): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Sharon Speedway): 6:30 p.m., DirtVision
Dirt Kings Tour (141 Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Steve Smith Tribute (Lincoln Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
Major Races
American Canadian Tour (Autodrome Chaudiere): 3:00 p.m., Racing America
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (Riverhead Raceway): 4:30 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing
Jennerstown Speedway: 6:20 p.m., FloRacing
Hickory Motor Speedway: 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Bowman Gray Stadium: 7:45 p.m., FloRacing
Other Offerings
NASCAR Youth Series (West End): 9:00 a.m., FloRacing
ASA CRA Super Series (Flat Rock Speedway): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
Must See Racing Sprint Cars (Owosso Speedway): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
Race of Champions Sportsman Modifieds (Holland Speedway): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
Mid Season Championship Night (Midvale Speedway): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
Supermodified 50 (Oswego Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
American Racer QC Series (Le RPM Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
Late Model Twins (Langley Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Pro Late Models (Mobile International Speedway): 9:00 p.m., Racing America
Moto
MotoGP Sprint Race: 9:00 a.m., FS1
Drag Racing
At Virginia Motorsports Park
Virginia NHRA Nationals: 8:30 a.m., NHRA.tv
Sunday, June 22
NASCAR
At Pocono Raceway
Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400: 2:00 p.m., Prime Video
IndyCar
At Road America
IndyCar Warmup: 10:00 a.m., FS1
Indy NXT Race: 11:00 a.m., FS1
IndyCar XPEL Grand Prix: 1:30 p.m., FOX
Supercars
At Hidden Valley Raceway
Supercars Race 19: 1:10 a.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At Watkins Glen International
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen: 12:00 p.m., NBC/Peacock
Dirt
USAC Eastern Storm (Action Track USA): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Lincoln Speedway): 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
Short Tracks
Late Models (Slinger Speedway): 7:30 p.m., FloRacing
Moto
MotoGP Italian Grand Prix: 8:00 a.m., FS1
Drag Racing
At Virginia Motorsports Park
Virginia NHRA Nationals: 8:30 a.m., NHRA.tv
Number of the Day: 8 (I think)
I’m going to concede to NASCAR stat expert Seth Eggert for this one.
