Cory Heim, entrance proper, celebrates with a teammate in Victory Lane after successful a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
CORONADO, Calif. — Corey Heim, a part-time driver making solely his thirteenth begin within the Cup Series, outdueled teammate Tyler Reddick to win the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado.
Heim, who will transfer right into a full-time trip subsequent season at 23XI Racing, snatched the lead from Reddick with two laps remaining after stalking the factors chief across the 16-turn, 3.4-mile avenue course on Coronado Island, simply south of downtown San Diego.
It’s the second time in three years that an inaugural avenue race has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier collection. Shane van Gisbergen gained his Cup debut within the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
Bubba Wallace completed 10.365 seconds behind Heim in a 1-2 end for 23XI Racing, the staff co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick suffered a flat tire within the closing laps and fell to twenty fifth.
Kyle Larson completed third, adopted by Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger.
Hamlin, the driver-owner who had gained the previous three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, completed 14th.
SVG stunner
Van Gisbergen completed thirty eighth in his bid for an eighth highway or avenue course victory (which can make him the lively chief amongst Cup drivers).
After ranging from the pole place, van Gisbergen was caught in a crash that began when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill collided whereas battling for the lead on a Lap 32 restart. The nine-car incident brought on a nine-minute purple flag for wall repairs.
“I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in the wall,” stated Zilisch, who led the primary eight laps of his Cup profession within the spotlight of a depressing rookie season. “Really unfortunate. I hate to end both days for both Shane and I. We had a really fast car today. I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed just getting to race out front and lead laps.”
Driver swap
During the primary warning, Christopher Bell was changed within the No. 20 Toyota by Brent Crews, however the driver aid stint was brief. Crews exited in final place after a gearbox drawback on the twenty eighth lap.
Bell continues to be recovering from a damaged wrist in a June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway and stated getting out of the automobile was precautionary and never due to ache.
Up subsequent
NASCAR will keep in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on June 28. Van Gisbergen dominated in successful on the highway course final season, main 97 of 110 laps from the pole place.