CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Corey Heim, a part-time driver making only his 13th start in the Cup Series, outdueled teammate Tyler Reddick to win the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado.
Heim, who will move into a full-time ride next season at 23XI Racing, snatched the lead from Reddick with two laps remaining after stalking the points leader around the 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego.
It’s the
second time in three years that an inaugural street race has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. Shane van Gisbergen won his Cup debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
Bubba Wallace finished 10.365 seconds behind Heim in a 1-2 finish for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th.
Kyle Larson finished third, followed by Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger.
Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th.
Van Gisbergen finished 38th in his bid for an eighth road or street course victory (which will make him the active leader among Cup drivers).
After starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen was caught in a crash that started when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill collided while battling for the lead on a Lap 32 restart. The nine-car incident caused a nine-minute red flag for wall repairs.
“I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in the wall,” said Zilisch, who led the first eight laps of his Cup career in the highlight of a miserable 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.”
During the first caution, Christopher Bell was replaced in the No. 20 Toyota by Brent Crews, but the driver relief stint was short. Crews exited in last place after a gearbox problem on the 28th lap.
Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist in a June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway and said getting out of the car was precautionary and not because of pain.
In his second and last Cup start of the 2026 season, Jimmie Johnson slammed a tire barrier after missing a chicane on the fifth lap and finished 28th.
The seven-time series champion said Saturday that he still plans on the 2027 Daytona 500 as his final start as a Cup driver, but he is open to racing in other series.
NASCAR will stay in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on June 28. Van Gisbergen dominated in winning on the road course last season, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole position.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
