With attendance capped at 125,000 admissions across three days beginning Friday at Naval Base Coronado for NASCAR San Diego Weekend, organizers and residents are preparing for the logistical challenge of moving tens of thousands of race fans on and off the peninsula.
“The event has created a lot of excitement around Coronado, along with a lot of dread about traffic and about impact on the community from fans pouring into the island,” said Ken Fitzgerald, a Coronado resident of more than four decades and a partner at the law firm, Fitzgerald Knaier LLP. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about how much additional traffic and hassle is going to be created.”
NASCAR officials acknowledged traffic to Naval Air Station North Island will likely be one of the biggest challenges of the weekend. The organization said it has worked with Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Coronado police and the Navy on plans to manage traffic flow and access to the base.
“We know it’s going to be slow, so fans should allot for extra time,” NASCAR communications representative Matt Humphrey said.
Most spectators will enter through the Stockdale Gate, at 3rd Street and Alameda Boulevard, which NASCAR expects to serve as the primary access point for race weekend. Humphrey said organizers anticipate the busiest arrival periods to be between noon and 4 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
“This is why we are encouraging fans to come early to alleviate pressure from the base during these peak times,” he said.
Attendance is limited to 25,000 for Friday’s Navy Community Day and 50,000 on both Saturday and Sunday as NASCAR stages the first race weekend on an active military installation in conjunction with the Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Naval Base Coronado is home to multiple aviation and special warfare commands, including Navy SEAL teams at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and aircraft carrier operations at North Island. The base supports training, aviation operations and fleet readiness missions across a network of facilities that are not typically open to large-scale public events.
All fans entering the base will be required to present a valid government-issued photo identification card. Foreign nationals will need a valid passport and all attendees will pass through security screening before entering the installation.
Every ticket includes a digital parking pass; NASCAR officials said all event parking will be located on Naval Base Coronado. There will be no official event parking available within the city of Coronado.
To reduce congestion, organizers are encouraging carpooling and directing fans toward public transportation.
The Metropolitan Transit System is providing service to the NASNI Transit Center via Route 901, with pedestrians able to access the event through the Carrier Gate. Additional free service will be provided on Route 904 through Coronado. Riders can connect via trolley and park-and-ride locations. Ferry access is also available from downtown San Diego.
A third entry point will be used for NASCAR industry personnel and media, while most fans will enter through the Stockdale Gate and the separate pedestrian access point.
Humphrey said an emergency access route has been established and will be restricted to Navy personnel, law enforcement and emergency responders.
If any issues arise during race weekend, officials said oversight will operate through a joint command structure involving NASCAR, the Navy and public safety agencies.
NASCAR San Diego President Amy Lupo said organizers have worked closely with the Navy and local and state agencies to prepare for expected traffic levels throughout the weekend.
“We are leaving nothing to chance, and we want to overcommunicate this vital information in every way possible,” Lupo said. “We have worked tirelessly with the Navy, state and local entities to make it as easy as possible for race fans to arrive on deck and enjoy the first-ever NASCAR race on an active military base.”
She added that Saturday and Sunday general admission tickets are sold out, with only a limited number of premium hospitality tickets remaining.
The logistics of moving fans in and out is complicated, but of course, there’s also the difficulty of setting up a 3.4-mile course, with 16 turns, on a diverse array of surfaces. “There’s been lot of work done to make it as good as it can (be),” Brad Moran, the NASCAR Cup Series managing director, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“There’s going to be quite a mix of different surfaces and elevations, there’s a few pretty big dips in there, just on the track itself, some tight corners,” he said. “It’s probably going to be an exciting weekend for all three series I would imagine.”
Fitzgerald, the long-time resident, though, voiced concerns about the scale of the event and its’ broader environmental impact, given the number of vehicles and visitors expected in the seaside community over the three-day weekend.
“The city of Coronado should be doing everything to minimize fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions,” he said, “and this is going to be like an orgy of climate change- causing exhaust fumes, NASCAR cars, as well as all the spectators and people.”
Organizers are encouraging fans to stay after races to help ease departure congestion. NASCAR plans to keep fan zone vendors open for extended hours, with post-race entertainment on tap to distract the crowds as people gradually clear off the base.
Funneling major crowds into Coronado, despite the community’s small size – even on the base – has been done before. North Island once hosted the annual Coronado Speed Festival and tens of thousands of people flocked to the air station in 2011 to celebrate the centennial of naval aviation.
