Jimmie Johnson’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start in 17 years will put an immediate hometown spotlight on Friday’s Navy 250 at Naval Base Coronado.
The seven-time Cup Series champion and San Diego native is listed by NASCAR for the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota as the Truck Series becomes the first national division to race on the new Qualcomm Circuit. It gives the opening night of the Coronado weekend a pull well beyond the championship table, with Jamie McMurray, Justin Marks and Brendan Gaughan also making rare Truck appearances.
Johnson’s return adds a sharper local edge to a weekend ReadMotorsport has already tracked through NASCAR’s Coronado execution test and the early concern over San Diego’s street-course bumps. Before Sunday’s Cup race, Friday now offers the clearest first look at how NASCAR machinery behaves on the base.
Coronado gets its first real competitive read
NASCAR’s official preview confirms the Navy 250 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on FS1, after Truck practice sessions at noon and 1 p.m. ET and qualifying at 2 p.m. ET.
There is still a title fight running underneath the headline names. Layne Riggs arrives as points leader after winning two of the last three races, with Kaden Honeycutt 26 points back and Chandler Smith third. Riggs and Honeycutt have already split the season’s road and street-course wins at St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen, making Coronado a useful gauge for both the playoff race and the circuit itself.
That is what gives Johnson’s appearance real weight. The hometown return will draw the first wave of attention, but the Trucks will also give teams, drivers and NASCAR a competitive baseline before the Cup field follows the path laid out by Kevin Magnussen and Denny Hamlin’s qualifying order later in the weekend.
