Ryan Blaney has turned NASCAR’s first Cup race at Naval Base Coronado into an immediate fight rather than a Shane van Gisbergen runaway.
Van Gisbergen started the Anduril 250 from pole after clearing the final pre-race inspection hurdle, but the early live running quickly pulled the front of the field into a different shape. FOX Sports’ live leaderboard listed Blaney in the lead, Ryan Preece second and van Gisbergen third, with the Trackhouse Chevrolet still credited with four laps led.
Blaney makes San Diego answer back
The move matters because this race had been framed all weekend around whether van Gisbergen could control clean air on a brand-new, 19-turn street course. Starting first at Coronado was a major advantage, especially after Saturday’s qualifying form and the limited racing history NASCAR has on this layout.
Blaney starting third gave Team Penske a launch point close enough to punish any early rhythm break from the pole-sitter. With Preece also running ahead of van Gisbergen in the opening phase, the first Cup race on the base immediately became more than a Trackhouse pace exercise.
That is a meaningful early development on a weekend that had already carried plenty of strain. NASCAR had dealt with a loose-cover scare in the support race, a major O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stack-up and a Tyler Reddick splitter change that was expected to send the points leader to the rear before the Cup race.
SVG still in range
For van Gisbergen, the important part is that he has not disappeared from the lead fight. Sitting third early keeps him close enough to use traffic, pit strategy and the street-course rhythm that has made him one of NASCAR’s most dangerous road racers.
But the first message from San Diego is clear: pole was not enough to settle the race. Blaney has given the Cup field an early reference point, and NASCAR’s debut at Coronado already has the competitive tension it needed after a bruising weekend of warnings, repairs and race-control scrutiny.
The opening phase has not decided the Anduril 250. It has made it feel alive.
Sources: FOX Sports live leaderboard; Jayski Naval Base Coronado race page.
