Jimmie Johnson returned home to race at Naval Base Coronado, and he left Saturday with a simple message for NASCAR: he hopes the San Diego Weekend is not a one-and-done. The El Cajon native called the event a strong fit for the sport, the Navy and San Diego while tying it to his own final stretch in NASCAR Cup racing.
“I hope it’s not a one-and-done,” Johnson said Saturday morning from Naval Base Coronado. “I think this weekend is great for NASCAR, the Navy and San Diego. I hope we’ll be returning.”
Johnson ties homecoming to Navy
The setting carried extra weight for him. Johnson said, “It’s been a while since I’ve been home,” and added, “I didn’t get back to El Cajon this time.” Even so, driving around the area brought the past back fast: “But when I was driving around, memories came flooding back.”
He also linked the race to the region’s longer history. Johnson said, “San Diego and the Navy are interwoven. They have cooperated to create a great event.” His grandparents were all in the Navy and are buried at Fort Rosecrans, a personal connection that made the return feel less like a stop on the schedule and more like a homecoming.
Craftsman Trucks race changed the tone
The on-track part of the weekend was messy. Johnson finished 30th in the Craftsman Trucks race on Friday after running as high as second and third with 17 laps to go. He was twice spun out from behind after pitting, and he said, “It might have been a winning strategy. We’ll never know.”
He saw the race in practical terms, not sentiment. “A lot of drivers in the pack were doing some very aggressive things,” Johnson said. That result left him with one more data point heading into Sunday, when he is scheduled for the penultimate start of his NASCAR Cup career.
Ticket numbers from San Diego
The event also drew a broad buying base. NASCAR said Californians purchased 60% of the tickets for Saturday’s and Sunday’s races, while the other 40% came from buyers in all 50 states and 17 countries. Nearly 40% of ticket buyers were female, 11 percentage points more than other NASCAR events.
That spread says the San Diego Weekend reached beyond the usual local crowd even before Sunday’s race takes place. Johnson said, “It is important for our sport to be in Southern California,” and added, “I hope this event stays on the calendar.” The one thing it still has not earned is a long-term spot, which leaves the event’s future tied to whether the Navy and NASCAR keep the same arrangement in place after this year.
