What NASCAR is looking for as it searches for its next race on a U.S. military base

NASCAR racing on United States military bases will be an annual occurrence in the near future. 

Not only will the sport return to Naval Base Coronado, where it raced in June, in 2027, but a deal between NASCAR and the Department of Defense will keep the stock car racing on other bases in the coming years. 

"We've had a number of conversations with the DOW exploring different options and opportunities," NASCAR COO Ben Kennedy said Wednesday on a call with reporters. "Some in markets that we frankly aren't in today, others in markets that we are in at iconic installations. We're working on trying to understand which ones are feasible, which ones are possible. Hopefully we'll be sharing some more news on that front in the next few months.

"We put together kind of a wish list of different military bases, and a lot of those are markets that we're not currently in today. Think of the pacific northwest, the heartland. The northeast is another priority for us to be in in the future, as well. They [DoD] have a list of installations they'd love to be at. Very productive conversation with them. I think we have a long list of potential options. It's going to be up to us... to begin to understand what is actually feasible at many of these locations."

Kennedy said that feasibility includes how big installations are and whether or not there is enough room to build a temporary circuit as there was at Coronado. 

"A lot of work that will come on that front," Kennedy said. "We need to hit the ground running pretty quickly to be ready for 2028."

What installations make sense for NASCAR?

So, based on Kennedy's comments, what installations could NASCAR race on next? 

Perhaps the most intriguing option is Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is located a few miles south of Tacoma, Washington. Seeing as Tacoma is the third-biggest city in the state, a race at JBLM would be the perfect opportunity for NASCAR to break into the Pacific Northwest. 

Given that space is understandably at the top of NASCAR's list of concerns, Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, may be relatively easy from a logistical standpoint. In total, Fort Bliss spans over 1 million acres. 

As far as options in markets where NASCAR already has an established foothold, Fort Bragg in North Carolina would make sense from a logistical and promotional standpoint. Home of the famed 82nd Airborne Division and located less than three hours from the NASCAR hotbed of Charlotte, a race at Fort Bragg may be better received by locals and have an opportunity to be a recurring event like Coronado, rather than a one-off. 

Fort Benning in Georgia is another intriguing option, as it sits less than two hours from EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). The installation covers over 182,000 acres and is just off I-185 South, which, from a logistical standpoint, would be a much easier location for fans to access than Coronado. 

The road to NASCAR choosing the next installation to host a race will be a lengthy one, but the deal between the sanctioning body and the DoD has the potential to, as the June race weekend at Coronado did, put the sport on a national stage with plenty of pageantry behind it for an extra weekend out of the year.