A NASCAR official says that all three NASCAR National Series races at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado will carry the tagline of “250” despite not being 250 miles each.
For some time now, NASCAR fans have discussed the use of the distance tag in the title sponsor names of NASCAR races.
For example, the Daytona 500 is the “500” because the race is 500 miles. Of course, this is not the standard for the sport, as in another example at Bristol Motor Speedway, the “500” in the Food City 500 is in reference to the race’s 500 laps.
Even then, the number associated with the race’s title sponsorship does not necessarily need to represent anything.
The once-longstanding title sponsored Aaron’s 499 at Talladega was a sponsorship gimmick and was, in fact, still 500 miles.
This past weekend’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series was another great example, as the usual Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 was renamed the Andy’s Frozen Custard 340 for the sponsor’s 40th anniversary, while maintaining the race’s 300-mile length.
When asked about this naming on the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, NASCAR Managing Director for Racing Communications Mike Forde said the sport usually has no issue with race distances.
“We do not care about what they call the distance. So it doesn’t have to match the distance,” Forde said.
Forde also revealed that fans will have to adjust their mindset for the upcoming races at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado, as all three NASCAR National Series races at the newly dubbed Qualcomm Circuit will carry the tagline of “250.”
“In San Diego, when we race at Naval Base Coronado, all three races will be 250, in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.” — Mike Forde
This means that for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, their yet-to-be-named races will still retain a 250 marker in their titles as a nod to the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States, despite each race’s length alternating:
As of press time, per NASCAR.com, the only confirmed title sponsorship for that weekend is the Cup Series’ Anduril 250, which is actually 255 miles long.
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