When NASCAR announced it was bringing racing to Naval Base Coronado, Brendan Gaughan made exactly one phone call. “I could not resist it. And when they announced this last year, I called Bill McAnally up five minutes after the announcement and I said, ‘You’re building me a truck no matter what, I don’t care what you say.'” That call established how, for Gaughan, this race was far more personal than simply being a racing opportunity.

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced Tuesday that Gaughan will pilot the No. 20 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado RST for the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado on June 19. This will be his first Truck Series start since 2013 and his first NASCAR start of any kind since October 2020.

But the team connection runs 25 years deep, as Gaughan and McAnally combined to add consecutive NASCAR Winston West Series championships in 2000 and 2001, winning eight races together. McAnally was also involved in establishing Orleans Racing in 2000, the very organization that gave Gaughan his first Truck Series victory in 2002. So, no wonder it seems like things are coming full circle.

In his team statement, Gaughan said, “This is so cool to come back and race in a truck again for Bill. We’ve got a ton of history together, tons of great memories, and this is going to be something we’ll talk about for a long time… This is a great chance for the NASCAR community to celebrate and recognize our military with a unique event, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

That said, Gaughan is an Honorary Squadron Commander for the U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team. A close friend and former Georgetown football teammate, Captain (Ret.) Ryan Shann spent 28 years in the Navy stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, including a stint as Commanding Officer of SEAL Team 1 in 2015-16.

Gaughan put it plainly: “One of my good friends who I played college football with, he just retired from the Navy. He was stationed at Coronado for 28 years. He was the Commander of SEAL Team 1 in the 2010s… I’ve got so many ties to Coronado and out on the west coast. It’s a street course on the Naval Base, first time ever. I couldn’t pass this opportunity up.”

While he never had a pronounced Cup Series career or won any championships in NASCAR’s top-tier series, Gaughan did prove to be one of the more competitive drivers in the sport. Across his career, Gaughan made 217 Truck starts with eight wins, including a six-win season in 2003, added two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories, and logged 67 Cup starts across 503 total NASCAR starts.

Why NASCAR’s visit to the Naval Base Coronado would be an interesting one for the drivers

The NASCAR drivers, despite their history on the ovals, have been racing on road courses for quite a long time. But this one would be an interesting challenge to take on.

The track layout is quite interesting, as some sections of the race will go through the Naval Base, and with a large portion of the track surrounded by buildings, it would be a challenge for the spotters.

“You’ll see a lot of probably guys like sticking their nose in, and because guys are going to open up corners. And there’s really no spotters for a large majority of the racetrack. So, I mean, yeah, I definitely could see there being carnage,” Chase Briscoe told the media earlier.

Moreover, with the long stretches compressing into sharp corners at places, it could also invite some carnage for the lesser-experienced drivers on the field.

However, for the returning Brendan Gaughan, it shouldn’t be a big issue, since he spent well over two decades racing in the sport before hanging up his helmet at the end of the 2020 season. And now, as he prepares for his return at the new track, it would surely carry huge excitement for some of the more classic fans.