Austin Hill Ends JR Motorsports’ Road Course Streak at Naval Base Coronado

Kelsey Christman - Staff Writer

Austin Hill pays tribute to the late Kyle Busch as he celebrates his first road course win in victory lane. (Sean Gardner, Jetty Images, June 2026)

San Diego, CA - The NASCAR O’Reilly Series celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States by traveling to San Diego to race the street course on Naval Base Coronado for the United Rentals Driven to Serve 250. Drivers faced a demanding 3.4 mile track with 16 turns with tight braking zones and unforgiving concrete barriers. With no previous race history at the venue, teams entered the weekend relying heavily on simulation time and limited track time in practice and qualifying. The 18 year old rookie, Brent Crews, led the field to the green flag alongside Parker Retzlaff, but several contenders were sent to the rear before the race even began. Brandon Jones and Corey Day started at the rear after moving to backup cars following practice crashes. Justin Allgaier and Andrew Patterson were also sent to the back for unapproved adjustments, while Jesse Love was penalized for an inspection infraction by being sent to the rear with a pass through penalty to be served during the race. 

Corey Day's difficult weekend took another turn for the worse in Turn 6 on the opening lap when a manhole cover came loose and struck the front of his No. 17 car, damaging the grille and the radiator. The incident was particularly costly for the team, as Day was already competing in a backup car following a practice crash. That backup car was initially planned to serve as the team's backup vehicle for both the San Diego and Sonoma race weekends, creating additional challenges heading into next week's event. After five laps under caution, NASCAR displayed the red flag for more than 18 minutes while officials inspected and reinforced manhole covers around the track. Due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the damage, the No. 17 team was granted permission to work on the car while the field was under the red flag. The crew completed repairs in time for Day to rejoin the field when the race resumed. NASCAR also granted him permission to perform four wave around laps under the caution to regain the lead lap.

The race resumed on Lap 10 with Brent Crews leading beside Retzlaff. Crews continued his streak of leading laps in every NASCAR O'Reilly Series road-course start, but trouble struck a lap later when paper debris became lodged in his grille. The resulting overheating issue forced the No. 19 to pit from the lead. Corey Day also chose to pit before the end of the stage but was penalized for speeding on pit exit, adding to an already difficult day. With Crews off sequence, Austin Hill capitalized and claimed the Stage 1 victory.

While Taylor Gray claimed the Stage 2 win, Viking Motorsports continued to impress. Parker Retzlaff finished second and Anthony Alfredo third, continuing a standout opening two stages for the organization and putting both cars firmly in contention. 

The race's defining moment came on the Lap 35 restart, when Sam Mayer clipped the inside wall before continuing across the track and making a head-on impact into the outside barrier. The crash quickly escalated into a massive multi-car pileup that resulted in damage to 22 other cars. Several frontrunners, including Austin Hill, Brent Crews, Anthony Alfredo, Jesse Love, and Sammy Smith, sustained damage in the incident. The damage proved to be race ending for Sam Mayer, William Sawalich, and Anthony Alfredo. Mayer's impact also caused significant damage to the SAFER barrier and catchfence, prompting NASCAR to display the race's second red flag for the repairs. This red flag lasted just over 43 minutes. Brent Crews later suffered engine failure to end his day as well.

With Brent Crews eliminated, the fight for the win came down to Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray. The two battled fiercely for the lead in the closing laps, but with just three laps remaining, contact between the pair sent Kvapil spinning and ended his bid for a first career NASCAR O'Reilly Series victory. The contact allowed Austin Hill to close the gap to Gray, and Hill completed the winning pass just one lap later. From there, the No. 21 held on to secure his first road course victory, and ended JR Motorsports' remarkable streak of 11 consecutive road course wins in the series. 

The celebrations for Hill and the Richard Childress Racing was extra special and emotional as it marked the team’s first win since the passing of Kyle Busch. Hill celebrated by performing his celebratory burnout next to the tribute on the track for Kyle Busch and the 8 while his team held the 8 flag. Austin Hill, committed to his celebration, blew the tires of the winning car to the extent of being towed back to victory lane.

Despite running out of fuel on Lap 42 under caution, Parker Retzlaff was able to recover his remarkable day by finishing in seventh collecting stage points in each stage. Finishing fifth and sixth, Smith and Love were also able to move past the Lap 35 incident to recover a top ten finish. Rounding out the top ten, despite all the complications of the weekend, Corey Day was able to salvage his weekend.

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will be staying on the West Coast as they race Sonoma Raceway next for the Pit Boss/Food Maxx 250. The race will be at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday, June 27th, and can be found on The CW.