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Brendan Gaughan admits he couldn’t ‘resist’ chance to make NASCAR return at San Diego
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- Brendan Gaughan admits he couldn’t ‘resist’ chance to make NASCAR return at San Diego
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Brendan Gaughan did not need much persuading to come out of retirement for NASCAR's historic San Diego event.
The veteran driver will return for the Craftsman Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado, nearly six years after his last national-series start. He will drive the No. 20 Chevrolet for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, with backing from South Point Hotel and Casino.
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This comeback is not just about nostalgia. Gaughan has made clear that the location, the military connection and his long relationship with Bill McAnally made the decision easy.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Gaughan knew immediately he wanted the Coronado start
Gaughan said his interest began as soon as NASCAR announced the San Diego event. The race at Naval Base Coronado felt too unique and too personal to ignore.
"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.'
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"So, I'm going to come out for one race. We're racing at Coronado Naval Base, C'mon! … One of my good friends who I played college football with, he just retired actually from the Navy.
"He was stationed at Coronado for 28 years. He was the Commander of Seal Team 1 in the 2010s, and Captain Shan just retired, so 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, so I wanna come and race one more time with the boys in the Truck Series."
The return adds another veteran name to NASCAR's San Diego showcase
Gaughan brings plenty of experience to the Truck Series field. He has 503 NASCAR national-series starts, eight Truck Series wins and two victories in what is now the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
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This will be his first Truck Series appearance since 2013 and his first NASCAR national-series start since 2020. That gap adds weight to the return, even for a driver whose retirement always felt relaxed and on his own terms.
The San Diego weekend is already set to draw major attention, with NASCAR staging a tripleheader at an active military base.
Gaughan's comeback adds another familiar face to the Truck Series race and a story that fits the occasion.
This is not a full-time comeback. Gaughan saw a rare NASCAR event at a place that mattered to him, and one more race felt right.
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