06/19/2026
Last Sunday Champion trucks loaded-up & left Pocono to head 40 hours west to the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego, California. Wait what where….a Naval base…pretty epic weekend in NASCAR as the first ever race on an active military base.
The 3.4-mile course sits on the North Island which is ground-zero for the birthplace of naval aviation. The journey comes with a great sense of pride to be doing what we do here on the base & honoring the nation & the US Navy’s 250th birthday as they “Race the Base” this weekend.
And wait there’s more….to add to this historic weekend, Champion has again partnered with Kratos Defense (Nasdaq: KTN) for a deployment of two of tractor-trailers from Cornelius, NC to San Diego….autonomously. It is another step in the evolution of the frontier of transportation technology. https://lnkd.in/e4d_EVe9
Champion envisions one day a transportation plan that is more efficient & productive by eliminating the need for a DOT mandated 10-hour break in-route to a track that is outside of a 600 mile radius from the shop in Cornelius, NC. The goal would be to team the lead truck, and the follower truck would follow autonomously to keep the fleet rolling to ultimately reduce the travel & turn-around time between races. Champion is proud to be exploring this frontier with Kratos, a critical defense contractor for the military…so the fact that we can make the first cross-country run of this nature to a race on a military base, makes it even more special.
Lastly, this Sunday is also Father’s Day. To all our employees, the teams, & to the military personnel that hold the critical rank of “Dad”… Happy Father’s Day… both the military and racing are occupations that often separate us from our families…we all share in the hope that in doing so we’re making our families proud.
All systems on go-status at:
📍 Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California, The United States of America
