The NASCAR Cup drivers got a 50-minute practice on Friday, and they had very little time to learn the newly constructed 3.4-mile street course.
Reigning two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson ran the fastest lap with a 2:16.588s, leading Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs, Connor Zilisch, and Carson Hocevar.
Corey Heim, Michael McDowell, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Hill, and Alex Bowman filled out the remainder of the top ten.
The session wasn't as chaotic as the NASCAR Truck or O'Reilly sessions that preceded it, but there were still plenty of moments.
Austin Cindric spun, Brad Keselowski nosed it into the tire barrier, and Jimmie Johnson went for an impressive 360-degree spin, standing in the throttle and somehow managing to keep it out of the wall.
A spin for @JimmieJohnson, but he kept it out of the wall! pic.twitter.com/eI0mOtEplq
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 19, 2026
Ex-F1 driver Kevin Magnussen is making his Cup debut this weekend with Trackhouse's Project 91 entry, and while he had decent pace, he did find the wall. The Dane smacked the wall with the right-side of his car at the exit of the final corner, and then hit the wall again with the left-side at the exit of Turn 1.
A tough sequence of events for K-Mag. pic.twitter.com/E4F4osJfY9
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 19, 2026
Christopher Bell is racing with a fractured left wrist, and actually stepped out of his car halfway through the session so relief driver Brent Crews could run some laps in the JGR No. 20 Toyota.
Hill, who was one of just two Cup drivers allowed to take part in the lower division races and already had track time, was the first driver to break into the 2:17s.
Teams had three sets of tires available, and times continued to rapidly fall whenever a new set went on. Van Gisbergen was the fastest of all drivers before the third set of stickers went on, but SVG never actually put that set on due to some miscommunication with the team over the radio.
Van Gisbergen also posted the fastest five-lap average at 2:18.19s, followed by Hill and McDowell, who were about a second off of SVG in the five-lap averages.
No driver ran more than 15 laps on Friday, and while there were several minor incidents, there were no red flags.
San Diego NASCAR Cup practice results
| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevrolet | 12 | 2'16.588 |
89.613 | ||
| 2 | T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | 13 | +0.293 2'16.881 |
0.293 | 89.421 | |
| 3 | T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing | 54 | Toyota | 14 | +0.336 2'16.924 |
0.043 | 89.393 | |
| 4 | C. ZilischTrackHouse Racing | 88 | Chevrolet | 13 | +0.372 2'16.960 |
0.036 | 89.369 | |
| 5 | C. HocevarSpire Motorsports | 77 | Chevrolet | 11 | +0.413 2'17.001 |
0.041 | 89.342 | |
| 6 | C. Heim23XI Racing | 67 | Toyota | 12 | +0.451 2'17.039 |
0.038 | 89.318 | |
| 7 | M. McDowellSpire Motorsports | 71 | Chevrolet | 15 | +0.696 2'17.284 |
0.245 | 89.158 | |
| 8 | S. van GisbergenTrackHouse Racing | 97 | Chevrolet | 13 | +0.732 2'17.320 |
0.036 | 89.135 | |
| 9 | A. HillRichard Childress Racing | 33 | Chevrolet | 14 | +1.021 2'17.609 |
0.289 | 88.948 | |
| 10 | A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports | 48 | Chevrolet | 13 | +1.093 2'17.681 |
0.072 | 88.901 | |
| 11 | T. Reddick23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | 13 | +1.290 2'17.878 |
0.197 | 88.774 | |
| 12 | J. LoganoTeam Penske | 22 | Ford | 13 | +1.294 2'17.882 |
0.004 | 88.772 | |
| 13 | R. Herbst23XI Racing | 35 | Toyota | 14 | +1.374 2'17.962 |
0.080 | 88.720 | |
| 14 | D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | 15 | +1.467 2'18.055 |
0.093 | 88.660 | |
| 15 | W. ByronHendrick Motorsports | 24 | Chevrolet | 15 | +1.625 2'18.213 |
0.158 | 88.559 | |
| 16 | T. DillonKaulig Racing | 10 | Chevrolet | 14 | +1.754 2'18.342 |
0.129 | 88.476 | |
| 17 | R. PreeceRFK Racing | 60 | Ford | 15 | +1.803 2'18.391 |
0.049 | 88.445 | |
| 18 | R. BlaneyTeam Penske | 12 | Ford | 13 | +1.888 2'18.476 |
0.085 | 88.391 | |
| 19 | A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing | 16 | Chevrolet | 12 | +2.041 2'18.629 |
0.153 | 88.293 | |
| 20 | B. Wallace23XI Racing | 23 | Toyota | 15 | +2.045 2'18.633 |
0.004 | 88.291 | |
| 21 | C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chevrolet | 13 | +2.125 2'18.713 |
0.080 | 88.240 | |
| 22 | Z. SmithFront Row Motorsports | 38 | Ford | 12 | +2.231 2'18.819 |
0.106 | 88.172 | |
| 23 | C. BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Toyota | 15 | +2.330 2'18.918 |
0.099 | 88.110 | |
| 24 | C. WareRick Ware Racing | 51 | Chevrolet | 12 | +2.494 2'19.082 |
0.164 | 88.006 | |
| 25 | C. CusterHaas Factory Team | 41 | Chevrolet | 10 | +2.529 2'19.117 |
0.035 | 87.983 | |
| 26 | C. BuescherRFK Racing | 17 | Ford | 14 | +2.579 2'19.167 |
0.050 | 87.952 | |
| 27 | A. DillonRichard Childress Racing | 3 | Chevrolet | 13 | +2.594 2'19.182 |
0.015 | 87.942 | |
| 28 | R. Stenhouse JrHyak Motorsports | 47 | Chevrolet | 14 | +2.724 2'19.312 |
0.130 | 87.860 | |
| 29 | K. MagnussenTrackHouse Racing | 91 | Chevrolet | 12 | +2.787 2'19.375 |
0.063 | 87.821 | |
| 30 | J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club | 42 | Toyota | 15 | +2.835 2'19.423 |
0.048 | 87.790 | |
| 31 | N. GragsonFront Row Motorsports | 4 | Ford | 12 | +2.882 2'19.470 |
0.047 | 87.761 | |
| 32 | R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing | 1 | Chevrolet | 10 | +2.928 2'19.516 |
0.046 | 87.732 | |
| 33 | D. SuarezSpire Motorsports | 7 | Chevrolet | 13 | +3.105 2'19.693 |
0.177 | 87.621 | |
| 34 | J. BerryWood Brothers Racing | 21 | Ford | 9 | +3.527 2'20.115 |
0.422 | 87.357 | |
| 35 | B. KeselowskiRFK Racing | 6 | Ford | 11 | +3.758 2'20.346 |
0.231 | 87.213 | |
| 37 | A. CindricTeam Penske | 2 | Ford | 10 | +4.544 2'21.132 |
0.786 | 86.727 | |
| 38 | J. JohnsonLegacy Motor Club | 84 | Toyota | 13 | +5.066 2'21.654 |
0.522 | 86.408 | |
| 39 | E. JonesLegacy Motor Club | 43 | Toyota | 11 | +5.263 2'21.851 |
0.197 | 86.288 |
