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Johnson, McMurray enter San Diego Truck race

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action after an off weekend with Friday’s Navy 250 getting the inaugural green flag on the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado (7 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Front Row Motorsports driver Layne Riggs leads the championship standings — up 26 points on Tricon Garage driver Kaden Honeycutt after winning two of the last three races. Riggs’ Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith is third, 90 points off Riggs’ pace.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Naval Base Coronado race information hub

The victor of this weekend’s trophy could be settled by the 2026 title favorites. Riggs won the season’s first road course — and series’ first street course — at  St. Petersburg in March, and Honeycutt won the most recent one at Watkins Glen International in May.

Five drivers in the field have won on road courses in the Truck Series — also including former series champ Ben Rhodes, Justin Haley and Parker Kligerman. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Daniel Hemric (5.86) boasts the best average finish on such tracks.

Six races remain to set the 10-driver Chase field, and the battle for the final spots is close; eighth-place Tyler Ankrum is only 14 points ahead of 11th-place Stewart Friesen. Ninth-place Hemric and 10th-place Jake Garcia, meanwhile, boast identical point totals (278).

MORE: Craftsman Truck Series standings | Watch NASCAR video highlights

Not only is this weekend a big chapter for the sport in terms of locale, but Friday’s truck race will feature four of the sport’s very best in rare appearances on the grid.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson will make his first Truck Series start in 17 years; the San Diego native is driving the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota in front of the hometown fans. Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks, a fellow Californian, will make his first series start since 2022 in the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet.

Popular former full-timer Brendan Gaughan, who last raced in the series in 2013, will steer the No. 20 Chevrolet for the McAnally-Hilgemann. NASCAR on FOX commentator and 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray will make his first series start since 2008. He’ll drive Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 Ram truck, which has featured a list of All-Star drivers this season. So far, the best finish for the No. 25 Ram belongs to Cup Series regular A.J. Allmendinger, who finished sixth at Watkins Glen.

MORE: Paint schemes racing in San Diego | Turn a lap around Qualcomm Circuit

Back-to-back practice sessions for the Truck Series open the weekend on track Friday at noon ET and 1 p.m. ET, followed immediately by Kennametal Pole Qualifying at 2 p.m. ET — all three sessions on FS2 — and the race at 7 p.m. ET (FS1).