In a scene reminiscent of the recent F1 movie, hundreds of fans gathered in luxury to watch some of the best drivers on the planet race wheel to wheel for victory.
They did so with drinks in hand, in an incredible, climate-controlled three-story building with every amenity you could ask for.
But this wasn’t Monaco, Miami, or Abu Dhabi. Instead, it was at NASCAR’s inaugural event at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, and it’s the type of experience that Red Bull hopes will change the way fans think of attending a NASCAR race.
Red Bull Turns Heads At Naval Base Coronado NASCAR Race
After a brief stint in the sport from 2006-2011, the energy drink and extreme sports goliath officially re-entered NASCAR in 2025 with Red Bull athlete Shane van Gisbergen.
This year, the company has expanded its role, sponsoring both van Gisbergen and rookie superstar Connor Zilisch for Trackhouse Racing across 26 races throughout the season.
But Sunday’s race in San Diego, which was just 2.5 hours away from the brand’s U.S. headquarters in Santa Monica, was its Pièce de résistance.
Don’t believe us? Just ask Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.
“God, that place is cool,” Bianchi said of the Red Bull Energy Station on The Teardown, his post-race podcast alongside co-host Jeff Gluck. “It’s fantastic. I walked over there and went ‘Oh, wow, is this a permanent structure?’ and they said ‘Oh, no, we just put this up in like two days.
“And you walk through there, and it’s like a chalet, almost. And it’s three stories, a great view … and it’s something that you don’t really see at NASCAR to this level. This is something we’d like to see more of.”
But it wasn’t just the remarkable amenities that turned heads.
Red Bull’s iconic logo adorned the cars of both Van Gisbergen, who has established himself as the series’ best road course racer and sat on the pole, and Zilisch, who, at 19 years old, has already been touted as a future champion.
Prior to the race starting, we sat down with both to discuss their respective paths to this point and the impact Red Bull is already making on the NASCAR world.
Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch Bring NASCAR Into The Future With Red Bull
Van Gisbergen, an oft-affable 37-year-old from New Zealand, has won over 10 percent of his career NASCAR Cup Series starts.
For comparison’s sake, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt won 11.2 percent of his races.
And come race weekend, especially one at a road or street circuit, it’s easy to see why van Gisbergen has had so much success.
Sure, his immense talent behind the wheel is obvious, but what most fans don’t see is the hyper-focused mentality that van Gisbergen brings to the track.
“I try not to overthink it,” van Gisbergen said of the extreme expectations that follow him to every road course race. “I just try to execute and do my job, and do the best job I can.”
While he now represents Red Bull on the NASCAR stage, his relationship with the brand dates back to 2016, when he was a star in the Australian Supercars Series
“It’s awesome,” van Gisbergen said of his time with the company. “It’s one of the most recognizable supporters of action sports and racing, and it’s been an honor, the last 10 years now, and it’s cool to help bring them back to NASCAR, too.”
Zilisch, meanwhile, is just getting his feet wet, both with Red Bull and NASCAR.
Red Bull signed Zilisch back in 2024, just prior to him making his full-time debut in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
So stoked to be joining the @redbull family as a Red Bull athlete! This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I couldn’t be more pumped. Let’s go!!! pic.twitter.com/l8z9tXlPAf
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) September 13, 2024
Zilisch immediately paid dividends, winning his first career race in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series one day later at Watkins Glen
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ATZAR2dR2zo&pp=0gcJCUECo7VqN5tD&ra=m
“It’s a joy,” Zilisch said of life with Red Bull. “I feel like all the stuff I get to do is very cool, and it’s things that I enjoy doing. So it’s a very unique partnership with Red Bull. They know how to treat their athletes and make things enjoyable for us, and as drivers we appreciate that.”
The following season, Zilisch won a jaw-dropping 10 times while racing full-time in the series before finishing second in heartbreaking fashion in the championship.
This year, he’s up in the big leagues with Trackhouse Racing, and while it’s proven to be difficult at times, there’s no doubt that success in the Cup Series is a matter of when, not if.
“We show up to the track every weekend wanting to be successful, and these two weekends here and at Sonoma represent big opportunities for us to do that,” Zilisch said of turning things around. “But we’ve just got to keep our heads down and make the most of things when we can, and that’ll help us going forward.”
Ultimately, Zilisch and van Gisbergen went on to lead three separate times for a combined 15 laps before being taken out as innocent bystanders to a wreck caused by Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill, who took fault for the accident afterward.
But while the incident put a brief damper on the day for Red Bull, there’s no denying the success of both the weekend and the brand’s re-emergence in NASCAR.
And with drivers like van Gisbergen and Zilisch representing the brand, there’s little doubt that there’s far more success to come in the future.
The post Red Bull Is Back On The NASCAR Scene And It’s Backing A Pair Of Thoroughbreds appeared first on BroBible.
Red Bull Is Back On The NASCAR Scene And It’s Backing A Pair Of Thoroughbreds
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