San Diego, CA
Encinitas surfer puts fears aside, wins big-wave contest off Ensenada
The waves were pumping — big, bombing and beautiful.
For the “Thriller at Killers” surf contest off the islands of Todos Santos Island near Ensenada, the forecast was a fun event for the world’s best big-wave riders.
But when the surfers showed up for the one-day event on Feb. 7, the waves were twice as big as expected — upward of 30 feet.
“It was just epic. Everyone was so psyched,” said Encinitas surfer Katie McConnell, who won the women’s division.
The event included 12 men and six women; among them were San Clemente’s Greg Long, a well-known fixture in the big-wave world, La Jolla standout Jojo Roper and Newport Beach’s Spencer Pirdy.
McConnell is no stranger to this surf break, a demanding wave that can be “big, gnarly and consequential,” she said. “For me, it takes a lot of courage to really position myself for one of the legit, big bombs.”
The San Dieguito Academy grad remembers being mesmerized by big-wave surfing when her dad watched reruns of the tour on television.
“I was passing by the living room and looked over his shoulder. I became transfixed,” she recalled. “It’s always been in the back of my mind. I never imagined I’d be surfing out there, let alone winning out there.”
Only a handful of surfers in the world tackle waves in the 30- to 40-foot range. It’s a tight-knit group that travels the world to spots known for their big drops — and big wipeouts.
During the event, French big-wave surfer Justine Dupont suffered a back injury that will keep her out of the water for several months.
McConnell has also had her “gnarliest and most humbling” experiences there.
“I’ve missed waves, narrowly missed injury,” she said. “I feel like I’m finally starting to make peace with that wave, and I can’t wait to catch more. To invite that fear to step aside and feel confident enough to send it is so freeing.”
McConnell said all the stars aligned in her final heat, an extra pulse of swell making for the biggest waves of the event.
As the clock ticked down, McConnell had to make a decision: try and score whatever she could on any wave that came through, or wait for the bomb.
“It was just so big and beautiful out there; in my mind, I put the competition aside and just focused on the wave and just surfing for the love of it,” she said. “It was either be patient and give it your all, or settle for less.”
Just as she decided to wait it out, a set showed up on the horizon.
“It was a technical drop, I got mowed down at the bottom, but it felt really good,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to win, but at the time, it didn’t matter. I was just psyched to get it.”
While she took the women’s win, repeating her 2024 victory, it was Grant “Twiggy” Baker who earned the men’s trophy. Roper made it to the semifinals.
NASCAR will honor the 250th birthday of the United States and the US Navy’s 250th anniversary with a race brand new to the racing calendar.
The Anduril 250 will take place on a road course built on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California. The 3.4-mile track has 19 turns. The race is 255 miles total and drivers will do 75 laps.
Shane van Gisbergen, who is widely considered to be NASCAR’s best road course driver, will start in pole position. van Gisbergen has won seven road races in 14 total starts, and he is just two road wins away from tying Jeff Gordon’s record of nine.
nascar anduril 250: what to know
- When: June 21, 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Coronado Street Course (Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California)
- Channel: Streaming exclusive
- Streaming: Prime Video (30 days free)
Here’s everything you need to know about today’s NASCAR Cup Series race on the Coronado Street Course.
NASCAR Cup race at San Diego start time:
Today’s (June 21) NASCAR race, the Anduril 250, begins at 4 p.m. ET.
What channel is today’s (June 21) NASCAR race on?
Today’s NASCAR race won’t be on traditional television; it will air exclusively on Prime Video.
How to watch the NASCAR Anduril 250 for free:
With Prime Video, you can also take advantage of the streamer’s Shop the Race storefront, exclusively on the Amazon mobile app, to shop gear, flags, and more for your favorite driver.
NASCAR San Diego starting lineup:
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Carson Hocevar
- Ryan Blaney
- Zane Smith
- Todd Gilliland
- Daniel Suárez
- Ryan Preece
- Connor Zilisch
- Michael McDowell
- Austin Hill
- Ty Gibbs
- Bubba Wallace
- Corey Heim
- Kyle Larson
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chris Buescher
- Tyler Reddick
- Austin Dillon
- Joey Logano
- Alex Bowman
- Kevin Magnussen
- Chase Briscoe
- Ross Chastain
- Riley Herbst
- Cole Custer
- Denny Hamlin
- William Byron
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Brad Keselowski
- Chase Elliott
- Austin Cindric
- Noah Gragson
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Ty Dillon
- Josh Berry
- Jimmie Johnson
- Christopher Bell
- Erik Jones
- Cody Ware
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Shane van Gisbergen earned his sixth career pole and second of the 2026 season on Saturday, rocketing to pole position around NASCAR’s all-new 3.4-mile street course at Naval Base Coronado. He even touched the wall twice on his fast lap, pushing to the absolute limit.
“A little bit (surprised),” said Van Gisbergen, who went out with the first group of qualifiers. “I thought the track would be better, and I thought people would execute a bit better. As I said, it’s just so difficult. There’s three or four corners you’re seeing for the first time of the day, and it’s on your heater. Amazing. The Red Bull Chevy is really good. Thank you to Trackhouse for doing a great job from yesterday, and we just need to get the driver a bit better,” he concluded with a smile.”
Watch: SVG surprised to win Busch Light Pole at San Diego
Van Gisbergen bested Carson Hocevar by 0.0156s with a fast lap of 2:14.788s. Ryan Blaney will start third, Zane Smith fourth, and Todd Gilliland fifth. Blaney was a little bit quicker than SVG for most of his lap, but lost it through the final set of corners.
Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece, Connor Zilisch, Michael McDowell, and Austin Hill will out the remainder of the top ten on the starting grid.
Project 91 driver Kevin Magnussen qualified 21st for his NASCAR Cup debut. Notably, championship leader Tyler Reddick spun out, but still reached 17th on the grid. Denny Hamlin is just 19 points behind him, and will start 26th.
Watch: Reddick loops it in Turn 2 during qualifying
Some other notable drivers very deep in the field include William Byron in 27th, Chase Elliott 30th, and an injured Christopher Bell 37th. He will have Brent Crews on standby, and may finish the race for Bell on Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson was the first driver to set a time, and showed just how tricky things were as he had to use the runoff area in Turn 2 to avoid an incident. Erik Jones also smacked the wall at the exit of Turn 16, but there were no red flags during the session.
NASCAR Cup San Diego ‘Anduril 250’ Full Starting Lineup
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