NASCAR to Launch Roblox ‘Driving Empire’ Update Featuring San Diego Military Base Track Ahead of Real-World Race (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Jennifer Maas

Jennifer Maas

TV Business Writer

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In anticipation of its highly anticipated racing weekend in San Diego, scheduled for June 19-21, NASCAR is introducing a lifelike rendition of the Naval Base Coronado track inside the Roblox title “Driving Empire.”

Although NASCAR has previously incorporated virtual versions of its LA Memorial Coliseum and Chicago Street circuits, this game update represents the first occasion a NASCAR track within a game has been modeled after an actual U.S. military installation.

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“We’ve built those race tracks virtually first,” NASCAR vice president of interactive and emerging platforms Nick Rend told Variety. “We actually have race car drivers right now that are competing virtually, they’re testing virtually on the San Diego race course before the public gets access to it [in iRacing] and then we’ll be racing there in a couple weeks. That’s a really cool story, not to mention we have drivers now that are growing up inside of video games. William Byron, Rajah Caruth, their interest for racing and NASCAR, specifically, is being ignited through the products that we’re building and shipping, and it’s turning players into real drivers.”

The in-game update for “NASCAR World in Driving Empire,” launching June 19, will feature a fresh gameplay progression system that awards a NASCAR-modified vehicle upon completion; 13 new liveries for players to gather; a new NASCAR Daily Event system; and the chance to earn the Driving Empire NASCAR Modified Series Car as an in-game prize.

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Dropping June 19, this latest Roblox collaboration is the newest piece of gaming news from NASCAR, which has been gradually and consistently strengthening its gaming approach and fan involvement across platforms such as iRacing, Roblox, Fortnite, and titles like “Rocket League,” Xbox’s “Forza,” and “Crew Motorfest” over the last several years.

“I want people to understand that we’re not just adding gaming or leaning into games as a novelty — we’re trying to embed this as a core pathway to fandom and talent development,” Rend said. “The proof for me is in the pudding. We’ve had over 30 million visits in 2025. We’re probably at 45 or 46 million unique visits since February of 2025.”

Furthermore, during the event, NASCAR will join forces with Microsoft’s “Call of Duty” to host its annual charity esports tournament, the CODE Bowl, at the Naval Base Coronado located at the track’s center throughout the race weekend. This tournament, carried out in collaboration with the America250-themed racing event, will bring active military teams from the U.S., U.K., and Canada to compete in “Call of Duty: Warzone” and raise funds to support job placement for veterans.

“That collaboration is unique because it fits and connects with things that are already real for us,” Rend said. “We have a platform called NASCAR Salutes, and it’s always been about honoring the military community. It goes from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July. And having the race at a naval base allows us to connect naturally to service. What’s different on this is we’re bringing that story through gaming culture and ‘Call of Duty,’ which is it’s obviously a Mount Rushmore video game franchise, and we’re really excited about the mission that it supports.”

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