From the Backyard to the Race Track: How Backyard Banger Showed Up for San Diego!
Some brands sell products. The best ones build communities. This is the story of a veteran-owned company, a fearless young NASCAR driver, and a city that showed up in a big way!
The weekend started before a single engine fired. The PB Local NASCAR Fan Zone Pre-Party, Friday June 19th — limited spots, all energy!
NASCAR made history on June 20, 2026, racing on the streets of Naval Base Coronado in what became one of the most anticipated events on the entire 2026 calendar. Three national series. 111 entries. And a city that showed up in full force to welcome the sport home!
But amid the national spectacle, one of the most compelling storylines was hyperlocal. A group of San Diego based businesses banded together to put their names on a NASCAR race car and Backyard Banger was front and center!
Friday Night at The Local: The Party Before the Race!
The weekend kicked off before a single engine fired. On Friday, June 19th, The Local Pacific Beach hosted the PB Local NASCAR Fan Zone Pre-Party and the crowd showed up in a big way!
The Backyard Banger crew representing hard at The Local Pacific Beach. That show car drew a crowd all night long.
The Backyard Banger show car sat right out front, wrapped in the same bold blue and red livery it would carry on track the next day. The team set up the outdoor kitchen and wet bar, the actual product and let people experience it firsthand. Conversations flowed. Drinks were poured. New fans were made!
Lavar Scott with the Backyard Banger team at The Local. This is what community looks like.
Driver meet-and-greets. Photo ops. Merch giveaways. It was exactly the kind of scene Backyard Banger was built for: bring people together, make it an experience, let the community feel the moment.
The Backyard Banger in Action
The product that started it all: a portable outdoor kitchen and wet bar powered by just a garden hose and an extension cord. Come & Get It!
This is what Backyard Banger is: a portable outdoor kitchen and wet bar that runs on nothing more than a garden hose and an extension cord. Simple idea. Powerful result. Veteran-owned, and built on a mission to bring people together, wherever people gather. Tailgate. Backyard cookout. Beach party. Race weekend.
Lavar Scott working the crowd at the Backyard Banger bar setup. That smile says it all.
"Come & Get It!" — That's not just a tagline. That's an invitation!
Lavar Scott: A Driver Worth Rooting For
If you haven't heard of Lavar Scott yet, you will. The 22-year-old is in his first full-time season in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving for Alpha Prime Racing. He started racing at just five years old: quarter midgets, dirt tracks, late models, following a family legacy built by a grandfather who built race cars and a mother who held an NHRA drag racing license.
Lavar Scott surrounded by his San Diego sponsor coalition at pit lane race day. Local businesses on a national stage.
He's the kind of driver you root for: gritty, grateful, and purpose-driven. And having San Diego businesses like Backyard Banger in his corner, racing on his home turf, made Saturday even more electric!
The No. 45 on the Streets of Naval Base Coronado
The No. 45 on the tarmac of Naval Base Coronado — Navy aircraft in the background, local sponsors on the hood. Doesn't get more San Diego than this.
For a veteran-owned brand like Backyard Banger, sponsoring a race held on active military grounds in a city with deep military roots wasn't just a marketing move. It was personal. It was alignment of values on one of the most meaningful stages NASCAR has ever created.
The No. 45 Backyard Banger Chevrolet cutting through the streets of Naval Base Coronado. Come & Get It — at full speed!
A Coalition of Local Businesses, a National Platform
The sponsorship group on Scott's No. 45 read like a who's who of San Diego:
🏁 Backyard Banger · The Local Pacific Beach · PNKYS · First National Bullion · Boutique Recruiting · EZ Temps
All local. All community-rooted. All sharing the hood, roof, and quarter panels of a NASCAR race car on national television. That's the kind of alignment that doesn't happen by accident: it happens when brands with shared values find each other!
Two guys who get it. Lavar Scott and the Backyard Banger founder: same mission, different lanes!
What This Weekend Was Really About
Backyard Banger started with a simple question: What if gathering outside was easier?
What happened in San Diego this weekend was the answer in full color — a veteran-owned brand, a fearless young driver, a community of local businesses, and a city that showed up to celebrate all of it.
The No. 45 car carried more than sponsor logos on Saturday. It carried the spirit of a city, the story of a rising young driver, and the proof that local businesses can punch way above their weight when they come together around something bigger than themselves!
That's what bringing people together looks like! Come & get it!