SAN DIEGO — Denny Hamlin pauses, then chuckles as he contemplates how to answer a question asking the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to reveal his process to prepare to race on a track he has never seen before. That’s the dilemma facing Hamilin and the rest of NASCAR’s drivers this weekend when the sport’s three national series compete on the temporary circuit constructed on Naval Base Coronado, across the bay from San Diego.“My process is my secret sauce,” said Hamlin, who then provided a peek behind the curtain. “I just spend hours in (the simulator) just going half-speed to just get used to the corners. But even after I got home, I found myself that night trying to replay the lap in my head, and I forgot like the last three-quarters of the track. So it’s a process, and I feel like I’ve got it down pat now.”Most everyone within the garage would love to know how Hamlin prepares, especially since he’s heading into San Diego riding a three-race winning streak — even if all those victories have come on ovals, while this week’s track consists of 16 turns spanning 3.4 miles in length, making it the longest on the NASCAR schedule.Denny Hamlin scores three Cup Series victories in a row for first time Adding to the complexity is that there is no direct comparison between San Diego’s track, the first-ever NASCAR race on a military base, and any other on the NASCAR schedule. The San Diego course is new, so taking laps in a different type of vehicle, be it a racecar or a street car, simply isn’t an option. For one thing, the circuit wasn’t completed until this week. And with it being an active base, a driver can’t just show up to inspect the layout.Still, advances in technology have helped drivers to overcome these hurdles.All manufacturers have huge, specially built simulators at NASCAR’s Charlotte, N.C., hub where drivers and their teams will spend time running virtual laps. The downside to this is that getting time in the simulators beyond a normally slotted session is challenging, as there can be more drivers and teams wanting access than available simulators, sometimes leaving little opportunity to fully hone in on the various aspects of a new track.However, you don’t need a manufacturer-specific simulator to prepare. Drivers have smaller-scale simulators at home or at team shops, similar to an arcade-style racing game, allowing them to expand when and how they prepare. With custom-built sim rigs equipped with top-of-the-line wheels and pedals, the process of figuring out a new course is more streamlined than ever before.Sim time is essential due to how little time drivers will have on the actual track before the race. NASCAR’s premier Cup Series and second-tier O’Reilly Series will each have a single 50-minute practice, while the third-tier Truck Series will have two 40-minute sessions. To just show up at the track without any sim time would leave a driver well behind their competitor.According to Anthony Alfredo, Hendrick Motorsports’ simulator and reserve driver, that sim preparation has allowed him to shave several seconds from his initial laps to the lap times he now consistently posts at various tracks. It all happens on iRacing, an immersive virtual racing platform that allows users to closely replicate what it is like driving an actual racecar, with a level of authenticity to their virtually replicated tracks that many drivers credit for helping them develop.“To have products that serve me as a legitimate training tool when I’m at home is pretty awesome,” said Alfredo, who also drives full-time in the O’Reilly Series for Viking Motorsports. “For this weekend, I can be at home running laps at this track that no one’s ever seen before on iRacing with a Logitech steering wheel and pedals, which is pretty neat. So, unlike other sports, you’re not necessarily going to be playing Madden and then go become the quarterback of a Super Bowl team, whereas we’re at home on our simulators … trying to prepare for the real thing because it’s the next best thing.”