The remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ inaugural running of The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course in Downtown Chicago, Illinois, has been postponed to Sunday, July 2, due to inclement weather stemming from reports of lightning that eventually led to light precipitation within the course.
The event, which started 15 minutes earlier than initially scheduled at 4:21 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1, was running on Lap 24 of 55 when the caution flew amid lightning strikes being reported near the course. A lap later, the field led by pole-sitter Cole Custer, was directed to pit road and the event was placed under an extensive red flag period before being pushed back to resume the following day. The event would have had to reach the halfway mark on Lap 28 for the event to even be considered official.
At the event’s delay and postponement, Custer, who has led all 25 scheduled events and won the first stage from the pole position, was scored the leader ahead of John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill while rookie Sammy Smith, Daniel Hemric, rookie Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman and Kaz Grala were scored in the top 10. In addition, 35 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap while Andre Castro (accident) and Justin Marks (engine failure) were the two retirees of the event.
Amid the postponement, NASCAR released a statement regarding the event’s resumption for the following day:
“Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated,” NASCAR said in a statement. “NASCAR had hoped to resume activities, but not until city officials allowed fans to return to the grandstands. The forecast for lightning extends into the next several hours, forcing NASCAR to postpone the NASCAR Xfinity Series race until tomorrow morning.”
With the postponement, the remainder of the Xfinity Series event at the Chicago Street Course will occur on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network. It will also occur as part of a doubleheader feature with the NASCAR Cup Series set to compete for the first time at Chicago at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Update: Due to continuing rain with standing water and flooding at the track, NASCAR declared the Xfinity Series race official late Saturday afternoon and Cole Custer was declared as the winner.
