Due to lightning strikes and inclement weather in the Chicago area, the remainder of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race has been postponed to Sunday.
Prior to NASCAR’s official call to postpone, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who started The Loop 121 from pole position, had led all 25 completed laps around the 2.2-mile street circuit. Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek and JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier were running second and third.
The remaining 30 laps of The Loop 121 will now be contested at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.
NASCAR released the following statement, “Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated. 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.”
The Xfinity Series postponement sets up a doubleheader with the NASCAR Cup Series, as the field will take the green for The Grant Park 220 later in the day at 4:30 p.m. (ET).