The hopes of doubleheader action at the Chicago Street Race have been dashed, with NASCAR electing to not restart the NASCAR Xfinity Series race that was postponed to Sunday due to inclement weather.
Cole Custer, who earned the pole on Saturday and led all 25 laps completed yesterday before the rain, is declared the winner of The Loop 121.
“It’s been an awesome weekend overall,” said Custer. “The whole event, the whole thing that NASCAR’s put on here—the whole city—it’s been pretty unreal… The course is such a blast to drive.
“Today, we definitely wish we could have run all the laps. We don’t want to win it this way, but at the end of the day, we had a really fast car. I think everybody knew that.”
The victory was Custer’s second of the season, the 12th of his career and his 10th straight top-10 finish this season.
NASCAR rules state a race is ruled official either at its halfway mark or at the conclusion of Stage Two, whichever comes first. In this instance, Lap 28 would have signified halfway and deemed the event official. However, because of the unique circumstances surrounding the street course, officials chose to instead rule the Xfinity Series race complete.
“With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the race track and throughout the city, there was no option to return to racing prior to shifting to NASCAR Cup Series race operations,” NASCAR said in a statement. “Throughout the entire planning process for the Chicago Street Race, our relationship with the City of Chicago has been strong and among the most valuable assets in reaching this historic weekend.
“In the spirit of that partnership, returning on Monday for the completion of a NASCAR Xfinity Series event two laps short of halfway was an option we chose not to employ. Based on several unprecedented circumstances, NASCAR has made the decision to declare Cole Custer the winner of the race.”
Custer wheeled his No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford around the 2.2-mile temporary circuit to perfection despite restarts, keeping the competition behind him before the race was stopped. Behind Custer, John Hunter Nemechek finished second with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier in third.
Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill rounded out the top-five.
Racing in a one-off ride for Kaulig Racing, Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks finished 38th after an engine failure on lap three.
The NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago is still on schedule to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.