Due to the onset of lightning in the Chicago-area on Saturday afternoon, NASCAR has been forced to postpone the conclusion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course.
The anticipated event will complete its final 30 laps on Sunday, July 2 at 11:00 AM ET. Coverage for the remainder of the event will continue on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Additionally, the concert scheduled for Saturday night has been canceled. Along with the announcement of the race’s postponement, NASCAR released the following statement explaining the decision.
“Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated,” the statement reads. “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 completion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race until tomorrow morning.”
With 30 laps remaining in the second-tier series event, Cole Custer continues to hold the lead of the race after starting from the pole and dominating the early running of the event. John Hunter Nemechek is currently scored in second, with Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt, and Austin Hill completing the top five.
Sammy Smith, Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman, and Kaz Grala will resume the event inside the top-10 on Sunday morning.
Throughout the race’s opening 25 laps, there have been a pair of caution flags for cause, the first of which came after three laps when Justin Marks blew an engine, laying oil down across the racetrack.
Less than 10 laps after returning to green, Andre Castro, making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for Jesse Iwuji Motorsports crashed hard into the barriers in the first corner, ending his afternoon prematurely.
The third caution of the event was displayed with 25 laps on the board, and eventually led to the field being brought down pit road and to the red flag.
Running Order – After 25 of 55 Laps:
