Why NASCAR canceled Chicago's Xfinity Series race Sunday
NASCAR officials say they had considered moving the final 28 laps of the inaugural Loop 121 race to Monday, but they opted instead to declare the race over and to award the victory to Cole Custer.
Custer was leading the Xfinity Series race on Saturday before lightning caused a delay, and ultimately, a postponement after just 24 completed laps.
The race was scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Sunday, but heavy rain and flooding on different sections of the road course led NASCAR officials to scrap the remainder of the race.
According to a statement, officials considered a Monday finish for the race, but scrapped the idea after consulting with city officials.
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“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,” NASCAR officials said in a statement. “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.”
Since the construction of the course required significant street closures, Chicago officials say that they had planned to reopen northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive on Sunday night following the conclusion of the Cup Series event.
Other streets, including Jackson, Roosevelt, and Michigan Avenues, will be reopened within 24 hours of the race’s completion.
Postponing the rest of the Xfinity race to Monday would have required longer closures, with NASCAR officials choosing instead to end the race early.
Source: NBC Chicago
