Cole Custer wins rain-shortened Xfinity race on Chicago Street Course
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
Published: 10 Hours Ago
4 Minute Read
Michael Reaves Getty Images
Editor’s note: Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago is still on schedule to begin at 5 p.m. ET on NBC.
CHICAGO – Drenching rain and standing water on the Chicago Street Course forced NASCAR to declare Cole Custer the winner of The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series race three laps short of halfway and five laps short of the completion of Stage 2.
Custer led all 25 laps of NASCAR’s first-ever street course race before lightning strikes in the area on Saturday caused NASCAR to red flag the race and then to postpone completion until Sunday morning. But the rain persisted, forcing NASCAR’s hand.
MORE: Race results |
Sunday schedule from the Windy City
“It’s been an awesome weekend overall,” said Custer, who drives the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. “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.”
NASCAR rules state a race is ruled official either at its halfway mark or at the conclusion of Stage 2, whichever comes first. In this instance, Lap 28 would have signified halfway and deemed the event official. However, because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the street course, officials chose to instead rule the Xfinity Series race complete per Section 1.6.B of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book, which states that in “circumstances … that are either unforeseen or are otherwise extraordinary,” the sanctioning body, “as a practical matter, may make a determination regarding the conduct of an event.”
NASCAR issued a statement explaining the decision to curtail the race:
“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. 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.”
The victory was Custer’s second of the season, the 12th of his career and his 10th straight top-10 finish this season.
RELATED: Custer races to Stage 1 victory
John Hunter Nemechek finished second and leads the series standings by 16 points over Austin Hill, who was credited with a fifth-place result. Nemechek clearly was impressed with the spectacle of NASCAR’s first street race.
“Racing downtown on the streets of Chicago was pretty amazing,” he said. “The whole experience, the atmosphere and how many fans were here — I give a lot of props to everyone at NASCAR. Everyone involved with the Chicago Street Course did an amazing job. Riding around under caution yesterday, being able to see all of the fans lined up three or four rows deep along the fence with no open spots was incredible. Probably one of the best attendances we’ve had so far this year in the Xfinity Series.
“The race went OK for us. I ran P2 from the drop of the green flag until Lap 25 when they called it (Saturday). We needed a good stop to be able to make an adjustment and have a shot to contend with Cole for the win and just never had that opportunity. We’ll take that second place, and we’ll move on from it.”
Justin Allgaier finished third and Brett Moffitt fourth. Sammy Smith, Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman and Kaz Grala earned positions six through 10, respectively.
Justin Marks, co-owner of Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series, started 12th in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. But an engine failure at Lap 5 eliminated the vehicle from contention, leading to a plume of smoke through Congress Plaza before the car spun in Turn 11 at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Jackson Drive.
Making his NASCAR national series debut, Andre Castro crashed hard on Lap 17 into the Turn 1 tire barriers at the end of the frontstretch after an apparent mechanical failure sent his No. 34 Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet out of control. A native of Chicago, Castro climbed from the car unharmed and was credited with a 37th-place finish after qualifying 28th.
Note: Post-race inspection concluded without issues, confirming Custer’s victory.