By Noah Nelson
After starting on the pole and leading every lap, Cole Custer won NASCAR’s inaugural street
course race, but not without the help of mother nature, as well as some bizarre circumstances.
Two laps before the end of stage two, the race was red flagged for a lightning delay, which
eventually caused the race’s postponement to Sunday.
With a torrential downpour and a logistical nightmare looming, NASCAR made the unprecedented decision to end the race before the end of stage two, two laps before the halfway point in the race.
Under typical circumstances, NASCAR does not consider a race to be “official” until the race
reaches halfway, or until stage two is completed, whichever one comes first.
In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, NASCAR said the following: “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.”
It’s Custer’s second win of the season after winning at Portland International Raceway on June
3rd. He’s the first driver in one of NASCAR’s top three series to win a race after leading every
lap since Joey Logano did it at Bristol in 2015.
“The wildest win I’ve ever been apart of for sure. This is definitely not the way we wanted to get
it, we want to run all the laps and win it the proper way. At the end of the day, we’ll take it how
it comes. We’re definitely hitting our stride for sure,” Custer said in a post-race interview with
NBC Sports.
The decision is already proving to be a polarizing one, with some drivers, such as Austin Hill,
being relatively okay with the race ending, given the circumstances and Custer’s dominant start
yesterday.
“It’s fine that he won the race…he started on the pole and led all the laps,” said Hill in an
interview with Fox Sports.
For others, the decision does not come without consequence. Alpha Prime Racing owner Tommy
Joe Martins was frustrated, saying: “The decision that was made today could have been made
yesterday.”
Jeremy Clements said that his family-owned team spent an extra $1,500 in hotel costs to stay the
extra day.
NASCAR still plans on running the Cup Series race later today as scheduled, with a start time of
5pm EST/4pm CST.
