NASCAR Xfinity race at Chicago Street Course postponed to Sunday morning

Due to inclement weather, the remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Chicago Street Course has been postponed to Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.

Lightning in the area necessitated a caution and subsequent 30-minute hold at Lap 25, just short of the race’s halfway mark of Lap 28.

“Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated,” NASCAR said in a statement. “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 NASCAR Xfinity Series race until tomorrow morning.”

Polesitter Cole Custer led each of the opening 25 laps, executing flawless restarts from the entrance of Turn 12 all afternoon in the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. John Hunter Nemechek runs second ahead of Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill.

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 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.