Rain brings unusual and abrupt shortened end to Xfinity street race in Chicago

NASCAR unable to resume rain-delayed event due to street flooding. Cole Custer ruled winner in event that didn't even reach halfway.

Due to ongoing weather issues, Cole Custer has been declared winner of the inaugural The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series street race in downtown Chicago.

Custer, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, led the race Saturday when it was abruptly halted due to the threat of lightning within an eight-mile radius of the track, prompting NASCAR to issue a shelter-in-place warning for fans in attendance of the downtown Grant Park street course layout.

The race was scheduled to resume Sunday morning at 11 am ET, but heavy rain overnight, coupled with flash flood warnings and extensive rain on the racetrack that sweepers could not keep up with led NASCAR officials to decide to give the win to Custer and not resume the race.

Here's the official NASCAR statement about the shortened outcome:

“With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the racetrack 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.”

It was a rare instance in that NASCAR did not insist the race at least reach the official halfway point of the event, which would have needed only three more laps to attain that level.

Rain has stopped for the most part in the Chicago area as of 2 pm ET and efforts continue to try and dry the track in time for the 5 pm ET scheduled start of the Grant Park 220 NASCAR Cup race.

However, there's more bad news on the horizon; more rain is forecast to be on the way. We'll keep readers up to date as conditions warrant.

In the meantime, here's stats from the shortened Xfinity event: