NASCAR postpones The Loop 121 in Chicago due to weather

Downtown Chicago was set to host The Loop 121 on Saturday. However, weather has once again played a factor on race day. NASCAR has postponed the event, pushing it back to Sunday afternoon. People in the Windy City will have to wait another day before taking in the event.

“[The Loop 121] has been rescheduled for tomorrow, at 10 AM CT on USA. due to weather,” a tweet from NASCAR Chicago said. “Gates open at 9AM CT. Thank you for your patience and we’ll see you tomorrow!”

NASCAR released its own statement shortly after, explaining the decision. Lightning will be in the area over the next few hours, causing the delay. Fans would have not been able to enjoy the race throughout downtown Chicago either, taking away from the experience.

“Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated,” the statement read. “NASCAR had hoped to resume activities, but not until city officials allowed fans to return to the grandstands. The forecast for lightning extends into several hours, forcing NASCAR to postpone the completion of NASCAR Xfinity Series until tomorrow morning.”

According to FOX Sports NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, it’s Chicago city policy to evacuate the area due to lightning. Getting started on Sunday makes a lot more sense for NASCAR compared to getting everyone back in the grandstands on Sunday night.

“Apparently it is city parks policy that they evacuate because of the lightning and so the decision was made to postpone the remainder of the race and resume in the morning,” Pockrass said in a tweet. “Race resumes at 11am ET / 10am CT on USA.”

NASCAR was able to get the event started earlier in the day, nearly hitting the halfway point. Lightning in the area caused for the red flag to come out, originally delaying everything by 30 minutes. However, with how the forecast looks for the rest of Saturday, things will be picked back up Sunday morning.

When the Xfinity Series race was suspended, pole-sitter Cole Custer held the lead. There are six laps remaining in stage two with 25 already down.

So, if you are in Chicago, an early morning wake-up call just got scheduled on your calendar. For those joining in on the fun at home, USA will begin their coverage at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this report.