The 2023 The Loop 121 was the 16th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was scheduled to be held on Saturday, July 1, 2023, but after 25 laps, the race was postponed until Sunday, July 2, due to inclement weather. The race was held in Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago Street Course, a 2.2 miles (3.5 km) street course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 55 laps, but was decreased to 25 laps (2 laps short of the typical point where the race could be called official) due to downpouring rain and standing water. Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would lead all 25 laps of the race after starting from the pole, and earned his 12th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his second of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. This was the first street race to be contested in the series.[2]

2023 The Loop 121
Race details
Race 16 of 33 of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date July 1–2, 2023
Official name Inaugural The Loop 121
Location Chicago Street Course in Chicago, Illinois
Course Permanent racing facility
2.2 mi (3.5 km)
Distance 25 laps, 55 mi (88 km)
Scheduled Distance 55 laps, 121 mi (194 km)
Average speed 52.660 mph (84.748 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 1:30.421
Most laps led
Driver Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 25
Winner
No. 00 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network USA
Announcers Rick Allen, Steve Letarte (booth), Mike Bagley (Turns 1 and 6), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Turn 4), and Jeff Burton (Turn 11)
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN

Background

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The Chicago Street Course is a 2.2 mi (3.5 km) street circuit located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The track was initially a conceptual track on iRacing made for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series in 2021.

The track for the actual race in 2023 ended up being the exact same layout as the version used in 2021 for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The start/finish line is located on South Columbus Drive in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. The cars will go south and then turn left onto East Balbo Drive and then right onto South Lake Shore Drive (also part of U.S. Route 41), which is alongside Lake Michigan. The cars will then turn right onto East Roosevelt Road and then make another right, which gets them back onto South Columbus Drive where they are going north. They will then reach the intersection of South Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive again and will make a left turn. When they are back on East Balbo Drive, they will cross a bridge over the Metra Electric District tracks. Next, the cars will turn right onto South Michigan Avenue and go north, go onto East Congress Plaza Drive and back onto South Michigan Ave. Lastly, they will make a right turn onto East Jackson Drive, go back across the Metra Electric tracks, and right back onto South Columbus Drive to the start/finish line.[2]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Haas Automation
1 Sam Mayer JR Motorsports Chevrolet Huck's Market
02 Blaine Perkins (R) Our Motorsports Chevrolet Gratis
2 Sheldon Creed Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Whelen
4 Kyle Weatherman JD Motorsports Chevrolet Pure Kick
6 Brennan Poole JD Motorsports Chevrolet Van Der Hagen Grooming
07 Spencer Pumpelly SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet Volkswagen of Oak Lawn
7 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet BRANDT
08 Joey Gase SS-Green Light Racing Ford Clubfoot Solutions
8 Josh Berry JR Motorsports Chevrolet Tire Pros Summer for Heroes
9 Brandon Jones JR Motorsports Chevrolet Little Hug, Menards
10 Justin Marks Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Jockey
11 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Cirkul
16 Chandler Smith (R) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Quick Tie Productions
18 Sammy Smith (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Pilot Flying J
19 Connor Mosack (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Porter Pipe and Supply
20 John Hunter Nemechek Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Yahoo!
21 Austin Hill Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Global Industrial
24 Parker Chase Sam Hunt Racing Toyota Ontivity
25 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Ford AM Technical Solutions
26 Kaz Grala Sam Hunt Racing Toyota FDC Skull Crushing Espresso
27 Jeb Burton Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Bommarito.com, Easy Care
28 Brent Sherman RSS Racing Ford HawkAuto.com, A. Marek Jewelry
31 Parker Retzlaff (R) Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet FUNKAWAY
34 Andre Castro Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet University of Chicago Medicine
35 Alex Labbé Emerling-Gase Motorsports Toyota Clubfoot Solutions
36 Alex Guenette DGM Racing Chevrolet Paille GM, DLGL, GP3R
38 Joe Graf Jr. RSS Racing Ford GTECHNIQ
39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Ford CMR Construction & Roofing
43 Ryan Ellis Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Gurtz Electric
44 Sage Karam Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Green Line Automotive
45 Jeffrey Earnhardt Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet ForeverLawn Chicago
48 Parker Kligerman Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers
50 Preston Pardus Pardus Racing Chevrolet Chinchor Electric
51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet Alliance Driveway Solutions
53 Brad Perez Emerling-Gase Motorsports Chevrolet Bonesteel Aerospace
66 Dexter Stacey MBM Motorsports Toyota ReCap Recovery Drink
74 Dawson Cram CHK Racing Chevrolet Nexus Auto Transport
78 Anthony Alfredo B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet Dude Wipes
88 Miguel Paludo JR Motorsports Chevrolet BRANDT
91 Dexter Bean DGM Racing Chevrolet Badger Environmental
92 Josh Williams DGM Racing Chevrolet Alloy Employer Services
98 Riley Herbst Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Monster Energy
Official entry list

Practice

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The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, July 1, at 10:00 AM CST, and would last for 50 minutes.[3] Justin Marks, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:32.138, and an average speed of 85.958 mph (138.336 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 10 Justin Marks Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1:32.138 85.958
2 2 Sheldon Creed Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:32.157 85.940
3 1 Sam Mayer JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:32.250 85.854
Full practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Saturday, July 1, at 11:00 AM CST.[3] Since the Chicago Street Course is a street course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole.[5] Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 1:30.421, and an average speed of 87.590 mph (140.962 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time (R1) Speed (R1) Time (R2) Speed (R2)
1 00 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:31.087 86.950 1:30.421 87.590
2 2 Sheldon Creed Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:30.702 87.319 1:30.439 87.573
3 20 John Hunter Nemechek Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:31.675 86.392 1:30.713 87.308
4 19 Connor Mosack (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:31.090 86.947 1:31.018 87.016
5 21 Austin Hill Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:31.035 87.000 1:31.458 86.597
6 7 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:31.461 86.594 1:31.781 86.292
7 25 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Ford 1:31.540 86.520 1:31.791 86.283
8 18 Sammy Smith (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:31.585 86.477 1:31.830 86.246
9 11 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1:31.741 86.330 1:32.064 86.027
10 48 Parker Kligerman Big Machine Racing Chevrolet 1:31.797 86.277 1:33.603 84.613
Eliminated from Round 1
11 44 Sage Karam Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet 1:31.711 86.358
12 10 Justin Marks Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1:31.872 86.207
13 50 Preston Pardus Pardus Racing Chevrolet 1:31.915 86.167
14 1 Sam Mayer JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:32.322 85.787
15 98 Riley Herbst Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:32.360 85.751
16 16 Chandler Smith (R) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1:32.366 85.746
17 88 Miguel Paludo JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:32.456 85.662
18 36 Alex Guenette DGM Racing Chevrolet 1:32.564 85.562
19 35 Alex Labbé Emerling-Gase Motorsports Toyota 1:32.644 85.489
20 43 Ryan Ellis Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet 1:32.802 85.343
21 31 Parker Retzlaff (R) Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 1:32.934 85.222
22 07 Spencer Pumpelly SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet 1:32.939 85.217
23 8 Josh Berry JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:32.954 85.203
24 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Ford 1:33.079 85.089
25 26 Kaz Grala Sam Hunt Racing Toyota 1:33.125 85.047
26 24 Parker Chase Sam Hunt Racing Toyota 1:33.192 84.986
27 53 Brad Perez Emerling-Gase Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.251 84.932
28 34 Andre Castro Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.265 84.919
29 02 Blaine Perkins (R) Our Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.317 84.872
30 9 Brandon Jones JR Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.454 84.748
31 27 Jeb Burton Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 1:33.527 84.681
32 4 Kyle Weatherman JD Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.621 84.596
33 6 Brennan Poole JD Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.697 84.528
Qualified by owner's points
34 78 Anthony Alfredo B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet 1:33.997 84.258
35 38 Joe Graf Jr. RSS Racing Ford 1:34.570 83.747
36 92 Josh Williams DGM Racing Chevrolet 1:35.061 83.315
37 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 1:35.303 83.103
38 28 Brent Sherman RSS Racing Ford 1:36.771 81.843
Failed to qualify
39 91 Dexter Bean DGM Racing Chevrolet 1:34.027 84.231
40 45 Jeffrey Earnhardt Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet 1:34.423 83.878
41 08 Joey Gase SS-Green Light Racing Ford 1:34.576 83.742
42 74 Dawson Cram CHK Racing Chevrolet 1:35.472 82.956
43 66 Dexter Stacey MBM Motorsports Toyota 1:38.233 80.625
Official qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Only 25 laps of the race were run, the entirety of stage 1 and the first 10 laps of stage 2. After several lightning delays on Saturday, NASCAR planned to postpone the rest of the race to Sunday, the morning before the Cup race. However, torrential rain on Sunday morning (including several flash flood warnings issued for the region) led to NASCAR issuing an unprecedented decision to call the race before the point the race could be called official.

Stage 1 Laps: 15

Pos. # Driver Team Make Pts
1 00 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 10
2 20 John Hunter Nemechek Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 21 Austin Hill Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 8
4 7 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 19 Connor Mosack (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 25 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Ford 5
7 18 Sammy Smith (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4
8 11 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 3
9 48 Parker Kligerman Big Machine Racing Chevrolet 2
10 16 Chandler Smith (R) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1

Stage 2 Laps: 10*[a]

The drivers who finished in the top ten were given stage points (10-1)

Final Results

Pos.[8] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts
1 1 00 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25 25 Running 60
2 3 20 John Hunter Nemechek Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25 0 Running 53
3 6 7 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 49
4 7 25 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Ford 25 0 Running 45
5 5 21 Austin Hill Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 46
6 8 18 Sammy Smith (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25 0 Running 40
7 9 11 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 37
8 16 16 Chandler Smith (R) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 33
9 10 48 Parker Kligerman Big Machine Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 32
10 25 26 Kaz Grala Sam Hunt Racing Toyota 25 0 Running 28
11 2 2 Sheldon Creed Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 26
12 13 50 Preston Pardus Pardus Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 25
13 17 88 Miguel Paludo JR Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 24
14 32 4 Kyle Weatherman JD Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 23
15 18 36 Alex Guenette DGM Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 22
16 26 24 Parker Chase Sam Hunt Racing Toyota 25 0 Running 21
17 29 02 Blaine Perkins (R) Our Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 20
18 14 1 Sam Mayer JR Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 19
19 31 27 Jeb Burton Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 18
20 37 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 17
21 19 35 Alex Labbé Emerling-Gase Motorsports Toyota 25 0 Running 16
22 11 44 Sage Karam Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 15
23 23 8 Josh Berry JR Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 14
24 15 98 Riley Herbst Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25 0 Running 13
25 24 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Ford 25 0 Running 12
26 33 6 Brennan Poole JD Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 11
27 34 78 Anthony Alfredo B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 10
28 22 07 Spencer Pumpelly SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 9
29 21 31 Parker Retzlaff (R) Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 8
30 30 9 Brandon Jones JR Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 7
31 20 43 Ryan Ellis Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet 25 0 Running 6
32 27 53 Brad Perez Emerling-Gase Motorsports Chevrolet 25 0 Running 5
33 35 38 Joe Graf Jr. RSS Racing Ford 25 0 Running 4
34 38 28 Brent Sherman RSS Racing Ford 25 0 Running 3
35 4 19 Connor Mosack (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25 0 Running 8
36 36 92 Josh Williams DGM Racing Chevrolet 22 0 Running 1
37 28 34 Andre Castro Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet 16 0 Accident 1
38 12 10 Justin Marks Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 3 0 Engine 1
Official race results

Notes

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  1. ^ Stage 2 was scheduled to be 15 laps, but due to the Sunday postponement and downpouring rain, the race was called five laps before the stage ended. The running positions at lap 25 would determine the overall race finish.[7]

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Cook, Garrett (July 2, 2023). "Cole Custer Wins Rain-Shortened Xfinity Race at Chicago". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Chicago to host first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race in 2023". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 19, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Chicago Street Course Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Srigley, Joseph (July 1, 2023). "Justin Marks Leads NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice on Chicago Street Course". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Srigley, Joseph (July 1, 2023). "Cole Custer Scores Pole for Inaugural The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Srigley, Joseph (July 2, 2023). "Heavy Rain Forces NASCAR to Declare Cole Custer Winner of Xfinity Chicago Street Race". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 The Loop 131 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved July 2, 2023.


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