What is the NASCAR Chicago Street Race controversy? Exploring how other drivers apart from Shane van Gisbergen could've won

NASCAR's Chicago Street Race ended in controversy after a late crash and a delayed caution handed Shane Van Gisbergen his second win of the season. Had the caution been deployed just seconds earlier, the finish could've looked very different.

With one lap to go in the Grant Park 160, Cody Ware fell victim to mechanical gremlins and crashed into turn 6 tire barriers. Instead of throwing the caution right then, NASCAR officials took their time to confirm the severity of the damages, giving SVG ample time to cross the start/finish line and take the white flag.

Once the caution was eventually waved, the race had to finish under yellow with positions frozen, leaving Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick unable to launch an attack for the lead. In other words, if the caution wasn't delayed, the race would've ended in an overtime finish with a two-lap dash to the green-white-checkered flag.

Adding fuel to the controversy, Van Gisbergen spoke to the media and revealed how the damage endured by Ware's car was striking enough.

"I came out of the last corner and just saw a heap of smoke straight ahead of Turn 6, and I just held my breath until I crossed the line, really. When I got the white flag, I came around the next couple of corners, and the yellow came out. It was a massive relief," he said (via Fox Sports).

On his part, Ty Gibbs revealed if he would've preferred an earlier caution.

"I would have been all for that 100 percent, but ... I don't know [if it should have been thrown]. That would have been awesome."

Ultimately, the win helped secure a weekend sweep for Shane Van Gisbergen, since he'd also won in Saturday's (July 5) Xfinity Series race. Notably, he won both races from the pole, a feat last achieved by Kyle Busch back in July 2016.

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NASCAR waves caution at Chicago to let an ambulance pass through

NASCAR faced a unique scenario when a fan needed medical assistance during the Chicago Street Race. The officials decided to throw a caution and let an ambulance pass through the street course.

Reflecting upon the same, Mike Forde from NASCAR's Racing Communications offered an explanation on his X handle.

“Race control needed to call a caution here on lap 59. A spectator medical emergency necessitated the field to be under caution so an ambulance could exit the facility..,” he said.

Mike Forde

@mforde

LINK

“Race control needed to call a caution here on lap 59. A spectator medical emergency necessitated the field to be under caution so an ambulance could exit the facility..”

Incidentally, Shane Van Gisbergen had just passed Chase Briscoe for the lead when the caution was thrown. With the original three-year deal expiring this season, this could be NASCAR's final outing with the Windy City. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that San Diego is next in line to host its own street race and replace Chicago's place in the calendar.