During Friday’s IMSA-sanctioned Mustang Challenge race at Watkins Glen, driver Nate Cicero of the #82 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang was involved in a terrifying, rollover crash.
But the driver was able to get right out of his car and walk away from the incident, despite how scary it looked.
The accident occurred during the Mustang Challenge Race 1, and occurred when Cicero was running fifth just 15 minutes into the race. As the front pack reached the hairpin at Turn 7, Cicero’s Mustang suddenly accelerated, veering into the grass and straight into the barrier. Cicero’s car to careened into the air, completing a roll mid-air before landing on its wheels atop a tire barrier:
Nate Cicero goes for a ride as it appears he gets a stuck throttle at the Watkins Glen Mustang Challenge. Nate got out almost immediately and showed no signs of injury which is absolutely incredible. pic.twitter.com/0WyjBuJKIA
— Grid Badger (@GridBadger) June 21, 2024
As noted in the above social media post, it appears that Cicero may have encountered a stuck throttle right before the impact. But the driver was able to exit the car and walk away under his own power.
The barrier could not be repaired in time, and the rest of the race — won by Tyler Maxson — was held behind the safety car.
In a statement to Road & Track a representative from Ford Performance indicated that the cause of the accident is unknown at this time. “It is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident that occurred during the Mustang Challenge Race at Watkins Glen to the #82 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. The Ford Performance team will be working with MMR Motorsport team to understand more.”
This is just the second weekend of racing for the new Mustang-focused series.