Nate Cicero
American racing driver (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nathaniel Cicero (born November 23, 2004) is an American racing driver. A Mazda MX-5 Cup graduate and Ford Racing junior, Cicero was the Michelin Pilot Challenge points leader for McCumbee McAleer Racing when he stepped back from racing in August 2026.
| Nate Cicero | |
|---|---|
Cicero in 2024 | |
| Nationality | |
| Born | November 23, 2004 Pound Ridge, New York, U.S. |
| Michelin Pilot Challenge career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | McCumbee McAleer Racing |
| Categorisation | |
| Car number | 13 |
| Starts | 13 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Poles | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 24th in 2025 |
| Previous series | |
| 2023–2025 | Mazda MX-5 Cup |
Career
Cicero began racing indoor karts at the age of 10,[1] before moving to outdoor karts two years later and competing until 2023 under Stevan McAleer's guidance.[2][3] During his time in karting, Cicero most notably won the SKUSA Winter Series in KA 100 Senior in 2020, before taking the ROK Vegas crown in the ROK Senior class the following year.[4][5]
In 2021, Cicero partook in the end-of-year Spec MX-5 Shootout, which he won alongside Westin Workman.[6] In 2022, Cicero raced in the Spec MX-5 Challenge Series, finishing 11th in points with a win to his name,[7] before winning the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout in November.[8] In 2023, Cicero moved up to the Mazda MX-5 Cup with McCumbee McAleer Racing,[9][10] winning at VIR to secure the rookie title and a sixth-place points finish.[11][12] In 2024, Cicero continued to race in the Mazda MX-5 Cup,[13] scoring wins at Daytona and Mosport,[14] as well as his first pole position at Road Atlanta to take fourth in points.[15] Cicero also raced with McCumbee McAleer in the IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge,[16] but pulled out of the series after two rounds following a rollover crash in race one at Watkins Glen caused by a stuck-open throttle.[17][18] Late in the year, Cicero made his Michelin Pilot Challenge debut with the team at Indianapolis,[19] qualifying third and finishing tenth alongside Jenson Altzman.[20]
Despite scoring a record seven pole positions, Cicero had his worst Mazda MX-5 Cup season in 2025, as he switched from Saito Motorsport Group back to McCumbee McAleer Racing mid-season, taking a podium for each team and finishing eighth in points.[21][22] In parallel, Cicero also raced on a part-time basis in GT4 America, most notably taking a pair of Silver podiums for Dome Motorsport at VIR.[23] Towards the end of the year, Cicero returned to the Michelin Pilot Challenge with MMR, qualifying on pole three times in a row and winning at Road America alongside Altzman.[24][25]
In 2026, Cicero graduated to Michelin Pilot Challenge full-time with McCumbee McAleer Racing,[26] sharing a Ford Mustang GT4 with Robert Noaker in the GS class, as a new addition to the Ford Racing Driver Development Team.[27] Starting off the season with poles at Daytona and Laguna Seca,[28][29] Cicero stood on the podium three times to take a 100-point lead in the championship after Road America.[30][31][32] Days later, on August 6, Cicero announced he was stepping back from racing "to focus on personal matters".[33] MMR and Ford severed ties with Cicero effective immediately.[34][35]
Karting record
Karting career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SKUSA Winter Series – KA 100 Senior | ||
| 2021 | ROK Vegas – ROK Senior | 1st | |
| SKUSA SuperNationals – X30 Senior | 16th | ||
| 2023 | SKUSA Pro Tour – X30 Senior | 24th | |
| ROK Vegas – ROK Pro GP | 20th | ||
| SKUSA SuperNationals – KA 100 Senior | 8th | ||
| Sources:[36][37] | |||
Racing record
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spec MX-5 Challenge Series | 1 | 167 | 11th | |||||
| Spec MX-5 Challenge Series – West | 1 | 125 | 3rd | ||||||
| 2023 | Mazda MX-5 Cup | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2990 | 6th |
| 2024 | Mazda MX-5 Cup | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3670 | 4th |
| IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge – Dark Horse | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 410 | 29th | ||
| Michelin Pilot Challenge – GS | McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 54th | |
| 2025 | Mazda MX-5 Cup | Saito Motorsport Group | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2610 | 8th |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| GT4 America Series – Pro-Am | Fast Track Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 11th | |
| GT4 America Series – Silver | Dome Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 10th | |
| Michelin Pilot Challenge – GS | McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1160 | 24th | |
| 2026 | Michelin Pilot Challenge – GS | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1810* | 1st* |
| Sources:[36] | |||||||||
* Season still in progress.
† As Cicero was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
Complete Mazda MX-5 Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position. Races in italics indicate fastest race lap in class. Results are overall/class)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | DAY 1 26 |
DAY 2 8 |
STP 1 9 |
STP 2 19 |
LGA 1 5 |
LGA 2 4 |
WGL 1 12 |
WGL 2 19 |
ELK 1 4 |
ELK 2 6 |
VIR 1 1 |
VIR 2 3 |
ATL 1 18 |
ATL 2 10 |
6th | 2990 |
| 2024 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | DAY 1 28 |
DAY 2 1 |
SEB 1 4 |
SEB 2 15 |
LAG 1 3 |
LAG 2 7 |
MOH 1 4 |
MOH 2 3 |
MOS 1 4 |
MOS 2 1 |
VIR 1 6 |
VIR 2 5 |
ATL 1 5 |
ATL 2 2 |
4th | 3760 |
| 2025 | Saito Motorsport Group | DAY 1 30 |
DAY 2 7 |
STP 1 22 |
STP 2 5 |
BAR 1 2 |
BAR 2 12 |
8th | 2610 | ||||||||
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | MOH 1 31 |
MOH 2 4 |
MOS 1 10 |
MOS 2 3 |
VIR 1 5 |
VIR 2 26 |
ATL 1 5 |
ATL 2 28 | |||||||||
Complete Michelin Pilot Challenge results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport | Grand Sport | Ford Mustang GT4 (2024) | DAY |
SEB |
LGA |
MOH |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
VIR |
IMS 10 |
ATL |
54th | 210 |
| 2025 | McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport | Grand Sport | Ford Mustang GT4 (2024) | DAY |
SEB |
LGA |
MOH |
WGL |
MOS 5 |
ELK 1 |
VIR 11 |
IMS 7 |
ATL 20 |
24th | 1160 |
| 2026 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | Grand Sport | Ford Mustang GT4 (2024) | DAY 6 |
SEB 8 |
LGA 3 |
MOH 10 |
WGL 2 |
MOS 3 |
ELK 11 |
VIR |
IMS |
ATL |
1st* | 1810* |