Nate Cicero

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.

Career Cicero began racing indoor karts at the age of ten, before moving to outdoor karts two years later and competing until 2023 under Stevan McAleer's guidance. 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.

In 2021, Cicero partook in the end-of-year Spec MX-5 Shootout, which he won alongside Westin Workman. In 2022, Cicero raced in the Spec MX-5 Challenge Series, finishing 11th in points with a win to his name, before winning the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout in November. In 2023, Cicero moved up to the Mazda MX-5 Cup with McCumbee McAleer Racing, winning at VIR to secure the rookie title and a sixth-place points finish. In 2024, Cicero continued to race in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, scoring wins at Daytona and Mosport, as well as his first pole position at Road Atlanta to take fourth in points. Cicero also raced with McCumbee McAleer in the IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge, 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. Late in the year, Cicero made his Michelin Pilot Challenge debut with the team at Indianapolis, qualifying third and finishing tenth alongside Jenson Altzman.

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. 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. 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.

In 2026, Cicero graduated to Michelin Pilot Challenge full-time with McCumbee McAleer Racing, sharing a Ford Mustang GT4 with Robert Noaker in the GS class, as a new addition to the Ford Racing Driver Development Team. Starting off the season with poles at Daytona and Laguna Seca, Cicero stood on the podium three times to take a 100-point lead in the championship after Road America. Days later, on August 6, Cicero announced he was stepping back from racing "to focus on personal matters". MMR and Ford severed ties with Cicero effective immediately.

Karting record Karting career summary

Racing record Racing career summary 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 DAY1 DAY2 STP1 STP2 LGA1 LGA2 WGL1 WGL2 ELK1 ELK2 VIR1 VIR2 ATL1 ATL2 6th 2990 2024 McCumbee McAleer Racing DAY1 DAY2 SEB1 SEB2 LAG1 LAG2 MOH1 MOH2 MOS1 MOS2 VIR1 VIR2 ATL1 ATL2 4th 37602025 Saito Motorsport Group DAY1 DAY2 STP1 STP2 BAR1 BAR28th2610 McCumbee McAleer Racing MOH1 MOH2 MOS1 MOS2 VIR1 VIR2 ATL1 ATL2

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 ATL 54th 210 2025 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Grand Sport Ford Mustang GT4 (2024) DAY SEB LGA MOH WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS ATL 24th 1160 2026McCumbee McAleer Racing Grand SportFord Mustang GT4 (2024) DAY SEB LGA MOH WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS ATL1st*1810*