In Friday night’s Chili Bowl Nationals Prelim A-Main, Ethan Mitchell was attempting to pass the No. 2J machine driven by Justin Grant, when the two cars locked wheels. The contact sent Mitchell launching into the air, and his No. 19M car came to a stop wedged into the catchfence.
Here is video from the FloRacing broadcast of the wild crash:
? Ethan Mitchell gets into the fence in the final preliminary!
Lucas Oil @cbnationals | @eibach_racing Instant Replay
Presented by @Lucas_Oil pic.twitter.com/YdqngKx8Gd
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 14, 2023
And here is an additional on board camera shot from Mitchell’s car:
Onboard with @EthanMitchell_ for his flip during tonight's @cbnationals Feature: pic.twitter.com/JYGj5vLulr
— Ross Wece (@RossWece) January 14, 2023
Mitchell was able to climb from his car, but it took a forklift to get his car removed from the fence.
For Mitchell, it’s a bummer because while he had an extremely fast car, he’ll now be relegated to the E-Main on Saturday, where he’ll try to claw his way into the prestigious Main Event at the Tulsa Expo Center.
“Yeah, I don’t know if Justin just slid up real late in the corner there, felt like I was decently outside him there. It was similar to what happened with my teammate the other day. Just unfortunate circumstances,” Mitchell explained. “Hate that for my guys. My car was a bullet. But that’s part of it. I guess we’ll have to dig ourselves out of an E-Main, so that sucks.”
Mitchell says he rung his bell briefly in the incident, but he is more concerned about his car than his own personal health.
“I’m alright,” Mitchell said. “I was seeing stars there for a second, but I’m more concerned with my car. This is a brand-new piece. I want to make sure she’s taken care of.”
