Howard Injured in Nasty Crash at VIR; Seeks Road America Return

This past weekend USAC Mustang Cup was back in action for its fourth round of competition at one of America’s most famous circuits, Virginia International Raceway. For rookie of the championship Corey Howard it not only saw progression from his first race at COTA, it also proved how dangerous this sport is. While the weekend was proving to be a step in the right direction for Howard’s All American Motorsports team, Howard was able to qualify in third place in his second start in the championship. During the race Howard was making his way through the field and ultimately found himself making the pass for second place in his class.Howard was then looking to get around Dark Horse Legends class runner Michael Levitas for fifth overall in the race. Unfortunately to the dismay of both drivers a racing incident occurred at turn 14 at no fault to either driver seeing both Levitas and Howard make contact with each other. But to Howard’s dismay his car rolled multiple times and caught on fire. Both Levitas and Howard were able to get themselves out of their vehicles.

Quote from Corey: “It was a hard racing incident between two competitors, and fortunately both drivers were able to walk away. Michael Levitas and his family have been nothing but class throughout this entire process, reaching out multiple times to check on me. While the result was obviously not what anyone wanted, that’s part of motorsports. My focus now is on recovery and getting back behind the wheel.”

While both drivers were able exit their stricken vehicles, Corey unfortunately took the brunt of the incident. He was however able to get himself out of his stricken Mustang crawling across the ground back to his feet behind the Armco barriers. From the incident Corey did suffer a broken foot, broken rib, and two black eyes. A big thanks goes to Michael Levitas and his family who is not only a competitor but a true friend during this scary incident.Michael has been in touch with Corey multiple times since the incident.

“Nobody who climbs into a race car wants to sit on the sidelines. The injuries are real, but so is my determination to get back behind the wheel. Road America is the goal, and every day of recovery is being approached with that in mind. We’ll let the doctors and the healing process determine the timeline, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready when that green flag drops.”

While the real preparation now begins for Howard as he looks to get back 100% as the championship head to the penultimate round at Road America in early August.