Accidents are a big part of racing, but there are lots of rules and regulations in regards to contact on the track. If there’s ever a question as to whether or not the “accident” in question was intentional, race officials will review in-car tapes to determine who was at fault, and if any penalties should be levied against the the guilty party.

Scott Maxwell earned the dubious distinction of being the first to crash the new Shelby GT350R-C race car just a few laps into his stint at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Officials determined that Maxwell was at fault after viewing the above-video from the No. 78 Mustang driven by James Vance. After seeing the video for ourselves, it’s hard to disagree with their ruling. There’s something to be said about Maxwell being perhaps a bit ambitious going into Turn 4, where this contact happened.

Perhaps he was eager to put the Shelby on the pole after its failure to win in its debut, and Maxwell saw a chance to make a quick pass when Vance was slow in getting the car out of third gear out of Turn 3. Maxwell tried to sneak in for a passing maneuver, forcing Vance to move to the left, but the GT350R-C driver only managed to make it about halfway through his pass before he cut into Vance’s line. The resulting contact sent Maxwell and his Shelby into the wall, but Vance was able to hold onto his car and keep it from suffering the same fate.

It was a tough call, but ultimately patience would have served Maxwell better. The day wasn’t a total loss either. The No. 158 GT350R-C of Multimatic Motorsports, driven by Austin Cindric and Jade Buford took the first win for Ford Racing and the Shelby GT350R-C in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. Cindric also became the youngest race winner in the history of the Continental Challenge at just 16 years and 9 months. That’s not something everyone can put on their resume.