What Happened to Cali Nate from Discovery’s Street Outlaws?

Cali Nate, real name Nathan Schaldach, has passed away. The street racer and reality television personality known from appearing in Discovery’s Street Outlaws reportedly died after a street racing crash on April 6, 2024 in Texas.

A report from Sick The Magazine states, “Racer Cali Nate succumbed to injuries suffered in a crash last night in Texas. Although he was a familiar sight in the ‘My Little Pony’ Fox Mustang, he also recently returned a single turbo Datsun 240 Z known as ‘Z Unit’ to use, and that car notched a win at the Southwest Shootout just two weeks ago.”

Read on for more information about the incident.

Nate’s girlfriend Courtney Paulshock shared the news of the unfortunate incident on her Facebook page. She wrote, “On one hand I am shattered… I’m in shock… I can feel my heart breaking… We had plans, we had a full race schedule, we had JUST settled into our new life… Nate was my person, my soul mate, my world… I didn’t have enough time… But on the other hand, no amount of time would have been long enough. And I was truly BLESSED to know the kind of love that Nathan gave me and showed me on a daily basis.”

Courtney also shared details of his passing. “Nate wrecked the Z at Eagle Pass. Waylon and Garrett stayed with him every moment. They got him to the hospital and they just couldn’t save him. Those are all of the details I’m giving. He gets to see his mother and sister again and I know that made him so happy. He went out doing what he loved. And as racers, and racers’ better halves, we know that risk every time they strap in.”

Courtney is also involved in the world of racing. She’s the owner and founder of CPaulshock Photography and a motorsports marketer.

Cali Nate is being mourned throughout social media and on Reddit from fellow racers and racing fans.

The Arizona State University Center for Problem-Oriented Policing 2004 academic paper about street racing says, “One unofficial estimate, derived from examining news reports and police data from 10 major cities and extrapolating on the basis of national population figures, is that at least 50 people die each year as a result of street racing.”

A more recent 2021 study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in previous year there were 12,330 fatalities in speeding-related crashes, 29 percent of total traffic fatalities and an increase of 8 percent from 11,428 in 2020, the highest since 2007.

An article in The Guardian published May 13, 2021 acknowledged the sport’s growing popularity: “Illegal street racing has reportedly surged ever since Covid-19 hit the US in earnest last spring, with officials reporting increases in states such as Georgia, New York, New Mexico and Oregon, among others, officials said. Experts have also pointed to ongoing cultural interest in street racing, and the fact that participants or would-be racers have more time on their hands to work on their cars.”