A Week to Remember for Hayley
Celebrates High School Graduation With Summer Showdown Win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Most high school graduates celebrate that milestone with a trip to the beach with friends, a final opportunity to make memories before facing the realities of work and college.
Cameron Haley isn’t most graduates, but he did make a pretty significant memory of his own.
Just two days after graduating last week, the 17-year old native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, qualified first and led wire to wire to earn the victory in one of Late Model stock car racing’s premier events, the 3rd annual Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash.
His first paycheck as a new high school graduate? A cool $21,000.
“The thing I remember most from this past weekend is getting to the track and seeing 54 cars there to compete, and I knew that there were at least 20 cars there capable of getting the win,” Haley said from Columbus, Ohio, where he tested this week with his Turner Scott Motorsports team for the upcoming NASCAR K&N Pro Series East JEGS 150 on July 19. “That was probably the most nervous I’ve been prior to a race for a really long time.”
Racing against one of the best fields of late model drivers on the West Coast – and some would argue one of the best fields in the country – Haley completely dominated the race from start to finish. When asked about racing against such a veteran-laden field, Haley said he was surprised with the outcome.
“The fact that I even had the opportunity to race around them and gain experience is hard enough to believe,” he said. “To be able to beat them and win the race was even better.”
Haley is no stranger to success on the track. He began his racing career in Calgary at age seven in a go-kart, winning seven karting championships from 2004-2007. In 2011 he earned the Dakota Dunes Late Model championship at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, while also finishing second in the season points championship at Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell, Mont.
He made his NASCAR K&N Pro West debut the same year as the youngest driver to compete in the series. Haley won the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach in 2012, and earned his first NASCAR K&N Pro West win in 2013 at All-American Speedway in Roseville, California.
Haley began the 2014 racing season competing in New Smyrna Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing from February 14-22, racing in the Super Late Model division for the eight-race series. His best finish came in the NASCAR K&N Pro East season opener on Feb. 16, where he finished a close second to fellow NASCAR Next alumnus Daniel Suarez in the 150 lap race.
“Running the New Smyrna World Series really helped me in the K&N Pro Series East car during our first race of 2014,” Haley said. “The knowledge I gained at the track was definitely an advantage over the competition.”
The positive results Haley achieved early in the season have carried over to his K&N Pro East campaign, where he is currently second to teammate Ben Rhodes. Haley said the fact that all five Turner Scott Motorsports K&N Pro Series drivers are relatively close in age has helped them easily relate to one another and improved communication both on and off the track.
As to his plans for the future, Haley hopes to progress to NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, but will continue to compete in high profile Super Late Model races when those opportunities arise.
“As a young driver coming up, getting seat time is very important – you learn so much being in the Super Late Model,” he said. “That extra experience is valuable as you progress through the ranks – and it’s fun!”
Sources: Tom Bryant/NASCAR PR