Cam McDermott Looking to Continue Success in First Full-Time Season of SK Modified® Competition at Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — When Stafford Speedway’s premier SK Modifieds® take to the track in 2016, there will be a new face joining the regulars as Canterbury native Cam McDermott will be piloting the #5 SK Modified® sponsored by Maybury Material Handling. McDermott is no stranger to Stafford Speedway and has made a handful of starts over the past four seasons in both the SK Light and SK Modified® divisions.
As McDermott prepares for his first full-time season at Stafford, he has enjoyed a wealth of success behind the wheel of his #5 Maybury Material Handling machine. McDermott won back to back championships in the SK Light division at Thompson Speedway as well as a Thompson Modified championship. McDermott has also won over 30 feature events at Thompson, with 20 SK Light wins, 11 Thompson Mod wins, and the 2015 season saw him win his very first SK Modified® feature. With several second place finishes already to his credit in the SK Light ranks at Stafford, McDermott is looking forward to his full time entry into the premier SK Modified® division.
“We were looking for a change,” said McDermott. “We wanted to look into challenging ourselves and Stafford is a very challenging track with the amount of cars and driving talent that is there in the SK Modified® division. I’ve been looking at trying to go full time at Stafford for 4 or 5 years now. We didn’t race a whole lot last year and we wanted to race a little more this season so it was time to make the move to Stafford. We have Maybury Handling Systems as our sponsor for the fourth year in a row now. They’re great people and I actually work for them and it’s a great company to work for.”
McDermott has enjoyed some success in the limited number of starts he has made at Stafford since the 2012 season. In his very first start McDermott finished second in the SK Light feature. He followed that up with two more second place finishes and could have had a third podium finish if not for getting caught up in a wreck. He made a total of 4 SK Light starts during the 2013 season before moving up to the SK Modified® ranks for two starts in 2014 and two starts in 2015. McDermott has struggled to find the same success in the SK Modified® division with three of his four starts ending with finishes of 20th or worse. He was enjoying a top-10 run in the 2015 NAPA Fall Final feature until he ran into trouble midway through the race and ended up finishing 13th. In addition to his on track success, McDermott has used his eyes and ears to get a feel for the SK Modified® drivers at Stafford and their tendencies by serving as a spotter for Woody Pitkat, which should serve him well in his first full-time season of SK Modified® competition.
“We had a good setup with our SK Light car but we’ve kind of struggled at Stafford since then,” said McDermott. “We finished second twice and then we went downhill from there. We ran twice at the end of the season [in 2014] at Stafford and this year we had mechanical issues in one race and then in the Fall Final we had a good run going but we got caught up in someone else’s mess. I’ve been to every race at Stafford for the last 4 or 5 years spotting for Woody [Pitkat] so I think knowing both sides of things plus my SK Light experience should be a plus. As everyone knows, Woody is a pretty good driver at Stafford and I think that working with him will allow me to make the transition a little easier with knowing where to pass and how to pass cars.”
With a new Troyer chassis to work with and his experience both behind the wheel and looking in from the spotter’s stand, McDermott has his sights set on a top-5 finish for the season and possibly capturing a feature win.
“Our goal is to run in the top-5 and I think we have the equipment to do that,” said McDermott. “We sold our old car and now we’re in the middle of putting a new Troyer together and I think it’ll mostly be a case of me getting used to the track. It’s going to be interesting to see how the team comes together during the year and we’re going to strive for a win but it’s not a dead set goal. I’m excited to get started and this is a big opportunity for all of us to have a new car and go racing at Stafford. I think the whole team is excited to get out there and try to make a name for ourselves this season. I have to thank Maybury for sponsoring us again, we have Seals-It coming on board with us, and we’re definitely open to any more sponsors that would like to be on the car.”
McDermott and the rest of the SK Modified® class of 2016 will get their first on track experience of the new year in a 45 lap feature at the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on April 22-24. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available. All tickets are good for both Saturday and Sunday admission. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR