Cam Waters, a Ford Performance driver for Tickford Racing in the Repco Australian Supercars Series, will make his NASCAR debut in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Waters, who will be driving a fifth Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, answered questions from members of the media about the opportunity.
CAM WATERS, Driver, ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS DEBUT? “I’m absolutely pumped, so I’m super excited to be finally having a race over here in a truck. I’ve always followed NASCAR and done a little valuable stuff myself on dirt in Australia, so to do a pavement oval is pretty cool for me and something I’ve always wanted to do.”
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN? “I’ve wanted to do it for years, but with what I do in Australia has always been my focus and still is my focus, for sure, but we came to Martinsville 12 months ago and watched a race and that’s what probably sparked a bit more interest in me to pursue it. I’ve just been chipping away in the background over the last 12 months to make something happen like this.”
WHAT HAS THIS WEEK BEEN LIKE LEADING INTO MARTINSVILLE AS FAR AS PREPARATION? “We flew into Cleveland and then drove to Sandusky and did a seat fit and met the team. That was amazing. I got blown away by how big ThorSport was and their whole operation. I was blown away with how cold it was in Sandusky because we’re coming out of an Australian summer. It was freezing there and then we did a road trip to Charlotte and have been here since Saturday or Sunday. I’ve been at the Tech Center and doing a little bit of sim stuff today, so we’re ramping up the efforts for the weekend and trying to learn as much as I can in a short period of time.”
YOU WENT AND WATCHED THE MARTINSVILLE RACE A YEAR AGO, SO IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WERE HOPING TO PUT TOGETHER EVEN BEFORE SEEING WHAT SHANE AND BRODIE DID LAST YEAR? “Yeah, 100 percent. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time and Shane was super lucky with how his stuff all came together and I was super happy for him and how Chicago went was obviously amazing. For me, it’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it’s just great to finally be able to pull something together and do this race.”
WHY A TRUCK VERSUS AN XFINITY OR CUP CAR? “I went to Martinsville 12 months ago and I’ve done a lot of dirt oval stuff, small stuff in Australia, so, to me, I wanted to experience oval racing and the truck was probably the perfect opportunity to come over here and do a short oval and get racing.”
DO YOU HAVE AN END GAME WHERE YOU’D LIKE TO BE A FULL-TIME PARTICIPANT IN NASCAR OR IS THIS JUST A ONE-TIME THING? “I definitely have a dream to one day get over here and race full-time NASCAR, but to get there it’s such a long journey and I’ve got a pretty cool thing going on in Australia racing Supercars. For me to do the odd NASCAR race like we’re doing this weekend is pretty cool, so we’ll go through this weekend and have a bit of fun and work out what NASCAR is all about and see what happens in the future.”
WHAT IS IT THAT INTRIGUES YOU AS A COMPETITOR ABOUT THE NASCAR STYLE OF RACING? “It’s totally different to how we go racing in Australia. We have 12 weekends a year that we’re racing, where over here you’re racing every weekend. It’s pretty full-on. The style of our racing is totally different. I’ve grown up on a dirt oval background. My dad used to race. I’ve raced sprint cars, late models, modifieds, so oval stuff isn’t new to me, so I wanted to come over and experience the pavement oval.”
WE HEAR FROM GUYS WHO HAVE COME OVER FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES AND GET INTO NASCAR ABOUT THE AGGRESSIVENESS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE HEARD OR JUST KIND OF HOW ARE YOU PREPARING OR HAVE YOU TALKED TO ANY OF THOSE GUYS AS TO HOW IT’S DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU RACE THERE IN AUSTRALIA? “I heard it’s pretty aggressive over here. I’ve watched a fair few races, so I’ve kind of picked that up myself. I spoke to Shane about how he’s obviously tackled racing and races and the Thor Sport drivers as well have given me a few tips with how truck races go down. They say it gets pretty wild at times, so hold on. But the way I want to treat it is just finish, keep the truck clean, and learn as much as I can.”
WHAT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING MORE RACES IN 2024? AND WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER A SUCCESS ON FRIDAY NIGHT? “I think Friday night, if we can keep the truck clean, like I said, and take in as much as I can, I think that’d be good. I’ve kind of got no expectations. I don’t really know how I’m going to go. It’s going to be kind of jumping in the deep end, so to speak, with the limited practice and not being able to drive the truck beforehand. Right now, this is the only thing we’ve kind of got set in stone. It’s kind of hard with my schedule in Australia. I’m going after a championship over there. This race fit in pretty perfectly between AGP and Telpo to fit in a race. Really just need to get through this weekend and see how we go and go home, go to New Zealand, and try and win some races over there to get my Supercar championship back on track.”
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES TO BE? YOU MENTIONED THE LIMITED PRACTICE, SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR THROUGH THAT 20 MINUTE SESSION, AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WILL BE AS YOU GET THROUGH THE EARLY PORTIONS OF THIS RACE? “I think there’s going to be a lot of things which will be challenging. The track’s going to be totally different than anything I’ve ever driven. The tire’s totally different, more power, more weight. So I think just learning the car under you and working out what it likes will be the biggest challenge for me with limited practice. So I’m very lucky to have an awesome team around me with so much experience. All the other drivers have been so helpful, giving me tips and whatnot. I’ve got a lot to take in in a short period of time, but I like the challenge of it. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
THE CUP SERIES CAR IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SIMILAR TO THE SUPERCARS AND WHAT YOU’RE ACCUSTOMED TO. DO YOU ANTICIPATE TRYING TO MAKE A START THERE, WHETHER THAT’S THIS YEAR OR NEXT? “One day, I’d love to drive one, but right now my thinking is I want to do some oval racing and get experience with that side of it. I think the truck is a perfect way to do that, even though the cars are a little bit different, I think it’s the best way to learn. So I’d probably prefer to do more truck stuff.”
HOW MUCH OF A DISCUSSION IS NASCAR WITH YOU AND OTHER COMPETITORS IN THE SUPERCARS SERIES AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU SEEING NASCAR TEAMS MAYBE MORE OPEN TO LOOKING AT PUTTING YOU GUYS IN SEATS? “I think NASCAR has a massive following in Australia and it’s like anything, some drivers really love it and follow it and some drivers are happy with what they’re doing in Australia. Some drivers like GT racing or things like that. So you got different people wanting different things. I think if Shane starts winning more races, it might spark a little bit more interest.”
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THIS? “I’d say probably 18 months and then, 12 months ago I came to Martinsville and checked out a race. That’s the first race I’ve been to. So yeah, there has always been a bit of an interest there. I’ve been very lucky with my race team in Australia, Tickford Racing, that they’ve allowed me to look outside the square and do a bit more racing on the side. They see it as a compliment to my racing in Australia. They let me race the 410 Sprint Car over the summer. If I can do something that’s going to complement my racing, they’re all for it.”
WHAT ARE YOU MOST CURIOUS TO EXPERIENCE THIS WEEKEND? “I wouldn’t say it’s one thing, it’s just I want to get out there and experience NASCAR as a whole. The whole weekend. I’m going to stick around and watch all the races and just take it all in. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be pretty wild races out there. So yeah, should be cool.”
I’M GOING TO HELP YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION, CAM. SINCE YOU’RE GOING TO MARTINSVILLE, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS A MARTINSVILLE HOT DOG. THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE AND THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE MARTINSVILLE WEEKEND. SO BY ALL MEANS, MAKE SURE YOU STOP BY THE HOT DOG STAND AND GET YOURSELF A MARTINSVILLE HOT DOG. “You’re not the first person to say that, so I think I’m going to have to go there and experience it for sure.”
DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING NOW THAT EVERYBODY’S LIKE, OH, SVG DID WELL, WHO ARE THE OTHER DRIVERS IN SUPERCARS WHO POTENTIALLY COULD MAKE THE MOVE? “I’d already kind of started dialogue with Thor Sport and whatnot before Shane had even done a deal to do the Chicago race. So it’s something that I’ve been looking at doing for a long time. I’ve been racing sprint cars for three years with dirt late model stuff before that. So yeah, this hasn’t just come out of nowhere. Where it leads to, I’ve got no idea. But at the moment, it’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a bit of a bucket list thing and I think it’s gonna compliment my Supercar program. So yeah, should be cool.”
HAVE YOU EVER DONE A RACE OF 200 LAPS? “I think the longest oval race I’ve done is probably 50 laps, but the races in the Supercar championship are pretty long as well. So, in Bathurst, we can be in the car for three hours. So, I don’t think the length of the race will be too crazy, I hope, but I’m sure the race will be pretty full on. So, I’m going to be pretty tired at the end of the race.”
YOU MENTIONED SPEEDWAY RACING A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND YOU SAID IN THE PAST THAT’S HELPED WITH YOUR SUPERCAR DRIVING ASIDE FROM TURNING LEFT, WHAT HAVE YOU PICKED UP FROM SPEEDWAY RACING THAT YOU THINK WILL HAVE YOU WELL-SERVED DRIVING ON A TRUCK ON AN OVAL? “I think just racing I guess, years of oval stuff, I think it’s only going to help. I think the sprint pass stuff, having to search for grip and different lines and things like that should only complement what I’m doing this weekend. I think it’s probably a question to ask me after the weekend once I’ve experienced it and then I can see how much it’s actually helped or not.”
THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME TO US THROUGH TICKFORD RACING. YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY’RE FULLY SUPPORTIVE AND THAT’S EVIDENCE OF IT. DID THEY HAVE MUCH OF A ROLE IN HELPING TO PUT THIS DEAL TOGETHER OR LINK YOU WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE OVER TIME? “They didn’t really have much of a role in that capacity, but we’ve kept them updated along the journey and they’ve only been supportive of us, which has been awesome. So they see it as something that’s going to help me and I guess, help them to some degree as well. So it’s awesome to have a team like that behind me.”
WE GROUP A LOT OF YOU GUYS TOGETHER WITH SVG AND WITH BRODY. HAVING THAT SUPERCARS BACKGROUND, THOSE SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS, HOW DO YOU VIEW THE SUPERCARS COMMUNITY AND BEING LINKED WITH THESE GUYS WHILE YOU’RE STILL COMING OVER TO AMERICA TO NASCAR TO GIVE SOMETHING NEW A TRY? WHAT SEPARATES THE THREE OF YOU GUYS AS COMPETITORS AS YOU GUYS MAKE THIS COMPLETELY NEW JOURNEY TO A DIFFERENT STYLE OF RACING? “I guess we’ve got a relationship going from years of racing against each other. We all kind of talk. I went and caught up with Shane the other day. We went and played some Top Golf together here in Concord. I talk to Brody all the time. We’re always trying to help each other when we can, you know, when it’s not in the Supercar series. Obviously, it’s a little bit different now with Shane going and Brody’s having a year off. As much as we’re competitors, we want to see each other do well.”
Roy Akers