Cameron Dodson: Racing’s next young superstar
By Mike Dutko
For 4/30/04
The next time someone tells you the world is in trouble because kids today just don’t have the drive or ambition to make something of themselves, load them up in your car and bring them to Mercer Raceway Park.
At Mercer, we have a youth movement that will quickly change their mind. Case in point: Cameron Dodson, from Greenfield, Indiana. Dodson made his first ever appearance at Mercer on April 10. That night he ran second to Rod George in the feature. The newcomer was back on April 17 and this time he brought a bunch of bio cards with him to the announcers’ booth before the races to introduce himself. Would you believe this new guy is actually a 16-year-old kid! Your eyes did not deceive you, I said a 16-year-old kid. His first race at Mercer was just the seventh time he’s run a 410 sprint car, yet he’s been racing nearly all his life.
Cameron Dodson took up the sport running quarter midgets when he was just eight years old. He quickly became one of the best at it too. Dodson notched his 300th career victory in April of last year. He’s a 13-time Grand National Champion, and set 37 new track records in a quarter-midget. At 13, Dodson moved up to the 600cc midgets. Those cars are similar to the 250cc micros we see in this area. The bigger engines are showing up in many of the areas of the country to power the little speedsters. In just two years, Dodson has won 20 600cc midget features, set two track records, and won the Pike County National 600cc Midget Outlaw Championship. Oh yeah, last year he tackled the full-size NAMARS Kenyon Midget Cars. He won there too.
During an interview on April 17, Dodson indicated his career plans are to someday be racing NASCAR. It’s a funny thing how NASCAR has become the venue of choice for many of today’s young talented drivers. Are you listening Tony George? Does anybody else remember a young kid coming in here from Indiana at a very tender young age that went on to make a name for himself in NASCAR? That’s right, Jeff Gordon. Cameron Dodson has all the tools to get there too. He is certainly fast, but just as important, he is very intelligent.
Listening to his interview, the young man was so articulate you would have sworn a driver much older was conducting the interview. He is very well-spoken. When he wove the names of his sponsors into the conversation it was with style. He talked about the Hoosier tires providing him with great bite to get hold of a fast track surface, and those Simpson buckles holding tight in his seat so he could work the controls. For the novice race fan, Simpson makes a number of safety products among them the five-point seat belt system the drivers use.
Dodson is a sponsor’s dream. It doesn’t sound like the endless droning commercial so many drivers sound like with their machine-like memorized list of sponsors. Many times racers are lucky to be associated with their sponsor’s programs. In Cameron Dodson’s case, his sponsors are really lucky to be associated with one class act; and this kid is only going to get better, and better.
It was really incredible to hear him talk. At just 16 years of age, you would swear he’s at least 25. He is humble to a fault, and yet he has been so successful he could easily carry a chip on his shoulder, but somehow once you meet him you know it would never be his style.
Dodson said Rod George, the guy he chased across the finish line in his first ever appearance, is one of the drivers that have been most helpful to him so far at Mercer. In fact, when two cars spun in front of him April 17, Dodson got caught up in the melee. The result was a ton of damage to the front end of his car. Who was the first one to Dodson’s pit to help him make repairs? Rod George. Rod got an early start in another form of small racecars, go-karts. He has parlayed that experience into quite a career locally.
After three weeks of competition, Dodson sits fourth in points with finishes of second, eleventh, and seventh. Not bad for a kid who a month ago had never even seen the joint.
Cameron Dodson has his eyes on a much bigger prize. There are so many factors that can play a part in the road to that success, but he is certainly on the right track. In a few years when you sit down to watch the Daytona 500, and you see a young driver named Cameron Dodson running near the front of the pack you can say I remember the day that kid came to Mercer. Remember the name folks, because this kid is going places!
-30-