MARTINSVILLE, Va: Supercars standout Cameron (Cam) Waters impressed with a competitive NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut in Friday night’s Long John Silvers’s 200 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Unfortunately, his race ended 24 laps shy of the 200-lap finish.
Announced as a one-race debut for ThorSport Racing in the team’s fifth No. 66 Ford F-150, many were not sure what to expect from Waters in his first wave of action in a stock car, but the Australian superstar capitalized on experience in the simulator, feedback from his ThorSport Racing teammates, fellow Aussie competitor Shane van Gisbergen to maneuver the 12th fastest lap in practice.
The field tightened significantly during Truck Series qualifying, landing the No. 66 Tradie Ford F-150 22nd on the starting grid.
From the drop of the green flag, Waters mounted competitive lap times and was able to climb through the field throughout the opening two stages. He ran as high as 12th when the field flipped on pit strategy at the end of Stage 2.
Despite being in heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic, Waters remained competitive inside the top 20 until Lap 165, when he was involved in a five-truck accident in Turn 4.
Able to escape the scene remaining on the lead lap, Waters was able to regroup and restart inside the top 25 and begin his march back inside the top 20 until he collided with ThorSport Racing teammate Jake Garcia on Lap 177.
Waters was attempting to slow down for a spinning Grant Enfinger in Turn 2 when he ran into the back of Garcia’s No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150, crinkling the front end of his truck and damaging the radiator. Smoke poured from the overflow, and water leaked from his truck.
He quickly drove his truck to the garage, where he ended his night with a disappointing 30th-place finish.
Despite the finish, Waters soaked in the experience and 176 laps turned at the famed Martinsville Speedway paperclip.
“I had so much fun tonight and all day today,” Waters said. “It is totally different racing from what I usually do and I just wanted to learn. I learned so much. There at the end I just had nowhere to go and knocked the radiator out of it. It is a shame but I was having fun and learning and had some awesome battles too.”
While Waters admitted that the racing was robust on Friday, he said he enjoyed the NASCAR competition because it was the exact opposite of anything he has experienced in Australia.
“Just the racing is so robust. Everyone is into each other,” he explained. “There is still a bit of respect there. It’s totally different from what we do in Australia. I love it. You can bump a little and give some back a little without putting someone in. That was probably the biggest thing.”
During the race, FOX Sports reported that ThorSport Racing said that Waters would return to the series at Kansas Speedway next month for the first of two trips at the 1.5-mile speedway in 2024. After the race, Waters said that Kansas is not confirmed as of tonight.
“At the moment, it is only tonight,” added Waters. I have a pretty busy schedule with Supercars and I just wanted to get through tonight and see where we were at. We will look at a calendar and see what we can do from here.”
Waters said he is completely focused on his responsibilities in the Repco Supercars Championship.
“Well, I don’t even know if I am doing Kansas,” Waters sounded. “Literally, tonight is the first and only race that we have planned to be honest. I just wanted to get through tonight. I have stuff to focus on in Supercars. We will look at the schedule and see if there are any other things we can do but we will have to wait and see.”
Looking ahead, whether Kansas Speedway pops up on Waters’ schedule or not, he made it very clear Friday that he wants NASCAR to be a part of his future and hopes to do more oval racing soon.
“I love oval racing and do a lot of dirt stuff at home,” he said. “I always watch NASCAR, and this is my first proper taste of it to see if I like it or not, and honestly, I love it.
“I still have unfinished business back in Australia, and I have an amazing team there that I have been trying to win a championship with, so I will go back home and win some races in Aussie and see if we can get back here again.”
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
