8/20/2016
Camden Murphy
MURPHY ACHIEVED HIS GOAL AT BRISTOL
MURPHY ACHIEVED HIS GOAL AT BRISTOL
8/20/16
The 2016 season has had a lack of seat time for Itasca, Illinois native Camden Murphy, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy. He has been traveling around the country doing Driver Coaching or going from race to race and working in the shop with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series team, SS Green Light Racing. During all of that time, he hopes to meet the right people and make the right connections so he can get back into the seat and continue on his NASCAR career.
During his travels to Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, August 12th, he received "The Call". The call every driver hopes to get saying "We need you in the seat at Bristol in the Xfinity car". Camden was shocked and excited but took it like the professional he is and set a goal to not worry about where he finished but just finish the race.
Already having two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts under his belt, Camden never thought he would have the amazing opportunity to jump into a NASCAR Xfinity Series car but thanks to Rick Ware Racing, Lilly Trucking, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana it was made possible!
Leading into the first round of practice we ran into an electrical problem that didn't allow the car to run but the team was able to figure it out with just 20 minutes left in practice. Short on time, Camden was only able to make 15 laps around The Last Great Colosseum. As the second practice approached, Mother nature decide to hit and hit hard which caused the second round of practice to be cancelled.
With only 15 laps on track, Camden went into qualifying with the mindset of using it as a practice session. After making drastic changes to the car prior to qualifying, the car was dangerously loose all the way around the track so Camden decided to take it easy and finished off qualifying in the 38th position.
After provisional's for other drivers were implemented, Camden found himself in the 39th starting spot but with that one goal in mind; Just finish the race. Being the racer he is, he wanted to push the car to its limits and move forward as much as he could but the veteran inside knew that all he needed to do was finish the race. At the drop of the green and only having 20 laps on track, he continued to learn as much as he could about the high banks of Bristol and the NASCAR Xfinity Series car he was in. Right away he knew that his car was not working at all on the bottom so he decided to give the top side a shot. After each pit stop, Crew Chief Joe Lax and the Rick Ware Racing team did an awesome job with getting the car to turn better and better as the night went on. Before half way, Camden was already running consistent enough times to run in the top 25 but had already lost too much ground from the beginning of the race.
As the laps started winding down, the Rick Ware Racing team still continued to make the car better and better as a few cautions and rounds of pit stops occurred. With only 20 to go, Camden had nothing to gain on track but experience as he was the only one on his lap. At the drop of the Checkered flag and 295 laps complete, he had achieved his goal of finishing the race in one piece.
The racer inside him knows he could have done so much better but he had that one goal in mind being on the big stage in front of tens of thousands of fans that night at Bristol Motor Speedway and the tens of thousands watching at home. He knew that if he was to bring the car home in one piece that his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut would be a complete success.
A word from Camden, "A Special Thank you goes to Rick Ware and the entire Rick Ware Racing team for all of their hard work this weekend as well as Lilly Trucking, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwestern Indiana for the amazing opportunity! Thank you to my other partners, True Power Oil, Car Doctor Jr., Mark Signs, and O'Hare Auto Body! And a HUGE shoutout and Thank you to my fans. Without your support, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Thank you!"
To find out more about Camden go to his website CamdenmMurphy.net or on social media. Facebook.com/camdenmurphyracing Twitter- @Camdenmurphy Instagram-@Camden.murphy
Article Credit: PR
Submitted By: Camden Murphy