ALL THREE ASAMT DIVISIONS HEAD TO DELLS RACEWAY PARK THIS SATURDAY

By: Kari Shear-Carlson
(Monday, August 9, 2010) He may only be a freshman in high school, he may have hair like Boris Said, and a handshake that outgrips any one of his competitors, but there is no denying that Camden Murphy is proving to be an upperclassman in the ASA OREGON Midwest Truck Tour, a companion division to the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and grandstay.net.

Camden Murphy is no stranger to success in the world of motor sports. Before moving up to the ASAMTT, the Itasca, IL native won multiple championships in both the Super Cup series and the INEX Legends series. Murphy still drives a Legends car when his schedule allows. Some may believe that racing is racing no matter what series or division you are in. While the competitiveness of this is true, the style of cars and trucks can make a big difference.

“I didn’t really have high expectations coming into the 2010 season. I really just wanted to learn from the veterans and make the best of it.” That is exactly what Murphy has been doing. When asked how his previous success has helped him in the ASA Midwest Truck Tour, the driver of the #85 Ford F150 was honest. “Actually it is completely different. It might have helped me a little bit, but in reality not much.” If you have ever seen Murphy race his Car Doctor, Inc., O’Hare Auto Body sponsored Ford, you might beg to differ with him.

When it comes to veterans, the Truck Tour has some of the best of the best. With the likes of the Wood brothers, Tom McClintock, Gary McDonald and many others, Murphy has plenty of experience to learn from. One of those veterans and three time winner, John Wood, likes what he sees in the young driver. “We have a lot of young drivers with a lot of possibilities ahead of them. I see improvement each and every week. Camden is a heck of a driver and has a great start. As they continue to learn their equipment better, it will only make them better. He is a great asset to the Truck series.”

One of the great things about the ASA Midwest Truck Tour is the communication between the competitors. “They [veterans] help me tremendously. We talk all the time and they help me out by telling me both what I did right and what I did wrong,” Murphy said with true appreciation in his voice.

His appreciation is not only out of respect, but also because he does not have a crew or a bunch of guys that help him out on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, Camden Murphy Racing is a two-man operation; just Camden and his dad, Bob. That is one of the first things he will tell you when you ask him about his racing career. “My team is just me and my dad and we have to compete against all of the veterans and those who have a bigger teams.” Anyone who knows anything about racing understands the time and effort it takes both on and off the track.

So far in 2010, the ASA OREGON Midwest Truck Tour has had five different races at five different tracks. In fact that is one of Murphy’s favorite things about the Tour; going to all the great tracks and meeting all sorts of great people. “I think it is awesome being able to go to all the historical tracks like Madison International Speedway. I have raced there a lot and consider it my home track. But I love every track we have gone to so far.” He has already proven that he can adapt to the various venues throughout the Midwest. His season started out at MIS, what he considers to be his “home-track,” and it showed. With a sixth place finish, the driver of the McGuinegill powered, Hole-n-One sponsored Ford gave his competition something to watch for.

Camden has finished in the top-ten in four out of five events so far this season, but it is not so much how he has finished, but how he has performed throughout each and every race that is making heads turn. Murphy is one of the most improved drivers of the season and proved that last Tuesday at Wisconsin International Raceway. Almost any driver will admit that WIR is a “unique” track and one that takes a while to adapt to. You would have never guessed that watching Murphy. He was able to hold off the veterans and hold on to the lead for much of the event.

Vice President of the ASA Midwest Tour, Steve Einhaus sees a lot of potential in the young driver. “Camden (Said Head) Murphy has been our most improved driver. He's really young and I can tell you right now the veterans trust him, they like him a lot and everyone is really impressed with his improvement over the year. He led some laps at WIR and if he wouldn't have had more demons on his truck again I think he would have been in contention for a top three.”

The driver of the #85 Mark Signs and 83 & Devon Citgo sponsored Truck and the rest of the ASA Midwest Truck Tour will be heading to Dells Raceway Park (DRP) this Saturday, August 14th for the “Wisconsin Dells 40.” This is one track that Murphy has great memories of. He has raced both his Super Cup and Legends car on the tight 1/3 mile oval. In fact, the Super Cup Series Championship was held at DRP and in order to win the championship, Murphy had to win every event he raced in that day, including being the fast qualifier. “We won everything that day and won the feature by a nose to take the Super Cup Championship. It was a lot of fun!” While he is familiar with the track and even victory lane, he knows that racing the Truck will have its challenges. “The Dells is really a small track for bigger vehicles, so it will be interesting.”

If you want to find out just how interesting, make plans to head out to Dells Raceway Park this Saturday. All three ASAMT divisions will be competing. Qualifying begins at 4:30PM followed by racing at 6:30PM. For more information and a detailed schedule click on Schedule from the main ASA Midwest Tour home page.

To learn more about the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels and Crossings by GrandStay Inn & Suites, log on to www.asamidwesttour.com or call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (262) 514-3880 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.

If you would like to learn more about the ASAMT series sponsors, please visit their websites: Kwik Trip, Inc. (www.kwiktrip.com), ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment (www.echo-usa.com), and GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels and Crossings by GrandStay Inn & Suites (www.grandstay.net).

To learn more about the Midwest Sportsman Tour log on to www.asamidwestsportsman.com.

To learn more about the ASA Midwest Truck Tour log on to www.asamidwesttrucks.com.

To learn more about the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association® Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association®, visit www.asaracing.com.

ASA®, ASA Racing®, and American Speed Association® are registered trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. ASA International, LLC or Racing Speed Associates, LLC are not related to or affiliated with the ASA Late Model Series.