CALGARY, Alberta — Making his first trip the Central part of Washington state, Cameron Hayley brings a stout resume for his competitors in this weekend"s annual Yakima Speedway Fall Classic.
At 15 years of age Hayley is the youngest to ever take the green flag in the prestigious Montana 200, was crowned the youngest champion of Canada"s Dakota Dunes Late Model Series and made NASCAR history as the youngest starter in the K&N Pro Series.
All of that experience will serve Hayley well as he makes only his second start on a half-mile oval this weekend when the green flag drop on the historic Fall Classic. With the start history will be made yet again as Hayley will be the youngest driver to ever make the Fall Classic field.
"I think my team and I just need to go into Yakima with an open mind,"
Hayley said of any added pressure heading to the Fall Classic.
"It (making the field) is definitely extra motivation to do well being that I would be the youngest driver to start in the Fall Classic. We just need to approach the race like any other and let things fall into place where they need to for the main event."
Running his No. 24 Cabinets by Hayley NASCAR K&N Pro Series car and his late model at Spokane County Raceway"s half-mile has given Hayley perspective towards the weekend, he noted.
"Fortunately for me one of the flattest tracks I"ve raced at with the late model happens to be Spokane which has some similarities to Yakima from what I"ve been told. I"m not sure what Yakima looks like yet having never raced there but I believe my experience at Spokane will be a help when we unload in Yakima this weekend."
Late model action in Spokane may be a benefit to Hayley"s preparation for Yakima"s Fall Classic but he admits the NASCAR K&N Pro Series start he made on the Inland Empire half-mile may proved the best asset to his learning curve.
"I believe the most help that our team has going for it heading into the weekend would be our run in the NASCAR race at Spokane County Raceway. Although the two cars are different at least I know I can run well on a half-mile and adapt quickly to a new track."
This weekend"s late model event at Yakima may be the final time Hayley climbs behind the wheel of his late model in 2011. With so much earned on the race track in the year, Hayley is still aiming for more races.
The Alberta native will make two more NASCAR starts in coming weeks, but admits the late model racing has been incredible over the last year.
"This year has been amazing for my race team," Hayley confirmed.
"We"ve had the chance to run at many different tracks and it"s been an awesome experience. We have had our ups and downs at each but we have always come out with a good result at the end of the night. I find that it"s a bit easier to adapt to new tracks (after running so much in 2011) and I am really looking forward to seeing what Yakima Speedway is like. Having a chance to race there is going to be awesome and I look forward to a great weekend with a solid finish at the end."
Race fans can follow Hayley"s progress in this weekend"s Yakima Fall Classic by logging onto cameronhayley.com or by following Cameron Hayley Motorsports on Facebook.
