UP AND COMING
The USAC Silver Crown Series took center stage at Darlington Raceway last Thursday, and a group of veteran open-wheel drivers - and some youngsters - got a chance to take on "The Track Too Tough to Tame." It was USAC's first run at Darlington since the mid-1950s, and only one driver in the field had any previous experience there. J.J. Yeley, who had run at Darlington in Nextel Cup and Busch cars, bolted to an early lead, only to lose control in Turn 2 and hit the wall, something some of the world's best drivers have been doing for nearly 60 years. Among those who were able to dance with "The Lady in Black" was Cameron Dodson. The 18-year-old driver from Greenfield, Ind., ran in the top five for all 50 laps and finished fifth. It came on the heels of third-place finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Iowa Speedway. Although he has raced for years in sprint cars in the Midwest, in Hooters Pro Cup, ASA Late Models and made four starts last year in Mike Mittler's Ford on the Craftsman Truck Series, he said Darlington was an allnew experience. "It was definitely one of the toughest races of my life," he said as he climbed from his car on pit road after the race. "We kind of missed the setup, but I did everything I could to bring her home." As others who have raced at Darlington have discovered, it's not the sheer speeds that pose the biggest challenge to race drivers. "We were going way faster at Homestead," he said. "But Darlington is rough and tricky. It's 20 times harder." Dodson picked a good time and a good place to have a successful run on a challenging track. Among those watching were crew chiefs and other movers and shakers from the Nextel Cup circuit, who were at the track for the NASCAR races. Like other youngsters racing on "minor league" circuits across the continent, he'd like to one day join NASCAR's elite Nextel Cup division. That would mean a return to Darlington in a much more competitive division. But he has no doubt that if that were to happen, he'd be successful. "Yep, I will," he said. "I just came into this circuit. This is just my third race ever in a Silver Crown car. I'm just a rookie." But he already has attracted the attention of Nextel Cup driver Carl Edwards, who owns the Silver Crown car that Dodson drives. "I thank Carl Edwards for giving me a shot," he said. "And I hope Carl is helping me advance my career." Dodson hasn't laid out a timetable for moving up the racing ladder, but that doesn't mean he's not thinking about his future. "Right now, I just want to get signed," he said. "It doesn't matter when.
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