Cameron at Twin City
Name: Cameron McGahan
Birthdate: 6/25/86
Hometown: Kenai, Alaska
Marital Status: Single
Family: Mom, Dad, and little Brother
Occupation: Currently an Industrial Insulator
How did you choose your car number? 33 was my number in football my freshman and softmore years of high school, but I had to stop playing because racing took so much of my time that I wasnt able to do both.
Chassis: 2004 Eagle
Engine Builder: McGahan Racing
Crew Chief: Steven Blunk
Crew: Nick Lee, Cody McGahan, Max Stasek, Ed Kaona, Andrew Shook, Cole Chappell
Sponsors: Napa Auto Parts, Tesoro Petroleum, Kenai Neon Sign, R&K Industrial, Vopak, Airgas, Lynden Transport, Kenai Fabric Center
Favorite Track: Twin City Raceway, Kenai, AK
Divisions competed in: 360 and 410 Sprints in Alaska, SST class at North Star Speedway
Years Racing: 3
Wins: 12
Championships: 2004 Twin City Raceway 410 Sprint Car Champion, and 360 Sprint Car Champion
Regular Tracks/Series: Twin City Raceway, Kenai, AK; Mitchell Raceway, Fairbanks, AK
Hobbies: Going camping with friends and playing video games
Favorite Music: Country
Favorite Band: Alabama or George Strait
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Beverage: CranRasberry Snapple
Favorite Restaurant: The Burger Bus in Kenai, Alaska
Favorite Driver: Tony Stewart
Website: www.mcgahanracing.com
When and how did you get started in racing?
When I was about 12 my dad bought me and my brother quarter-midgets to race around alaska, at the time we had the only 2 quarter-midgets in the state. My brother and I would race out in the parking lot infront of my mom's fabric store after closing time. We would race for hours straight until we'd either run out of gas or wed burn up tires.
A couple years later when I was 14 when I had pretty much outgrown my quarter midget my dad put me in his old sprint car on the 4th of July for my first time in a sprint car. A year later I was racing full time with my own car in the 360 class where I eventually placed 2nd in the local Championship.
Who had the biggest impact on your racing career and why?
My dad has had the biggest impact on my racing career because he had been racing cars and snowmachines for as long as I could remember. So it was no surprise when I began racing cars around Alaska.
What would you be doing if you weren't racing?
Well right now I'm not racing full time so I still work a job throughout the week, so if I wasn't racing I dont think things would be much different, weekends would just be less fun.
What is your favorite aspect of racing?
Racing against drivers who have been winning for years, and winning.
What is your greatest accomplishment/best memory?
Taking the 2004 360 & 410 Sprint Car Twin City Raceway Championships.
What is the worst thing that has happened to you in racing, or your worst season?
The worst thing that has ever happend to me in racing would probably be my wreck at North Star Speedway while racing my 360 on asphalt. The track is small and virtually circular, because the race wasnt on our points schedule all the drivers werent swapping their cars over to an asphalt setup. So still set up for a dirt track we all dirt tracked our way around the 1/8 mile blacktop circle blue-smoking the tires all the way around. In my 1st heat I was moving up above another driver into turn 3 when he slid low and put his front wheels into the grass in the infield and got sideways and backed it up the track where my front left jumped the back of his car sent me tumbling into the concrete wall infront of the bleachers, the top of the cage above my head made contact with the barrier and bent the top half of chassis forward an inch or so which held the throttle bell wide open. With the throttle stuck open the car jumped up off its side and onto its rear tires again and wheelied across the track towards the infield where it rolled over again where I was able to turn it off. I was wearing a head and neck restraint system and didnt suffer any injuries.
In your own words, describe your 2004 season:
2004 was my best season in my racing career so far. I took both the 410 and 360 Twin City Raceway Sprint Car Championships, and placed numerous other wins around the state at Invitationals.
What are your plans for the 2005 season?
For 2005 I plan on racing in the Northern Lights Dirt Series (NLDS) around Alaska and attempt to claim the championship in the serie's first year.
Where do you see Sprint Car racing five years from now?
As it is I havnt had much of a chance to see where sprint car racing in the lower 48 is at right now other then flying down to watch races or what i see on tv, but I can see where racing in Alaska is going in the years to come. With this new tour (NLDS) and race track and the increased interest in the last year or so I see it growing to proportions where we'll eventually be hosting races that draw national attention. Someday soon I think big name national drivers will be racing in the 49th state. Alaska.
What is your ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal would be to become a full time racer at a professional level and to also see racing in Alaska as well as through out the country grow.