MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Unlike his first appearance at Martinsville Speedway last fall, 16-year-old Dawson Cram walked into the historic half-mile this weekend with no pressure on his shoulders.
Cram is making his second appearance at the Virginia paper clip this weekend, but the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 marks the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for the U.S. Legend Cars International graduate after an engine failure in practice derailed his efforts last October.
That mishap only motivated Cram to come back stronger, something he’s done with vigor.
Driving for Mark Beaver’s Beaver Motorsports team and piloting the No. 50 Fluidyne High Performance/Bojangles’ Chevrolet Silverado, Cram came into the weekend with an owner points provisional and showed solid speed in practice and qualifying, flirting with the top-20 at times in a low-budget truck.
“Man, it feels amazing to be back at Martinsville,” said Cram. “Last fall was a heartbreaker, with not even getting a chance to try and qualify into the show, but now we’re back and better than ever. We’ve got good brakes, good people and a good motor that just pulls down the straightaways here.”
“We’re doing well and I feel a lot more comfortable than I did last year, especially knowing that I had a provisional and didn’t have to stress about whether I’d be in the race or not. This track is a lot of fun and I’m glad to be back.”
Cram ultimately ended up needing the provisional after qualifying 28th, but only barely, he reminded everyone after qualifying.
“There was a lot of weight taken off my shoulders this week knowing that I had a guaranteed spot in the race and could just relax if we didn’t hit the lap we wanted to in qualifying,” said Cram. “I’m breathing much easier than I was last year and so is everyone on the crew; Beaver Motorsports has done a great job preparing.”
“We’re a lot more organized and civilized, and hopefully we can get a top-10 out of it when all is said and done.”
A year ago Cram came to Martinsville with a family-owned effort and his childhood number – the No. 11 – on the door as he fought to adapt in his first laps behind the wheel of a NASCAR truck.
This weekend he found his situation and the feel of the vehicle much different after turning laps for Beaver, who has multiple years of experience as an owner in the Camping World Truck Series.
The most notable of those changes was noticed the first time Cram drove off into turn one on Friday.
“The G-forces I’m feeling and the brakes are about double,” Cram admitted with a grin. “This piece actually stops down in the corners and I can get off the brakes and let it rotate through the center. We’re 100 percent better than last fall; I’m so excited.”
That excitement showed in the opening laps of the race, when Cram drove up four positions early to put himself 24th at lap 23 before NASCAR waved the red flag for snow and postponed the remainder of the event – first to Sunday night, then to Monday at 11 a.m. ET when more snow than expected blanketed the track.
But the interruption hasn’t bothered the teenager one bit. His focus remains on the team effort that has gotten him to this point, including coaching from NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday and guidance from Team Penske spotter Josh Williams high above the half-mile during the race weekend.
“I have to thank everyone who’s ever helped me for getting me to this point,” Cram said. “I’ve been racing for 11 years and I’m sure there are people who I can’t even remember that have played a hand in helping my career forward. From the ones who helped push my car when I had a dead battery at a random short track in California to the ones who are here this weekend working on the truck, thank you so much to every one of them.”
“I love seeing their excitement … maybe even more than my own excitement. I’m super pumped though. I think I’ve been a little more nervous than I have been excited this week, but it’s such a great feeling.”
