SEEKONK, Mass. – Whether it’s been as a crew chief, spotter, driver, mechanic or in another role, Cam McDermott has built quite the resume in short-track racing.
He started his career driving in quarter midgets, quickly moved to the Thompson Speedway Modified division, where he won the championship – and from there, his career has blossomed in a variety of different directions.
For 2021, McDermott is going to be quite the busy guy once again – but his preparations for the season includes getting the No. 8 Maybury Material Handling machine ready for competition in the six Tri Track Open Modified Series events. McDermott will be behind the wheel of the family-owned machine to join a talent-filled group of competitors on the Tri Track circuit.
“We’re mainly going to focus on the Tri Track stuff this year, transitioning into that after focusing on the Stafford Motor Speedway Open Modified races the last few years,” McDermott said. “The competition with Tri Track is always great. I want to go out there and compete against the best – I love doing that. On the ownership side of Tri Track, with what Wayne (Darling) and Ed (Bennett) are doing, it’s good for the racers and the teams.”
Outside of driving, McDermott will be working as crew chief for Eddie Harvey Racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, with his close friend Woody Pitkat, driving. McDermott is ready to tackle that role after more than a decade working with the legendary Pasteryak family, where he recently was the crew chief for Chris Pasteryak.
Back when McDermott was winning races and a championship in the Thompson Modifieds, McDermott was connected with the Pasteryak family, started helping Carl on his car, and from there, became a major part of the operation.
During the last decade, he says he completed just about every job there is on a Modified race team, minus maybe being the jackman or gasman on a pit stop. He also has experience working with Woody Pitkat in Pitkat’s championship run at Stafford Motor Speedway, and when Pitkat was competing for Buzz Chew Racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as a spotter.
McDermott’s driving experience also includes competing in the Lite Modified division at Thompson, where he was the champion, and at Stafford Motor Speedway, where he competed in the SK Light Modifieds and their premier SK Modified division.
And that’s just scratching the surface of his resume.
“It just grew from the Thompson Modified days and it got better and better,” McDermott said of his relationship with the Pasteryak family. “They are just a great family to be around. Between the Pasteryak family and my dad, I’ve learned everything I know about racing from them. The Pasteryak’s pay attention to every single detail. It’s such a great atmosphere to be able to learn from them and now transition it into my own car. I’ve been able to take everything I’ve learned and just put it into what’s best for me.”
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