Kyle Busch tribute at Las Vegas Motor Speedway hits home for young racer Cam Carraway

By Crystal Clay

LAS VEGAS —The old adage “never meet your heroes” doesn’t quite fit Cam Carraway. The candy-loving kid who rooted for Kyle Busch and his unapologetic persona grew into “Cam-Man,” a 16 year old Castro Valley, California racer with a larger-than-life identity of his own.

Carraway was deeply devastated when he learned of Busch’s untimely passing. In the weeks that followed, he struggled to process the loss. His mother, April, said he still talks about how empty race weekends feel and how unfair the loss was to him.

Kyle Busch poses with young fan Cam Carraway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Carraway says Busch inspired him to race. Courtesy the Carraway family.

“I felt like something was missing, taken from me,” Carraway said.

Busch “The Candyman” was the driver who first drew Carraway into racing. As a young child, Carraway watched NASCAR on repeat and gravitated toward Busch’s red No.18 Skittles car.

“I loved candy, and one of my favorites was Skittles. So I gravitated toward that red Skittles car.” — Cam Carraway

His parents, April and Raymond, had no racing background. But when 6-year-old Cam saw children racing quarter midgets at their local fairgrounds and told his mother he wanted to give it a try, they found him lessons so he could learn the basics before taking the track.

“I got a little bit of race experience,” he said. “Once I ran my first-ever race, I never stopped.”

Cam Carraway holds a checkered flag while sitting in a quarter midget as his father, Raymond, stands behind him. Courtesy the Carraway family.

Carraway has since had opportunities to speak with Busch as a youth reporter and through his behind-the-scenes series, “A Cam’s Eye View,” where he shares his racing life and supports causes including Joshua’s Gift, an autism-awareness nonprofit. 

He holds the memory of  racing against Busch at Millbridge Speedway in an A-class micro sprint close to his heart. He’s also raced with Busch’s son, Brexton, at Madera Speedway, where they were teammates competing in different classes.

The Kyle Busch Classic brought Carraway back to the Las Vegas Bullring, a track he knows well. He started 11th in the Nascimiento Motorsports No. 21 car and finished ninth after recovering a late-race spin in Turn 2.

The Bullring is part of Carraway’s own history. Just like Busch, he made his first late model start there and remembers racing quarter midgets at a track near the Las Vegas Strip. He also attended his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to see Busch.

Cam Carraway poses with his parents, April and Raymond, and Pit Boss, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway mascot, beside his late model at The Bullring. (2023) Courtesy the Carraway family.

“Vegas is our second home,” he said. “There’s just a lot of core memories in my life that I’ve made at this racetrack.”

The weekend carries special meaning for Busch’s family and fans. The Las Vegas native and his older brother, Kurt, grew up racing at The Bullring. At the Kyle Busch Classic, Busch’s family was on hand as his son, Brexton, waved the green flag for the CARS Tour West Pro Late Model race.

The night before, Carraway joined the Busch family and other industry professionals as Busch was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame.

If he had one more chance to speak with Busch, Carraway said, he would thank him for his impact.

“I just can’t thank you enough for the influence you’ve had on the sport and on my life,” he said.

Carraway has his eyes set on his future in racing. He practiced in an ARCA ride for the first time last week and feels ready for an opportunity to compete in the series next season.

Busch’s competitive drive and personality helped shape the racer and Carraway hopes to become: a winner who leaves a strong impression on fans.

The 2-time NASCAR Champion’s influence on Carraway went beyond the results. “When I was that little, I didn’t understand why people didn’t like Kyle Busch that much,” Carraway said. He later came to understand some of the criticism, but remained drawn to Busch’s magnetic personality. Carraway hopes to win consistently and build a personality fans will remember, too.

Carraway with the backdrop of the iconic Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas. (Courtesy the Carraway family).

NASCAR’s return to Las Vegas — its first stop in Busch’s hometown since his death — brings a weekend of tributes to the track where the brothers got their starts. Larson will drive a Busch tribute car in Sunday’s South Point 400, and Kurt will bring the field the green flag as the honorary pace car driver.

The speedway also honored Busch with a Lap 8 “Moment of Rowdy,” a display of his championship car and trophy, and permanent tributes, including streets named Rowdy Road and Busch Brothers Drive.

For Carraway, the weekend is a chance to remember the driver who first inspired him and to keep carrying that influence onto the track at a place he calls home.