OSWEGO, NY (April 10, 2024) - Pathfinder Bank SBS veteran Cameron Rowe is gearing up for his 20th season in competition at Oswego Speedway and this year it will include a special twist: Rowe gets to race alongside his son Cameron Jr. each and every Saturday night.
The driver of the No. 77 from Oswego, has been racing at the Oswego Speedway since 2001 and has certainly paid his dues, spending the first four seasons of his career in an older Proud Chassis that he originally purchased from Dan Ferlito.
Starting with his own car numbered 76, Rowe made one start before his brother Fran asked him to step in to drive the family No. 59 for Classic Weekend of 2001. Unfortunately, finances limited Rowe to sporadic appearances as he struggled to fund his own equipment in the early days.
Rowe recalled his first break in 2005, when he had the chance to drive a former Mark Regan car for owner Bob Kingsley. Reflecting on his time in the 52, Rowe said, "That was the first time that I was able to run pretty decent in my career. I made every show while driving for Bob and it was a big accomplishment back then racing against 35 or 40 guys every week."
For 2006, Rowe partnered with DJ Wallace to get his first ride in an FFB Chassis, built by Dan Dennie, who he of course still works closely with today.
“We had a solid season with the 85 car. It was a pretty good looking tribute we did to Dan back in the day,” Rowe recalled. “That was his number when he raced a Super and something that I wanted to do for him. Even back then, Dan would say that he needed to get me in a new FFB and I would be fast. We are still working together and the car I drive today was one of the last ones he built in 2017. When ‘06 was in the books I took a break for a little while to focus on my family and jobs and that is the only time I haven’t been at the track since 2001.”
After a few years away, Rowe returned to race for Ken Pierce on a part-time basis in 2010, and would later get the biggest opportunity of his career in 2011 when he was called upon to drive a newer FFB Chassis for Chris Tedd at Teddneck Racing.
It didn’t take very long for this new combination to find victory lane, as Rowe would pick up his first ever Oswego Speedway feature win in August of that year.
The following season, Rowe backed up his breakthrough performance with big wins in the Tony White Memorial and the 2012 SBS Summer Championship, again driving for Tedd.
At the end of what was already by far his most successful season, Cameron then received an unexpected phone call from Four Sevens Motorsports owner Denise Bond on Classic Monday, asking him to drive her brand new FFB Chassis in the Classic that coming weekend. He started on the pole, and the No. 74 led flag to flag, with Rowe becoming the 16th different SBS Classic champion in Speedway history.
However, despite remaining in competitive equipment and continuously being in contention for wins over the years, Rowe would have to roll with the punches of what turned into more than a decade’s long dry spell after finding the pinnacle of his SBS career in 2012.
“Obviously, that was the best day of my racing at Oswego,” Rowe said of his Classic win. “I had no idea I was going to drive the car until the week of. It had never seen the track. We tested on Wednesday and we knew we were in great shape. The thing is, you don't know when your last win is going to be and I started to question that a lot. We were there and always in the hunt. We always ran well, but you can only finish second or third so many times. It seemed like when I got the first win, they just kept coming for a couple of years there. I won a lot of heats, and it felt like we were doing everything right for a while, and then it just went dry on us.”
After a memorable Classic win, Rowe saw one more stint for Four Sevens Motorsports in 2013, two years driving for Mark Castiglia’s Missile Motorsports in 2014 and 2015, and since the 2016 season, if there has been an SBS event, despite whatever hardships they endured, chances are you could find the No. 77 pitside one way or another, with all of the cars fielded solely by CRowe Racing for the last seven years.
Discussing his dedication to Oswego, Cameron joked, ”I guess racing at Oswego for 20 years just means I am getting old. It is all I have wanted to do. I used to be the young guy at the race track and now I am getting up there, but it is actually really cool where the class is right now. I notice guys like Noah Ratcliff and Tony DeStevens who are not only racing, but those families are also building and fabricating stuff. When the Dan Dennies and Ray Hedgers are gone, we have to have someone left to continue building them. With this new generation I am seeing the fabricators, builders, mechanics, who are probably going to step up through, but they are really putting a positive impact on the division. The SBS class is sitting in a real good place right now and I still enjoy being a part of that. We have enough older veterans who are willing to give help to the younger generation if they are seeking it, and also some really good, talented rookies, so everything is in great shape overall.”
Through 10 years of trials and tribulations in pursuit of victory, there have been plenty of times that Rowe has come close to snapping his winless streak, and finally, the return to victory lane he was looking for came in a big way in July of last year and ironically, in a race he came close to picking up his first feature win in back in 2011 before an overheating issue with five to go.
A mainstay and backbone in the division for two decades, Rowe now has the distinct honor of being one of 25 drivers to be named ‘Mr. Pathfinder Bank SBS’ since 1992, again opening up the door for an uptick in confidence and momentum as the 2024 season draws near.
“Being Mr. SBS means everything to me and that’s what I was aiming for for a really long time,” offered Rowe. “We put this car together just before the 2017 season and I would’ve put dollars to donuts that we would have won some races in it before last year and for whatever reason we couldn’t get the stars to align. It means a lot because we did it on our own dollar and hard work. It’s a very special race. Racers collect trophies and that was a big one for me to have.”
Cameron admits that he was contemplating winding things down before the start of last season, however this win, as well as the debut of his son Cameron Rowe Jr. in the SBS class at Evans Mills Raceway Park last Fall, has certainly rejuvenated Rowe, who will race full-time alongside Cam Jr. this season.
“Having my son involved has resurrected my racing,” stated Rowe. “I am pushing 50 years old now, but I know we still have wins in us, and I know we can still be competitive. With him being there I want to experience a few years of racing with him and spend time doing that together. I was nervous as hell having him race at Evans Mills, but by a few times of him being on the track I calmed down and I knew he had a feel for the car, and was going to be competitive. It was like everything came full circle. That was our moment. I wanted to come around and lap him, maybe mess with him a little bit, but we never caught him. We were very excited for him.”
With the season just around the corner, there is no doubt that racedays for the Rowe family will take on a new flavor. With two generations sharing the track, there is an exciting opportunity for collaboration and perhaps even a bit of friendly competition as Cam Jr. learns the ropes from his Dad, and maybe, just maybe, they'll find themselves banging wheels on the track.
“I can’t wait until we can get out and actually race against each other side by side,” mentioned Rowe. “This is all gravy for me right now. I used to talk with Cam about racing together when he was little. It is always a fairy tale when your kids are that young and I didn’t know if he was really going to want to go that route when he grew up. Not everybody gets to experience this with their son and I hope we can really put on a good show for everybody.”
This Sunday, April 14, CRowe Racing is hosting a Chicken BBQ and Pulled Pork Fundraiser at Lighthouse Lanes in Oswego to support both the No. 77 and 87 SBS teams. The event will run from noon until sold out, and takeout is available for a donation of just $15.
There will also be a 50/50, door prizes, and raffles, including for a 58” TV and surround sound system, inside the bowling alley located at 295 East Albany Street adjacent to the Speedway.
CRowe Racing sponsors include J&S Paving, TGR Racing, and Lighthouse Lanes.
Cameron also thanked his crew and support system of Tim Grant, brother Tommy, brother Fran who lives in Texas but still watches on FloRacing, Jack LaTulip, wife Jaime, daughter Jayleigh, Lily Robinson, and of course his Mom Brenda.
Oswego Speedway’s 73rd season of racing will take the green flag on Saturday, May 25th, with the 75-lap Jim Shampine Memorial for Novelis Supermodifieds, 35-lap Tony White Memorial for Pathfinder Bank SBS, and a 30-lap Memorial Day Weekend special for J&S Paving 350 Supers serving as the lid lifters.
The Speedway is very close to making 2024 ticket sales and driver registration available in a new portal on the track homepage.
For more information, stay connected with the Oswego Speedway online. Visit our website at OswegoSpeedway.com, FOLLOW us on Facebook or X / Twitter (@OswegoSpeedway), and also on Instagram (@OfficialOswegoSpeedway).
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. The speedway has been a continuously run weekly racing venue since August 1951. The premier open-wheel pavement short track cars in the world, Supermodifieds, run weekly at the Oswego Speedway making it the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 Supermodifieds accompany the full blown Supers on a weekly Saturday night schedule which runs from May through September. Oswego Speedway is mentioned in racing circles as the “Indy of the East,” as no fewer than a dozen past and present competitors have competed at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway including Mario Andretti, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, and former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
- OSWEGO ADMIN on Apr 10, 2024
- Article Date: 4/10/2024