Pro stock driver Devon Camenga describes himself as simply a “race fan who turned into a race car driver at 30 years old.” Well, that converted race fan did well for himself last Saturday at Port Royal Speedway, with a $1,200 win.
“I started going to the races when I was 3 years old, when my dad, Wade, crewed for Mitch Gibbs — I became a super fan of dirt racing,” Camenga, of Troy, New York, said. “I was behind the curve when I began racing. Learned to be a mechanic. Learned how to drive. It took a long time to win, but it sure was rewarding.”
Camenga struggled before switching chassis brands in 2022. He went with
It was a switch of chassis brands in 2022 that changed Camenga’s trajectory. Last year, Camenga won 5 features at Utica-Rome Speedway.
“I never was all that successful, but when I teamed up with Shane Playford [of Playfab Racing] I got better and better” said Camenga. “I went from finishing 12th on average to sixth on average on the first year in his chassis. Last year was my breakout year. Hopefully, this year will be the knockout year.”
In addition to Playford, Camenga also credited fellow competitor Luke Horning for his success.
“I was never a guy to shove my nose in there — I was timid,” Camenga said. “I got driving tips from Luke and soon I made those moves.”
At Port Royal Speedway, Devon Camenga found a familiar face he had to battle for the victory.
“It wasn’t just my biggest win — I was able to hold off Luke, who usually wins a lot of races every year,” said Camenga. “I saw the nose of his car on the outside of mine. When I saw it again, I decided that if I didn’t move up one lane higher, he would pass me and I probably wouldn’t get back by him. I beat him by applying the driving tips he gave me.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
