California auto racing prodigy uses car to help kids with autism
Cameron Carraway goes from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye. He doesn't flinch, doesn't hesitate, and he doesn't have a license yet.
While he is 14 years old, Carraway is old enough to leave grownups in his rearview mirror.
"The fastest I've ever gone was115 miles an hour, but I know I can go even faster," he told CBS News Bay Area.
While his friends are still riding shotgun, Carraway's busy test-driving his future — on a track in Stockton.
Carraway was six when he started and never took his foot off the gas, racing in over 200 competitions and becoming California's first Black state champ -- all before he could drive to the DMV.
His coach, Eric Nascimento, said Carraway has what it takes to make it all the way to top, if he can find the funding to get him there.
"You still need that sponsorship — that core foundation that's going to back you your whole career," Nascimento said.
Which is why what Carraway did next was so unusual. Instead of selling his prime real estate on the hood of his car to the highest bidder he gave it away.
Mizpah Rich is the co-founder of
Joshua's Gift
, a nonprofit named after her son that supports families living with autism. Even though Carraway isn't on the spectrum, Rich said he is inspiring neurodivergent children to believe in themselves.
"He's an incredible role model," Rich told CBS News Bay. "We have other kids now [saying}, 'I want to be a racer driver' because they see him."
Carraway's parents, Ray and April, say watching him race can be nerve racking, but the track has taught him something far more important than speed.
"You give to give, so we try to instill that in him as parents," Ray Carraway said.
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