Born in El Cajon, CA, Cameron began racing go-karts at eight years old, before eventually graduating to stock cars. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1996 in the late-model division at Willow Springs Raceway in CA, and despite not attending the first race of the season in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1998, Cameron won the Rookie of the Year award that year and finished fourth in the championship standings. He won his first series win in 1999 at Irwindale Speedway and finished that year second in championship standings.