Racing At South Boston Speedway Full Time Was Easy Decision For Scott And His Family Team

Thomas Scott is one of the little guys in racing, but he’s proud of the fact he can run with the big guys.

 

Scott takes pride in what he and his family have accomplished with their small operation over the past decade. The core of the team is him, his dad and his mom. There’s not a huge bankroll in sight. He works 55 to 60 hours a week as a production manager in a collision center “so I can race as a hobby.”

 

“It’s just a family deal we have, me and my family, and we run decent,” said the 28-year-old Scott. “A podium finish is a big deal for us. Our goal is to go to South Boston, run well and hopefully win a race or two.”

 

That’s not a stretch of the imagination at all. In sporadic visits to South Boston over the past several years he’s had a couple of third-place finishes. And in one of two starts last year, he fell out of the first of twin 75-lappers with electrical problems while running in the top five and in the second race came from dead last to finish fourth.

 

He’s already tested twice at South Boston this season and plans to test again Friday ahead of Saturday night’s Danville Toyota Twin 100s as he prepares to run the full schedule and chase a championship for the first time.

 

“So far, so good,” the Mebane, North Carolina driver said of the two tests. “The practice has definitely been a help. I raced on six different tracks last year and this has the fastest speed sensation of any of those.”

 

Scott said the reasoning behind picking South Boston to run a full schedule was two-fold.

 

“It’s an easy thing to say it’s because it pays well and the (two) tire deal,” said Scott, who has sponsor backing from Draper Lumber Company, Piedmont Racing Expo, along with Mincey’s Graphics, Biggs and Watson Wrecker Service, Scott & Watlington, PA CPA, Corbett Ridge Grocery & Garage and Sellers Racing Inc.

 

“That’s the lucrative part of us racing there. It’s somewhere to race where we get our out-of-pocket expenses for the night back at the end of the race. That doesn’t happen most places.

 

“But it’s the prestige of South Boston, too. The big names that have come through there and still race there. It’s cool for me to race successfully against Philip (Morris), Peyton (Sellers) and Lee (Pulliam) That’s so special to us, to be running with those guys. And it helps me as a driver because there are such quality drivers there.”

 

Also, a big factor in Scott’s decision to run fulltime at South Boston was the type of tire the track mandates … one that is more durable than most.

 

“The tire that we run there should be at all tracks,” said Scott. “To be on a tire that is repeatable, durable. One that is fast, or almost as fast 90 laps in the race, that’s a big deal. Being on a tire that closes the gap with the bigger teams has helped everyone like me.”

 

There are six races in five divisions scheduled for Saturday night with twin 100-lap Late Model Stock races, a 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race, a 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock race, a 30-lap Mod 4 race and a 15-lap Budweiser Hornets race.

 

The Martinsville Speedway offer will remain in place for the rescheduled event. Anyone presenting a ticket stub from either the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race or the STP 500 NASCAR Monster Energy Series race at Martinsville Speedway will be admitted free.

 

Tickets are $10 for adults and children 12 and under are free. Fan gates open at 5:30 p.m. with the first race taking the green flag at 7 p.m.

 

SOBO PR