Thomas Scott was happy to just make the field for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 back in 2012. Now, Scott is hoping to be a contender in the most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race of the season on Saturday night.
The 28-year-old from Mebane, North Carolina rolls into Martinsville with plenty of confidence. He finished third in points at South Boston Speedway and 20th in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings. Even though Scott has been in Late Model Stock Car racing for several seasons, 2018 has been something of a breakout year for him.
“We’ve had such an amazing year, best I’ve ever had,” Scott told Race22.com. “I’ve proven all year, racing head to head with Philip Morris and Peyton Sellers, that I can finally race with them, finishing third to them in both South Boston track points as well as NASCAR state points. It’s taken a few years financially, but we finally have our equipment to where we have the same as the top guys with technical support from H.C. Sellers. I expect this year to be our best year yet at Martinsville.”
Scott has made the field for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 four times with a best career finish of 16th, a result he believes he can improve on Saturday night.
“I’ve always went into race weekend just fortunate to make the big race and it will still be humbling to do so again if it works out, but I feel like this year I could have a chance to win,” Scott remarked. “Martinsville has always been one of my favorite tracks to race at. It’s very similar to Ace Speedway, my home track, so we are definitely putting our best effort forward this year.”
Thomas Scott has always been an underdog throughout his career. In the earlier parts of this decade, just finishing in the top-five was an uphill battle for Scott. The first time he rolled through postrace tech at South Boston Speedway, he did so with a smile because it was the first time he had placed on the podium at South Boston. Now, Scott is a contender, but he remembers where he came from.
“It’s been a whirlwind for sure,” Scott explained. “To look back from where we came from over the past 10 years, it’s taken that long to get here because of the financial aspect of this sport. We’re still extremely low budget. We continue to work hard and be smart with our resources and it shows. We’re also back to having fun this year. We’re still a small family team but I’ve had a couple guys who come out to the shop a few nights a week after our day jobs to help out, and they go to the track with us, so it’s taken a lot of pressure off of me to where I can focus on giving 100 percent dialing the car in and driving to the best of my ability.
“You can’t ever forget where you came from, but you sure can enjoy the success when you’ve worked as hard as we have this year.”
Scott’s success this season has not been limited just to South Boston Speedway. In the Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway, Scott was in contention for much of the race, finishing in fourth. That run also boosted his confidence for Martinsville.
“I had no clue what to expect that weekend, and like always, we were just persistent on dialing the car in on old tires,” Scott stated. “Everyone was putting down these huge laps in practice but when it came time to qualify, we were right there. That race, being able to drive up to third by passing everyone, not really getting lucky, was about as big of a thrill as I’ve ever had racing. Not having a lot of experience at such a hard track to drive like Langley, plus racing and passing the biggest names out there in today’s Late Model scene, it was a dream come true.”
The run in the Hampton Heat was part of the dream, the dream of being one of the most competitive racers in the Late Model Stock Car discipline.
“I’ve always dreamed of being competitive at big races against the big guys, and to finally achieve that really has made my dreams come true already,” Scott elaborated. “Now that I’ve proven to myself I can do it, it gives me that much more confidence heading into the biggest race of the year on the biggest stage we compete on.”
In the past Scott has always hoped to just make the field for the race and finish. This year, he thinks he can contend for the win in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
“I think I can win,” Scott remarked. “We have a fresh engine and fresh car set up by the best out there, H.C. Sellers, and a fully covered budget for Martinsville expenses. Most of all, the confidence we need heading into the biggest race of the year after the 14 top-fives this year against the best in the business, we are ready.”
It’s often said “nice guys finish last” but, if Thomas Scott can pull off the upset and score the victory, it will soon be said that “nice guys do finish first.”
The ValleyStar Credit Union will take place on Saturday. Heat races will begin at 3pm and the feature race will go green at 8pm. The 200-lap feature event will be broadcast live on FansChoice.TV and on MRN Radio. Race22.com will have live coverage all weekend, beginning on Thursday evening with testing coverage.
