DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — A 20-year-old California NASCAR Late Model driver is doubling his success after he doubled his racing workload.
" Double The Workload Doubles The Winning At All-American, Stockton"
Two-time All-American Speedway champion Matt Scott of Sacramento, Calif., added a full-time schedule of racing at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway this year. His results so far have been championship caliber.
Scott is in his fourth year of NASCAR Late Model racing, but was fast from the start. He won back-to-back championships in 2010-11 at All-American, a .333-mile paved oval in Roseville, Calif. He started his racing career there with a limited schedule in 2009 and won five features including a 100-lap special event.
This year he added a full-time effort at Stockton, a quarter-mile paved oval. Stockton and All-American are about 65 miles apart and both operate on Saturday nights. NASCAR Late Models alternate between the tracks where they are designated as NASCAR Finalist Division III.
“Before this year I raced only once at Stockton, back in 2010,” Scott said. “Unfortunately we wrecked really hard and had to replace the front and rear clips. We just focused on All-American Speedway until this year.”
Scott leads the Late Model points at All-American and is second in standings at Stockton. With an overall record of four wins, 11 top fives and 14 top 10s in 14 starts, Scott is fourth in NASCAR Finalist Division III asphalt track standings this week.
The NASCAR Finalist Division program recognizes drivers who compete in support divisions at NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks. With “Division I” being each track’s top division, the NASCAR Finalist Division line-up at each track highlights drivers competing in their second, third, fourth and fifth tier divisions. A NASCAR-licensed driver’s best 14 finishes are counted toward their final point total for the year. Points are kept separately for dirt and asphalt tracks.
Paved track NASCAR Finalist Division leaders this week include Division II Jeff Garrison, Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Division III Joe Hensel, Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway and Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia, Ohio; Division IV Ken Cassidy Jr., Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl; and Division V Jack Purcell, Raceway Park in Shakopee, Minn., and Elko (Minn.) Speedway.
NASCAR Finalist Division leaders on dirt tracks this week include Division II Chuck Schutz Jr., Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa.; Division III Craig Whitmoyer, Grandview Speedway; Division IV Brian Kosiski, Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, and I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.; and Division V Chris Jenkins, Salina (Okla.) Highbanks Speedway.
Scott’s 2011 title earned him recognition as the Norcal Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year Award. That success helped him gain primary sponsorship from Kamps Propane, which allows him to promote the company with a two-track racing program this year. Kamps joined the team last year and sponsored his NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut at All-American in October. Scott qualified 14th and finished 10th.
Scott comes from a racing family. His grandfather Charles “Scotty” Scott, uncle Chuck Scott who owns and crew chiefs his car, and dad Mike all raced. Other crewmen include Brian Bates and Scott Kilroy.
“I always knew I wanted to drive,” Scott said.
He raced successfully in Quarter Midgets and then Legends cars before his family acquired the 2006 Lefthander chassis in 2009 that they continue to campaign. They have been winning races, setting track records and winning championships ever since.
The car’s set-up is nearly the same for both tracks except for a gear change.
“I just get up on the wheel and do my thing,” Scott said, “but the credit goes to dad, Chuck, Brian and Scott. It’s a team effort.”
