First I might share a little info about myself.  My name is Brian Scott and I am 20 years old.  I was born and raised in beautiful Boise, Idaho.  My racing career began when I was 12 years old on a very short 1/8 mile dirt track in my home town competing in 250cc and 600cc mini-sprints.  As time progressed so did my racing ambitions, and before I was 15 our family racing team was competing on tracks in Idaho, Washington and California.  After I found success in the mini-sprints my family agreed that I would advance into full-on sprint car racing.  Three quarters of the way through the 2004 season I began competing in a couple of 360 sportsman events.  At the start of the 2005 year I moved from the sportsman division to the regular 360 and 410 divisions, and by the end of the season we had captured a win, multiple top fives, and a coveted 2nd place in 360 Nationals at Skagit Speedway.  When 2005 came to an end I was awarded the Budweiser 360 Rookie of the Year award, my most prestigious award to this day. 

The day after my high school graduation in 2006 I was headed east, with all my racing gear loaded in a truck and destined for North Carolina to pursue a career in racing.  For half the year in 2006 and all of 2007 I was aligned with Super Late Model legend Freddie Query and began learning the ins and outs of short track asphalt racing up and down the East Coast.  In 2007 we decided to run a full season in the Hooters Pro Cup Series while continuing our selective Super Late Model program across the East Coast.  After struggling through a host of mechanical issues at the beginning we got our equipment dialed in and started clicking off top 10 finishes every weekend.  Before we could see how the season would play out in the Hooters Pro Cup cars, I got the opportunity of a lifetime with the two-time championship team Xpress Motorsports and crew chief Dave Fuge to run seven of the last eight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2007 and the full season in 2008.

After getting my feet wet in 2007, the Xpress Motorsports team and their driver with a yellow stripe geared up to hopefully be one of the top teams for 2008.  Our supposed "off-season" was anything but, with everyone in the shop working long hours to update and make all the necessary changes.  Finally after seemingly endless preparation our season was finally going to start.

Entering the first race at the infamous Daytona International Speedway I was beside myself.  When I began racing never did I dream I would have the opportunity to race at a track like Daytona, let alone against a field as talented as the Craftsman Truck Series.  As daunting as it was for a 20 year old like me I couldn't help but feel confident after a successful test in January and knowing how talented a team I was with.  At the wave of the green flag, we rolled off in the 18th position and our only goal was to be there at the end of the race.  After playing it out for a couple laps in the middle of the pack we decided that riding in the back would be the best strategy to avoid the eventual turmoil that ensued.  Our plan worked to perfection by putting us in contention for the win during the final 15 laps of the race and ultimately finishing ninth, within a second of the winner.  I don't know if I've ever learned as much in a year as I learned throughout the course of that 100 lap race at Daytona.  What an incredible place and what an amazing race!  For anyone that has never been to Daytona I highly recommend the experience.  For anyone who has ever said restrictor plate racing was boring I would tell them to come watch the Craftsman Truck Race at Daytona or try competing in one.  I think that would change the perception of all the naysayers.  With our confidence high we looked forward to our next race across the country at California Speedway.

California is a completely different track than Daytona and any track that I have ever seen for that matter.  California is a two mile, very flat, D shaped oval.  When practice started it was all about getting me acclimated to the track.  Once I was comfortable we then turned our focus to adjusting the truck to get what I needed for the race.  At the conclusion of practice we were very satisfied and excited about qualifying, feeling like we had a top five truck.  The start of our misfortune came when qualifying was rained out, cementing us in a 25th place starting spot based on last year's points.  Within the first ten laps of the race we had moved into the top 15 reassuring us that we had a very fast Chevrolet.  The next bit of misfortune came when a much lower than normal left side air pressure caused us to destroy our splitter from the center of the nose around to the left, causing a very negative effect aerodynamically and leading to an extremely tight condition.  Still we were making the best of it with a good series of pit-stops.  With 20 laps to go we were still running in the top 15.  But the final error was my own when I was caught speeding leaving the pits after a green flag stop with about 15 to go.  The drive-through penalty was the difference between a top 15 and our eventual disappointing finish of 23rd.

All in all I can't say that California was a complete failure.  What I learned from that race will be a great help through the rest of the year, and after 2 of 25 races we are leading the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.  Our next race is Atlanta, a track where I ran very well in 2007.  We are excited about going to Atlanta and know that if we can do what we are easily capable of then it will be a very successful race.  I can't thank my hard working team enough for providing me with great Chevrolets to race and everything needed to be successful.  Also for all my loyal fans and supporters, thank you so much for everything - your support and encouragement means the world to me and I appreciate it more than I can express.

As people speculate about who the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year will be, the focus primarily drifts to drivers like Colin Braun and Justin Marks.  Rarely do I read an article that predicts me coming out on top with the award.  This is the exact position I want to be in - beware the dark horse.