DOVER, Del. – The Nationwide Series career of Brian Scott is still relatively young, but the 25-year-old knew by the end of the 2012 season it needed a shakeup.
Scott left Joe Gibbs Racing after two seasons and headed to Richard Childress Racing with sponsor Shore Lodge. He’s seventh in points with six races remaining. For a driver who admits he wasn’t sure what he was getting into at RCR, he couldn’t be more pleased with the environment he’s in.
“Since I came into the Nationwide Series, I really just been kind of been beat up. I spent a year over at Braun Racing and that folded into Turner and kind of had a hectic end of the last season [there],” Scott said on Friday in Dover about his NNS beginnings following success in the Camping World Truck Series.
“Landed at Joe Gibbs Racing, which was a great opportunity, and we just never produced the results that I think was expected from myself or anybody else. I didn’t know what to expect with Richard Childress Racing but I did know that at the end of my second year with Gibbs a change of scenery was going to be the best thing for me. And since coming here it’s really reinvigorated me, it reminds me of the [CWTS] days.”
The 2009 CWTS was Scott’s best season with a win and seventh place in points, but it was also painful. He broke his wrist and suffered the side effects for the remainder of the year into 2010 as he moved into the NNS. Then the ups and downs began before signing with RCR.
Through 27 races his numbers have far exceed those he put up in two years with Gibbs. Driving for another one of the premier organizations in the series, Scott has found his comfort zone and the results that eluded him the last few years:
- He’s led more laps in 2013 than he had in 2011 or 2012 combined, a difference of 231
- He had 11 top 10s in 2012 but has 12 in 2013 after just 27 races
- He had four top 5’s in 2011 and 2012 combined but has three already this season
- He currently sits higher in points than he’s finished in his previous three NNS seasons
A few weeks ago in Richmond it appeared for 239 laps that Scott was on his way to a dominating first career win. Instead, circumstances and Brad Keselowski got the best of him and Scott is still trying to break through. However, there’s a feeling now for him in knowing that he can win and there’s confidence that he will.
“I feel like I can go out there and compete, I can run in the top five and I can win races. We’ve established consistency this year that I think a lot of people didn’t think I was capable of after a couple of hard seasons over at Joe Gibbs Racing,” he said.
“With recent developments I feel like we can be up there in contending for the win week in, week out and win some races. I don’t think there’s any race from now until the end of the season that’s a track we are incapable of winning at.”
It was also announced this week that he’ll make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Charlotte next month. And he hopes to run about five NSCS races next year as he continues to run in the NNS for a championship. Which now for Scott, doesn’t seem as far fetched as once thought.
“I’m excited, I like the change, I like the consistency that’s developed at Richard Childress Racing,” he said. “I like my group of guys on this No. 2 and I think our performance has shown this year. I think we’ve performed at a higher level.”
