Scott Will Compete for Rookie of the Year in First Full Sprint Cup Season
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 11, 2015) – Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that XFINITY Series veteran Brian Scott will join Aric Almirola in their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series lineup. The 2016 season will mark Scott’s first full-time Sprint Cup Series schedule, where he will have the opportunity to compete for the Rookie of the Year. Scott will make his debut with Richard Petty Motorsports at the Goodyear tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway Monday, December 14, before hitting the track for the season opener Daytona 500, in February.
Scott brings nine years of experience in NASCAR’s top three series after making his NASCAR debut in 2007 in the Camping World Truck Series. Since then, he tallied 17 Sprint Cup, 208 XFINITY and 62 Camping World Truck Series starts. He scored his best Championship Points finish of fourth during the 2014 XFINITY season. In his six full seasons competing in the XFINITY series, he has five Poles, an average finish of 15th, and 20 Top-Five and 77 Top-10 finishes, including four runner-up finishes. Not a stranger to Sprint Cup competition, Scott earned a Pole at Talladega Superspeedway in 2014 and best finish of 12th at Kansas Speedway this fall.
“I am thrilled to go Sprint Cup Series racing full-time next year and to do it with such an iconic team,” said Scott. “When you think NASCAR racing, you think Petty. I’m glad to now be a part of that legacy. I had a lot of fun competing in the XFINITY Series for the last seven years, and I’m excited to take the next step. I ran some races in the Sprint Cup Series the last few years and learned a lot. I feel like we are in a good position to compete for the Rookie of the Year next year and continue the consistency that RPM built over the last few years.”
Richard Petty Motorsports has shown its commitment to winning, and through relationships with Ford Performance, Roush Fenway Racing and Roush Yates Engines, it continues to build consistency on the track. In 2015, the team was consistently a top-finisher in the Ford camp and posted three Top-Five, nine Top-10 and 22 Top-15 finishes.
“We’re happy to welcome Brian to the team,” said co-owner Richard Petty. “Our team has worked very hard to continue our winning tradition and building consistency. We feel Brian is a great addition to that. He’s made a steady progression through the ranks, and now, we feel he’s ready to compete in the Sprint Cup Series.”
More details, including sponsorship, will be released in the upcoming weeks.
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.