HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Brian Scott will be the first to admit that he hasn’t had a lot of shining moments during his rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign.
But, the Boise, Idaho native will be able to remember his planned final Sprint Cup race after finishing a solid 15th in Sunday afternoon’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Scott qualified his No. 44 Safeway Ford Fusion 22nd and throughout the 268-lap race, his Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) team could adapt to the changing track characteristics to keep Scott on the lead lap and an opportunity for a lead lap finish.
Scott survived a nine-car accident on Lap 258 and a subsequent restart on Lap 267 to finish a lead lap 15th place finish.
“We actually had a car that was capable of competing,” said Scott. “That kept us in the race and kept us able to hang on when we took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. I thought we were gonna have a shot for a top 10, but it just didn’t play into our favor with not having a car that was very good on restarts the first couple of laps.
“I’m proud of my guys though for fighting all year. Even through the struggles it’s been a fun year.”
Sunday night’s race marked the end of Scott’s full-time run in NASCAR. Two weeks ago, Scott announced his retirement from being a full-time driver to focus on his young and growing family and also the next phase of his racing career.
Scott began competing in NASCAR’s national series in 2007, debuting in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He competed full-time in 2008 and 2009, earning his first win at Dover International Speedway in 2009. He earned an additional win in 2012 at Phoenix driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
From 2010 through 2015, Scott competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, racing for and against some of the sports best. Scott finished inside the top-10 in championship standings in five of his six seasons driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing respectively.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that I made myself for my family,” Scott said before the Phoenix Cup event. “Racing and specifically NASCAR has been and will always be in my heart, but right now, I want to turn all my attention to my family and to be able to spend more time with them.
“Racing has blessed me with great opportunities, and I’m very grateful for everything that it has allowed me to do, but for me, it’s time to move on. I can’t thank everyone enough who helped me in my career. I would not have made it to where I am at today without their trust and commitment.”
In 2016, Scott was signed by Richard Petty Motorsports to compete in his first full-season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This season was highlighted by a runner-up finish in October at Talladega Superspeedway.
After his third best performance of the season, Scott said his future remained bleak, but he is ready to begin the next chapter.
“I’m excited,” Scott added. “I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’m excited to find out.”
The 28-year-old finished 31st in the series standings running at the finish of 31 of the 36 races this season.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
