FORT WORTH – In his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race of the season Brian Scott finished a noteworthy 14th in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Boise, Idaho native made his 10th Cup start of 2015, where the full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series driver showcased his worthiness of a Cup ride with a career-best 12th at Kansas Speedway last month and now 14th in his 17th career Cup run.
“It’s been a fun year in the No. 33 Chevrolet,” said Scott. “I have to thank this Shore Lodge team for fighting hard all day long. It’s a good feeling to have two solid top-15 finishes in my final two Sprint Cup races of the season.”
The two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner opened his limited season in a joint effort between Circle Sport Racing and Richard Childress Racing with disappointment after failing to qualify for the Daytona 500. However, a solid rebound at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in March with then a career-best 13th lifted their spirits.
Sunday’s performance though bookended a solid weekend for the 27-year-old, who racked up his 17th XFINITY top-10 of the season with a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge.
With just two races remaining in the NASCAR XFINITY Series season, the future for Scott remains in limbo.
The likable driver has been vocal on his reasoning for not wanting to run another season of XFINITY Series competition but has been equally realistic about the limited open seats in strong Sprint Cup cars, which are few and far in-between for next season.
Still, Scott’s ability to run side-by-side cleanly with the sport’s biggest stars and rightfully contend for a top-10 finish at the sport’s highest level Sunday gave him some welcomed and much deserved clout.
No matter where he lands next season, proof was like an instant seal of approval for him at Texas. With the right equipment led by the right people and making the most of the circumstances around him can amount to success in more ways than he realized.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
