Scott Dion presented the 2013 Anthony Francis Memorial Award
Growing up a drag racing fan, it’s easy to see how Scott got hooked into the sport of auto racing. He loved fast cars, and it was a chance night that brought him to Seekonk Speedway for the first time with close friend Neil Kingsbury. That’s all it took for him to get to turn from straight lines to oval track racing.
They put a car together and were going to share the driving duties, but Scott found himself as the sole driver.
After another tour of duty, he moved into the LM division with a used car. A new car followed, and he started to find Victory Lane. A move into the Pro Stocks, and after some time, he once again found his way to the winners circle.
But all of this is not the reason that he is being honored with the Anthony Francis Memorial Award. Scott has found himself reaching out to other competitors and helping them when needed. All of this while grooming the next generation racer.
His son Branden has been racing for many years, and with each learning curve, he found what he needed to do to get better. Each step, he found it hard to get help from other competitors to get better, so he made sure he wouldn’t fall into that habit.
When they moved into the SYRA division, there was another learning curve, but once he got to where they were competitive and racing for wins and championships, Scott was found in others’ pit areas, helping them get better. There wasn’t a week that would go by that there weren’t at least one competitor’s cars in his garage, being adjusted, tweaked, repaired, or whatever needed to be done to get them back onto the track. It was never about doing it for money, it was about helping others get better. On more than one occasion, even after they moved out of the division, competitors would be thanking him for his help.
When he moved into the Sport Truck division, it wasn’t to save money, but it was with an eye for the future of the sport. His son was getting ready to make the move, so he wanted to be sure that Branden would be set up for success. While doing that, he branched out once again and was helping others.2013speedwayawards157
There would again be SYRA cars, Sport Trucks, Late Models and more in his garage as he prepared for each week. He would drive one, Branden would drive another, and there was a rotation of drivers in the third truck prepared out of that same garage, including his wife Maureen. There are at least 5 trucks sporting the Triple D Racing logo on them, and I am sure there are more coming.
Not to be forgotten, with everything she does behind the scenes, Scott made sure Maureen was involved with every facet. While he and Branden were having fun, Scott thought it would be fun to see Maureen behind the wheel of her own car. He went out and bought her a vintage modified with some storied history. They had a lot of fun with that car, traveling to different tracks and making new friends.
You will be hard pressed to find someone with anything negative to say about Scott. He has helped countless people, regardless of the division they were running, and those remain close friends to this day.
As he did last year, he will enjoy racing in a way few others have been able to. Last year, he competed against Branden in the Sport Trucks, helping his son become one of, if not THE youngest Saturday winner in the 68 year history of the speedway. Both drivers picked up 2 wins each, with Scott winning the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Championship, and both finishing in the top ten in the season championship points. This year, they will race together in the LM division, and venture out into open wheel racing as well.
Sources: SeekonkSpeedway.com