Championship Profile: Scott Sundeen Captures 4th Title in XtraMart Limited Sportsman
Scott Sundeen has won his 4th Xtramart Limited Sportsman championship and he has decided to retire. Well, sort of. Scott will be back to defend his title, but he is retiring his 11-year-old racecar that has carried him to all of his Thompson championships.
This car is a prized possession for Sundeen and before he rolls it into the garage for the last time, the car will make at least one more appearance at Mohegan Sun during the annual Thompson Speedway Awards Banquet. He will dust it off on occasion in 2016 and join the Northeast Street Stock Tour as his schedule allows, but the rigors of running weekly have passed for this #36.
Sundeen started his driving career in earnest in 2002 as a full-time competitor, but the magic wasn’t there. In 2004, he was introduced to chassis builder Bob Fill who he purchased the eventual championship car from. That decision proved to be the key ingredient to Sundeen’s success.
The first championship came in 2008. “It felt good just to get it off my back,” said Sundeen. “
His breakout season may have actually been 2012 as he tallied 8 victories and earned the title going away. That season he also won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division III National Championship.
2014 was a different year that was greeted by a shorter schedule meaning any mistake on the racetrack was magnified in the points. It wasn’t Sundeen’s best season as he fought through mechanical issues yet was still able to come away with his 3rd crown.
Then there was 2015. A win on opening weekend set the standard for the season. His worst finish was 7th, the only time he placed outside the top-5. A win in the penultimate event gave Sundeen a slight advantage over his respected competitor Larry Barnett.
“This is the hardest one that I have won, “ recalled Sundeen. “I only had a two point lead over Larry and I had already lost a championship to him by 1 position.”
Sundeen’s 4th place effort at the Sunoco World Series was enough for the title.
That weekend, championship team photographs were taken inside the garage area. Sundeen stood at the rear tire of his beloved #36 joined by Pete Kenney – his only crew member.
“At my house the only person that touched the car was me,” said Sundeen. “My wife sat in the seat to scale the car and at the track Pete Kenney helped out. He has been with me since the beginning.”
Sundeen has turned a lot of laps on this car. He spent less than $1000 to race this season. He bought only 3 tires all year, rebuilt the transmission, replaced a radiator hose, and fuel for the car. It was all his car required for him to roll into victory lane a 4-time champion and one of the best drivers the division has ever seen.
Sundeen will campaign this car one more time before the Thompson Speedway family on Dec. 5 at Mohegan Sun as the championship hardware is handed out.
Sources: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park