Dave Leaderhouse
Herald Staff
For a brief moment Scott Lucas thought his racing career might be over.
Having just won the Pro Truck series this season at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon by a whopping 81 points, Lucas figured it was time to get out of racing and buy a pontoon boat.
Then came an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“Dean Braham called and he had a new truck,” explains Lucas. “He asked if I would like to run his old truck and see what it was like. I was thinking I would just ride for him a couple of times, but after I raced I said if you want me in your series I want my own vehicle and he said okay.”
Lucas’s regular season, which was capped with the overall title, most courteous driver award and best looking truck and crew titles, ended on Sept. 15 and one week later he drove Braham’s spare vehicle in a Canadian Super Truck race and finished second in one heat and sixth in the feature race.
Lucas then purchased the spare vehicle from Braham, a former member of the Prince Albert Raiders, and he is now preparing that machine for next season.
“These drivers are kind of like the top drivers in Western Canada,” says Lucas. “There are four races in Saskatoon, one in Vernon, B.C., one in Hythe, Alta., and possibly one in Kalispell, Montana.”
“The engines are bigger, the tires are different and there is a different rear end and suspension,” notes Lucas with a renewed sparkle in his eye as he can’t hide his excitement for what lies ahead. “I’ll be playing with the big boys.”
Lucas says he doesn’t have to compete in all the races, but he would like to if he can get the funding in place. Westar Services is his main sponsor and will continue to support Lucas in his new venture as will Lucas Welding, Northern Rentals, Econo Lumber, Mac Tools, Kal Tire (P.A.), Maaco Collision Repair and Painting, Shellbrook Chevrolet, Lonestar Automotive, Aaction Transmission, R&R Precision Machine, Century 21 Luke Gyoerick, KSL Trucking, Wrapper Jacks, Wix Filters, Moog, AC Delco, Blue Streak and Lucas Motorsports.
Lucas’s father Lloyd will remain as the crew chief and he has many others who help him get the vehicle in top shape prior to each race. At this level, Lucas says he makes no money from racing, but he also doesn’t want it to be too much money out of pocket either and that is why he will be seeking out other sponsors as the new series will have far more expenses in relation to travel and accommodation.
Does he see himself moving past the Super Truck series? In a perfect world, he would like nothing more than to see how far he could advance in the sport, but a touch of reality belies him.
“This is pretty much where I end, unless I get a ride in the States,” says Lucas. “Canadian racers just can’t get on in the States unless they have a big corporate sponsor.”
Having won the Street Stock in 2009 and the Pro Truck this past year, there is nothing stopping Lucas from adding another championship to his resume.
“It’s not what you do to the truck, it’s what you do on the track,” says Lucas, who will be the lone Saskatchewan driver in the field of 16 next year.
The dream is still alive and maybe it will continue for some time yet.
