, Del. - A love of racing as a child has led Millsboro's Lance Scott to a job in
NASCAR that is more of a labor of love than just labor. Scott is the hauler driver for
Hendrick Motorsports' (HMS) 5-car driven by 2021 Cup Champ
Kyle Larson. On Thursday, he drove the big rig to the
Dover Motor Speedway as NASCAR makes its annual trip to Delaware.
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Before moving with his family to North Carolina, Scott was a racer himself, competing at the Delaware International Speedway in Delmar and at other dirt tracks in the region. His family did work for HMS including taking show cars to promotional events. Scott eventually became part of the family enterprise.
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"I would help drive the hauler to some west coast stuff and do some tests with them (HMS)," Scott told WRDE. "Then Chad (Jimmie Johnson Crew Chief Chad Knaus) hired me in 2015 to drive the hauler for the 48 Lowe's team for Jimmie Johnson."
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When Johnson retired from full-time racing at HMS after the 2020 season, the crew including Scott and the 48 car were rebranded for Larson. Now that Johnson is back in NASCAR as part owner of
Legacy Motor Club, Scott gets to see the 7-time Cup Champ more frequently at the tracks on the circuit.
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"Every time Jimmie's at the race track he makes a point to see us, give us a hug, and tell us he loves us," Scott said.
Even though he is several hours and several states away from his home, home is not far from Scott's thoughts. In high school he said he played football at Sussex Central. Scott still tracks the Golden Knights and their recent run of state titles.
"I keep trying to get the boys to get me a state championship hat," Scott said. "I still never got one or even a hooded sweatshirt," Scott laughed in making this request.
In addition to his hauling responsibilities, Scott also supports the pit crew by helping set up the pit stall and running gas cans to the crew during a race. This weekend is a brief trip back home. Next week Scott and the team will head to Kansas.