Following is an article from from Pro Auto Sports Monthly Newsletter written by Tribune Motorsports Editor and fellow FC competitor Richard Gray

Carl Scott, a Name to Watch in Formula Car Racing

By Richard Gray

Carl Scott doesn't talk up a "blue streak." He is one.

At the tender age of 17, the pilot of the blue Formula Continental Van Diemen in the Yellow Group has 13 years of driving experience, nine years of ever-increasing racing skill and the ambitions of Mario Andretti. "I've always wanted to race an open wheel car professionally," said the young Scott with a matter-of-factness that makes one believe he'll do just that. Maybe that's because he believes it.

He took a big step toward his goal on the Friday before the April ProAutoSports race weekend when Director Larry Pond arranged for Carl to test drive a McDonald Racing IndyCar and an Indy Lights car now campaigned in the U.S. Speedway Series.

Carl said after his first laps, "these Indy Cars have incredible power and handling! I am approaching this opportunity conservatively and will let the lap times come to me." And he did just that. Carl's lap times continued to improve and at the end of the day, his times were as fast as most experienced professionals.

As Carl looks enthusiastically toward the future, it's instructive that we look to his past. How did he get from a go-kart beginning at age 4 to a test drive in a pure-bred 600 horsepower beast, an opportunity that young racers all over the country would be salivating to match? After four years in a go-kart learning the basis of driving, he moved to racing karts with his father, John, who essentially played the same role then as he has now, keeping the car running strong and the son pumped.

To see John and Carl work as a team is A-work instruction in father-and-son relationship building. They are teammates, friends. They learn from each other. They support each other. Their on-track endeavors have built a bond that dominates the Scott family. Carl's mom, Suze, is their moral support, comforter and cheering section and team manager. All of us who race know how crucial the role of the women on the team is to us fulfilling our drive to drive - from basic permission to shared enthusiasm to even driving themselves.

And so, with the childhood experiences in the valuable world of karting, Carl and his family took a big step when Carl was 14 - two years too young to drive the family car. A family friend, ProAutoSports graduate and car's young peer, Andy Brumbaugh, a ProAutoSports teen graduate, introduced the Scotts to Pond and ProAutoSports. ProAutoSports, unlike other racing organizations, believes in giving teens the driving tools and skill they need long before they have occasion to use it on the highways. Most driving organizations mandate a minimum age of 16.

"We encourage young drivers to learn the basics of car control long before they are put on the highway," Pond said. "That's why our age limit is 14 instead of 16. The kids can learn how to drive in a safe environment, and when something happens on the road that requires them to take evasive action, they'll know what they and the car can and cannot do. This is one of the most significant things we do. We're helping to save lives." Pond continued "In fact, we have allowed drivers as young as 12 to go through the program as long as they have the initial driving skills, physical attributes and attitude required. We introduced this program to our insurers in 1995 and they were really pleased that someone was trying to help teens learn about the dynamics of driving a car."

Insurance companies charge teens high premiums because their experience and skill level do not match their lightning-fast reaction times. "It's no secret that teens are in significant danger on the road because most don't have the opportunity that ProAutoSports affords," Pond said. "How often have we read in the newspapers about teen-agers finding themselves in situations in which they have no experience," Pond said. "Fatalities occur far too often among teens because they don't really know how to control a car."

Driving on the street and racing on the track are distance cousins. Carl knows very well that racing in competition provides valuable lessons for the street. He's more cautious, he's more alert, he's safer, all because of his experience on the track. Carl calls it "situational awareness," or "road sense." He can read drivers. He watches where they're looking, and anticipates their next move. He's developed a sixth sense about driving. "There's a tingle in the back of your head," he said. "When you're about to change lanes, it tells you to look again." "Racing, he says, is a lot safer than driving the Broadway Curve where I-10 and state 60 intersect." "I know what all my racing competitors are going to do," he said. "On the street, people are doing crazy things."

His driving savvy is a comfort to his family, who without question allow Carl to drive the family car with utmost confidence. They, and Carl, know that speed belongs on the track.

Carl is not the only teen who has benefited from the lessons offered by ProAutoSports and its driving instructors. Teen racing graduate Brumbagh, a year Carl's senior, is running the ZecTech professional series, Conrad Bielharz is running the Grand Am series, Cheryl Angotti ran in a Nascar Race Truck series and Michael Potekhen was a star in the Formula Mazda series. Larry has been a mentor to many youngsters that have the desire to race as a professional. "But," he says. "the real important thing is we can help teens be safer and more competent drivers on the street. Then, if they want to move into racing, we provide a seamless program to take them from street cars to race cars to professional racing."

Carl started driving with ProAutoSports in a rented Mazda RX7 to get his competition license and then moved to his ambition in a formula car. "We saw Larry's organization and we really like it," Carl said. "We came back five months later in the Yellow Group and we won the race. It's been going great ever since."

In his first formula race, he bested Marshall Lillquist, one of the fastest formula drives in the club. At the St. Johns Grand Prix last year, Carl made an outstanding pass of Steve Lewandowski on the last lap to win. After the race in the radio interview, Carl said, "Larry Pond told me how to set a fast competitor up to make a difficult pass on turn 9 work, but he also told me to be patient and wait until I can make the pass safely. I followed his advice and it worked perfectly. Larry has a been a great mentor the past few years."

The real draw to ProAutoSports for the Scott family, said Carl, "is the no-hassle environment. We get lots of track time. It's perfect for a driver who wants to learn."

His first ProAutoSports instructor, Formula Ford driver Will Hartej, opened his eyes. "He offered so many years of experience," Carl said. "To have a resource like Will is invaluable." "In fact, I understand that the instruction program is based on instructors with a total of over 100 years of championship experience."

So, when Carl Scott makes the big time, ProAutoSports will be proud to say it served as a mentor, and for a racing organization that brings along young drivers, it doesn't get any better than that.