Veteran Hoping To Mix In Sunoco Modified Races This Season
During the week, Scott Sundeen is busy running a business.
On the weekend, he takes left turns at high-speed in Connecticut, as Sundeen competes at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in the Limited Sportsman division.
The Sutton, Massachusetts, driver is the owner of Sundeen Furniture, a company he started nearly 30 years ago. But when he first decided to open the business, furniture wasn’t exactly what he had planned.
“Honestly, I came off from racing motorcycles after I got hurt, and I was hoping to open a motorcycle business, but I didn’t have the money to do it,” Sundeen said. “I got lucky enough to find a place to sell furniture. I worked for a furniture store in high school and college, and I got into the business when I found a place.”
Fast-forward to the present and he is thriving with his business, and still finding the time to wheel a Limited Sportsman in a division that has fierce competition. Sundeen is no stranger to success, as the veteran has been around the block before, winning four championships in a span of eight years at one point.
Sundeen won his first title in 2008, and followed it up by winning three out of four between ’12 and ’15, marking himself down in the record books as one of the best the division has ever seen.
“It seemed like for a few years I was always battling Larry Barnett and he seemed to always win it. I never really had the time I should have to put into the car and I had a ton of mechanical issues,” Sundeen said. “It was just a huge weight off of my shoulders to finally get it.”
Since the last title, Sundeen has struggled with some unfortunate luck on the track, including this year at the Icebreaker, where he started from the pole position but had to pit early on after a spin.
“When you are on a roll, everything is easy, but when you aren’t on a roll, everything is really hard,” Sundeen said. “I had one of the fastest cars and the tow truck pushing my car out to the Fan Appreciation Party at the Icebreaker lifted my rear spring out of the car and I didn’t know about it until the feature. I knew it as soon as the race started. These are the things that happen when you aren’t on a roll.”
He went to the back of the field following his spin, but was still able to work his way up through and finish in the seventh position in the opener. Sundeen finished fifth in the championship standings in 2018 with three top fives finishes and top-10 efforts in all but one of the seven races.
This year, he has three more races on his calendar, as Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series schedule includes 10-races. Following another successful Icebreaker weekend in April, teams will now return to the track next on May 19.
But, right now, he isn’t quite planning on running for the title again in the Limited Sportsman division. Instead, Sundeen will look to compete in the premiere Sunoco Modified division for a few races.
“I had no plans on running all of the races because I want to jump in a Modified and run a few races in that,” Sundeen said. “I just want to have fun. Before I retire, I just wanted to try it. The car has been sitting there with a brand new motor in it.”
But that isn’t quite in the cards for the next event. For now, Sundeen will buckle back behind the wheel of his No. 36 Limited Sportsman for the extra distance 30-lap event on May 19. The extra distance event is something Sundeen is used to having on the schedule, but last year, he didn’t have much luck.
“In the 30-lapper last year, we didn’t even complete a lap and we got wrecked on the frontstretch,” Sundeen said. “I’m looking forward to it. You have to get to the front as quickly as you can.”
With the Limited Sportsman taking center stage, Thompson fans won’t want to miss the second race of the season. The Late Model feature for the Sunday afternoon event has been extended to 40 laps, giving drivers just a few more laps to get the job done. Thompson’s Mini Stocks, SK Light Modifieds® and Sunoco Modifieds will also all hold qualifying and feature racing.
Lock City Drift begins their competitive drifting partnership with Thompson on May 19 as well – as the Street Series gives fans a new perspective to racing at Thompson’s facility. More details surrounding the event, including the event schedule, are coming in the near future.
Fans are encouraged to find all of the latest news surrounding Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, including the full event schedule, at www.thompsonspeedway.com.
Thompson is active on social media, where fans can also keep updated with the latest information on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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