However, he credits those experiences in helping him to prepare for the challenges that were ahead of him this year.  After two unsuccessful tries at claiming the title of IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Champion, the Center, Texas native felt winning the prestigious championship was slipping out of his grasp.

 

 

Scates made it back to the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals this year by winning the Top ET Championship at Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas.   

 

However, after claiming the track championship, Scates discovered motor issues on his race car and figured he might not even make it to Memphis. That was until a call from his sister allowed him to borrow her ’96 undercover dragster featuring a 496-big block engine running on E85 racing fuel with Mark Sullens E85 carburetor. 

 

For Scates, winning the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Championship will help his efforts in rebuilding the motor over the winter. 

 

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to the accomplish that,” Scates said. “When reality set in a few days after getting home I realized that rebuilding the motor in my car was a lot easier now.”

 

During race weekend, Scates felt like he wasn’t cutting good lights and all but wanted to pack up and head back to Texas.  Scates fought through adversity even after red-lighting in two of Saturday’s time trials. 

 

 

“I took it one round at a time,” Scates said. “During the final round of qualifying everything clicked and I started cutting really good times on the tree and kept the same mentality going all the way through to the final round.” 

 

That mentality helped him defeat Dale Foss from Wickliffe, Ohio in the final round with a .021 reaction time paired with a 5.072 run at 124.33 mph against a 5.05 dial-in. 

 

His trip to victory lane didn’t come without snags either.  As the jubilant Scates got out of the car, he got tangled in his restraints 

 

“Winning the Summit SuperSeries World Finals is crazy, I went through so many emotions after crossing the finish line, it was an indescribable experience that I will never forget,” Scates commented. “The money, the trip, and trophy are all cool prizes, but having the right to put the No. 1 decal on my car next year is the biggest accomplishment that I take away from the weekend.”

 

 

Scates credits his father for getting him involved in racing. When he turned 10, his father bought him a Junior Dragster to race and he has been hooked on racing ever since.  For 25-year old Scates his friends, and most importantly fiancé Amber and step-daughter Jordin support him every time he heads to the track.  

 

“Without the support of them I wouldn’t be able to do what I love each week at the track,” Scates said.