By: Zach Catanzareti Staff Writer
Any time he races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Scott Heckert stands out.
Running two races so far for BJ McLeod Motorsports in 2018, Heckert’s experience shines both on the track and off.
On the track, he holds the moniker of “road course ringer” in both XFINITY and K&N Pro Series East. Off the track, Heckert has an engineering degree from Miami University of Ohio, giving him stability for his future in motorsport.
But on the track is where Heckert wants to shine and he has received opportunities from McLeod to run both road courses and ovals in 2018, though on a minimum part-time schedule. With these opportunities, Heckert, 24, continues to expand his racing resume, this time, to the second tier of NASCAR.
“We’ve become essentially family here,” Heckert told Kickin’ The Tires. “He knows I have a high passion for road racing. Any chance he gets to put me in a racecar, he takes advantage of it.”
Making his second start for BJMM at Watkins Glen International, Heckert also ran his first 1.5-mile race at Chicagoland Speedway in June. In both starts, Heckert finished 28th and 30th, respectively.
And even though he ran prior XFINITY races for the team in 2016, Heckert’s relationship with McLeod spans even further back.
“Even before XFINITY, he was running a super late model driver development program,” he said. “Matt Tifft and I were his first two drivers. We raced for him for a long time.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmGcaK_F0Ci/?taken-by=scott_heckert_
Heckert will return to the team at Road America, making his third start of 2018 and second XFINITY start in Elkhart Lake. There have also been talks about racing the Charlotte ROVAL, which holds its inaugural weekend in late September.
“We’ll see when we get closer there,” he said. “We haven’t talked about the ovals yet. Hopefully, I can do them, I love going back there.”
More than most drivers, Heckert appreciates his time behind the wheel following funding issues at the closure of the 2015 K&N East season. After his three full-time seasons for multiple team owners, he was unable to secure a ride for 2016.
“We had been searching all through 2015 to firm up our 2016 plans. Nothing really came along,” he said. “That’s pretty much the story of my career: It’s not so much decisions of mine. We made the decision to go to late models and then K&N, but after 2015, it has been about where the opportunities are. Where can we go that’s competitive? That’s what led us to sports car racing.”
The difficulties in the U.S. series opened the door for a switch to the Pirelli World Challenge. After multiple offers, Heckert started a new chapter in his racing career and currently competes for Lone Star Racing alongside teammate Mike Skeen.
#LoneStarRacing press release from @Pirelli @WCRacing #SprintX GT qualifying Saturday @limerockpark. Perfect 2018 front-row start streak continues with P2 qualifying run by @MikeSkeenRacing in No. 80 ACS Manufacturing @MercedesAMG #GT3 with @Scott_Heckert_ https://t.co/PRzZ8L8R7V pic.twitter.com/5b4gxUfRYE
— Lone Star Racing (@LSRTeam) May 27, 2018
“It’s been a great move for me,” he said. “I knew I had a good road course background and could probably get the job done. Unfortunately, since 2015, I haven’t had too many opportunities in NASCAR. It seems its getting tougher every day. I’ve been fortunate to have some great opportunities in sports car racing. They have been really good to me.
“I feel that’s where I’m at; I’m chasing the places I feel give me the best chance to win.”
Heckert isn’t the only driver who has crossed over from sports cars to NASCAR and back again. Austin Cindric gave up sports car opportunities to pursue his NASCAR career while Lone Star teammate Mike Skeen recently made his XFINITY debut for JD Motorsports at Watkins Glen.
“Austin I have known — we were flip-flopped and we had a bit of a crossover period,” he said. “He’s a great guy and definitely a great road racer. Mike can drive anything you put him in. He’s even more experienced than I am.
“There are a bunch of guys who seem to have pretty good crossover now. I feel it’s more common than it ever has been for road course guys.
Despite his growing passion for sports cars, Heckert still has one eye on setting a full-time XFINITY effort someday.
“It’s still something we search for,” he said. “We haven’t completely forgotten about the NASCAR thing. That’s one reason why I love to do these races even though it’s only a couple times a year. It keeps me in the loop.”
But where Heckert stands out beyond his driving talent is the time he spent in education with a degree in engineering. With an uncertain future in NASCAR, his engineering experience offers Heckert a stable foundation to have a career outside of driving in the sport.
“I have thought about pursuing that part-time,” he said. “I have found out it’s tough to strike a balance when you’re trying to pursue racing.
“It’s maybe a little more common nowadays. People realize you never know where racing is going to lead. You hope you will have a ride year after year but in reality, it’s tough. It’s good to have that second passion. I love engineering, I love it in the car world.
“That way you don’t feel if you don’t have a ride, you won’t be sitting on the street.”
In a sport where teenagers are quickly entering ARCA, Camping World Trucks and even XFINITY on a full-time basis’, earning college degrees have perhaps taken the back seat for young talents. Heckert feels that is a mistake.
“Let’s be honest, how many drivers in the end make a consistent living driving a racecar? The people who do it are blessed individuals,” he said. “I think it’s smart to have — I think backup plan isn’t the right word — but to realize there are other alternatives, more to life than racing.
“I’m extremely passionate about [racing], I hope every year I get to it until I decide to retire. I feel some dose of realism is always helpful.”
(Below is a video capture of our conversation with Scott Heckert)
