“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. 7