Scott Dedwylder is back.
Not that the 2012 Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series points champion ever left, at least not entirely.
In October 2013, Dedwylder, of Vossburg, lost his home to a fire. Priorities realigned, he couldn’t afford to chase points full time in Super Late Models. He filled in for Chase Washington for several races before returning to the track full time in 2014, his final season in Super Late Models, a division in which he’d competed since 1998.
This year, he’s competing for the NeSmith points title and is second in points in the 11-track, 18-race slate that covers Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.
“I’m settled back in,” Dedwylder said. “My daughter graduated, one of my sons graduated a year later … we had baseball and beauty pageants, so we kind of had to take a step back after the fire.”
Dedwylder didn’t want to leave Super Late Models, especially after clinching a points title in 2012. But Dedwylder’s race program has been as grass roots as they come. He never has had a primary sponsor, and he’s mainly relied on his brother, Craig, and friend, Jody Simpson to help him on race days. But as friends and family have gotten married, have had children, and have changed jobs, finding helping hands throughout the week and at the track has become tougher. This year, though, Craig and Jody Simpson have been his crew members. The assistance has paid off. Dedwylder has finished in the top five of all 11 NeSmith races he has competed in, including two wins and a runner-up finish at Magnolia Motor Speedway.
“I’m lucky enough that my wife (Kandy) continues to let me race,” he said. “It can be difficult to keep things together when you have a family. We’re fortunate that our kids (Jacob, Klair, and Noah) have graduated and we’re able to continue to race. Having my brother and Jody this year has been the difference. Their help, there just isn’t any better out there.”
Dedwylder won’t compete this weekend at Magnolia, which will play host to a CompCams Super Late Model feature and local shows for its other divisions. He plans to take the weekend off before competing at Cochran, Georgia, which will host a 60-lap, $4,000-to-win feature next Saturday.
Cochran, like more than half of the tracks on the NeSmith Touring Schedule, will be a new venue for Dedwylder. Despite differences in dirt, width, and bankings between tracks, Dedwylder said he isn’t fazed by the challenges posed by his unfamiliarity at tracks outside of Mississippi.
“Some tracks are a bit flatter, some turn a bit quicker, but everything’s the same,” Dedwylder said. “You rely on the people you know to get a bit of information. It’s like putting on a different color shirt. That’s all we’ve ever done. We’ve never had enough parts to do anything different.”
Dedwylder’s approach to racing is part of the reason he’d become jaded with the evolving Super Late Model division, which has more rules regarding tires and motors, he said.
“The science of late models has gotten so expensive to keep up with,” Dedwylder said. “It kind of takes the fun out of it. Now Crate comes through and you can use a lot more of what you got instead of worrying about how you’re gonna pay for a motor if it goes down. The tire bills, still, are crazy expensive. You love it, but it’s hard to do without the sponsors.”
A sponsor could help Dedwylder, who bought a new car and motor in the offseason, find his way back to Super Late Models, if he wanted to make the move back. Despite past success throughout the state in Super Late Models and his current run in NeSmith, he said he never has been offered a deal.
“I’m not sure why no one’s approached us,” Dedwylder said, “but we’re certainly available if anyone’s interested.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.