Long road trip to race for Kulesa

Home is where the heart is. It's also where the start is.

For 14 years, Scott Kulesa has made this his weekend routine: A 5 a.m. wake-up to catch the New London ferry that begins his long trip from Georgetown, Mass., to his mom's house in Calverton. It's about four-and-a-half hours from his home to his hometown. From there, he'll change, pick up his No. 10 Pontiac Grand Prix and make his way to nearby Riverhead Raceway. That's every Saturday morning.

"I've never thought about giving it up," said Kulesa, who is second in the late model standings. "There are weeks when there's things going on in Massachusetts and it's tough, but I want to do this as long as I have the opportunity."

Massachusetts is where he's lived since attending Northeastern University. It's where he's got a physical therapy clinic; where he and his wife, Lindsay, expect the birth of their first child next month.

Riverhead is where Kulesa fell in love with racing; where he was introduced to the sport as a kid by his late father, Tom, a former driver. Saturdays is when he meets up with old friends; when his mom fires up the grill at the racetrack.

"At 32, I'm not going anywhere with [racing], so it's more a hobby than a steppingstone," said Kulesa, the 2002 late model champ. "But it's so much fun for me."

He's had six top-10 finishes this season and, with three races left, sits two points behind Buzzy Eriksen (304). "No first-place finishes, but the crew has done well and we've consistently been up front," Kulesa said.

He'll make the usual trip Saturday, he said, and will compete in the 50-lap race.