This Aukland, New Zealand native made an impcat in the racing world right out of the gate. Obtaining a special license in 1994 at the age of 13, Scott won the New Zealand Formula Vee series, then came in second in the NZ Formula Class 2 championship. The next year he took the Formula Class 2 championship outright. In 1996, Scott took on and won the Formula Class 1 championship. From there, Scott went to the Australian Formula 3000 series (called Formula Holden) where he earned a third place over all and the Rookie of the Year honors. The next year he won the series by posting 5 wins, 7 poles, and 5 second-place finishes in 12 races.

1999 saw Scott move to the US where he competed in the Indy Lights Series coming fifth overall and second in the Rookie of the Year honors. True to form, Scott turned his back in the pack finish from the previous year into a winning season the next by winning 6 of 12 races, and leading a series-high 228 laps on his way to the 2000 series championship.

In 2001, Scott moved to the "big cars" by getting into CART, and became the youngest driver to win a major open-wheel race on his way to taking the Rookie of the Year award and 8th place overall. The next year Scott continued learning the ropes, and switched teams on his way to a new CART team, and a 13th place finish overall.

2003 brought a switch to the IRL where Scott had a career defining year. He won 5 poles, 3 races, and set a record for most consecutive laps led with 343 on his way to the IRL championship. In 2004 Scott took a step back by finishing 10th overall and looking forward to 2005.