Pruett began karting at age eight and won ten karting championships before transitioning to sedan racing in 1984. He broke into professional sports car racing quickly, winning the IMSA GTO Championship in 1986 and again in 1988. In 1987, he captured the SCCA Trans-Am Series championship, the first of three Trans-Am titles he would eventually accumulate.
His versatility was evident by 1989, when he shared co-rookie of the year honours at the Indianapolis 500, recording a tenth-place finish driving for Truesports.
While testing for the 1990 CART season on March 16, 1990 at the West Palm Beach Fairgrounds temporary circuit, Pruett suffered serious leg and back injuries in a crash that sidelined him for the entire 1990 season. He used that year productively, serving as a colour commentator on ESPN's IndyCar telecasts.
Pruett rejoined Truesports and subsequently Patrick Racing for the mid-1990s, competing in Indy Cars for four years. He won the 1995 Michigan 500 after a late-race duel with Al Unser Jr., edging him by 0.56 seconds. He also contended for the 1994 IMSA 24 Hours at Daytona victory, which he won that year. His best CART championship result with Patrick came in 1998, finishing sixth overall with three podium finishes.
In 1999 he moved to Arciero-Wells to develop Toyota's Indy Car programme, earning Toyota's first oval pole position at California Speedway.
Pruett transitioned to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series full-time in 2000, racing the No. 32 Tide-sponsored Ford for Cal Wells. He was replaced by Ricky Craven after the season and largely stepped away from stock car racing, though he returned repeatedly as a road-course specialist. Over subsequent years he drove for Andy Petree, Chip Ganassi Racing, and James Finch at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, recording a career-best second-place finish at Watkins Glen in 2003. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series he showed genuine speed, winning the pole at Montreal in 2008.
Pruett's most sustained success came in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with Chip Ganassi Racing, partnering predominantly with Memo Rojas. He won the overall Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2007 alongside Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran, then added further overall victories in 2011, 2012, and 2013. His 2013 win tied Hurley Haywood's record of five Daytona 24 victories. The 2010 season was particularly dominant — Pruett and Rojas won nine of twelve races to claim the Daytona Prototype championship, setting a series record for victories in a season. He won five Grand-Am championships in total, and in 2008 set the record at the time for the closest Grand-Am finish, beating Alex Gurney by 0.081 seconds at Daytona International Speedway.
He also returned to Le Mans to win the LMGTS class in 2001 driving a factory Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, and claimed a GTS class victory at the 24 Hours at Daytona in 2002.
Pruett spent several years as a commentator for Champ Car races on Speed Channel and covered the 2002 FedEx Championship Series. On January 26, 2017, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He announced his retirement from racing on January 5, 2018, following the Rolex 24.
In 2021, Pruett returned to Chip Ganassi Racing as a strategist for IndyCar rookie and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. In 2025, he was inducted into the Trans-Am Series Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class.
Pruett and his wife also operate Pruett Vineyards in Northern California.
Scott Pruett's career spanned five decades and encompassed road racing, oval racing, endurance events, and broadcast media. His five Trans-Am titles, five Daytona 24 wins, and five Grand-Am championships place him among the most decorated American sports car drivers of any era. His consistency at the highest levels of multiple disciplines, combined with his recovery from a career-threatening injury in 1990, stands as a defining narrative of determination and adaptability in American motorsport.