Stock Car World Say Hello to Scott Speed

First we got Juan, then Jacques, and now it seems former American Formula One driver Scott Speed will make the jump from the open wheel ranks to the stock car world.

Speed, with the world's single coolest racing name, will make his debut at the Oct. 5 ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway -- the same event in which Juan Pablo Montoya made his just a year ago.

The debut will come with one of ARCA's top teams, Eddie Sharp Racing, in a Red Bull-sponsored Toyota.

Speed lost his ride with Scuderia Toro Rosso in F1 earlier this year, but he never lost his partnership with Red Bull.

"I come from a completely different world of racing, so there's no doubt it's going to be a challenge learning how these cars handle, but I'm ready to get out there and see what I've got!" said Speed.

Speed's connection with Red Bull dates back to 2002, when he won the Red Bull Driver Search, a program aimed at putting an American talent into Formula One.

Speed's venture into stock cars doesn't have a set path for 2008, but it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see the talented driver in either the Busch or Truck Series some.

Current NASCAR Nextel Cup Team Red Bull drivers Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger aren't expected to replace by the new guy, though.

After all, he didn't win support from Red Bull for a lack of talent.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-21-2007 @ 10:22AM

Maveness said...

I admit to finding Scott Speed's hiring to be unnerving, because of the way it happened. I don't fault him for wanting to race and wanting to try out NASCAR. (Frankly, I enjoy when various series want to try each other out. Crossover appeal can be good for all.) But Red Bull's owner promised Scott a ride without discussing it with Team Red Bull. Spacewise, there's no room at the Team Red Bull shop for a third Cup car. They barely have room for the two teams right now. And they're landlocked, so there's no space to add on. They also currently don't have a Truck or Busch program (although I'd love for them to have a Truck program at least) because their resources have been dedicated to getting the Cup program running - a feat that's significantly hard, especially with Toyota being a new manufacturer.

Then again, from the time Speed was promised a ride to now, I'm sure there have been significant talks about Scott's path with the team.

(And part of my worry is because I adore AJ's sarcastic butt and want to see how he does once he gets more seat time in a consistent ride.)

9-21-2007 @ 11:03AM

BUD said...

hE CANT DO ANY WORSE THAN OLD MIKEY WALTRIP, HEY THERES A THOUGH PUT HIM IN MIKIES CAR THEN MIKIE CAN BLAME THE DRIVER.

9-21-2007 @ 8:35PM

CJ said...

Look for this guy to replace AJ in the #84 car. I see Team Red Bull switching to Chevy's next year and since Toyota pretty much put the money up to lure AJ away from Open Wheel, i see him heading to MWR or Bill Davis Racing's Toyota and Speed with Vicker's in Bowties. With the loss of Gibbs, Chevy has the resources to bring in another team.

9-22-2007 @ 8:38AM

john wilson said...

good luck...you will need it

9-22-2007 @ 5:10PM

Troy said...

Go - Speed - Go. My friends and I have followed you through your F1 career. We are pulling for you and believe you will set a new benchmark for rookies in NASCAR. Juan is doing great as a rookie and we can't wait for you to swap a little paint with him. However, we still long for an American champion in F1.