Contract Status: Driver: 2010; Primary Sponsors: owners of the team
#82 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
Mobil 1 and Toyota UPDATE: not quite sure what this is all about, have heard nor seen anything but......Mobil 1 Racing and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) U.S.A to make announcement about 2010 NASCAR season Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled to be attending the announcement are Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota; Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing and driver of the #55 NAPA Toyota; Lee White, President and General Manager, TRD; Harold Shablom, Global Motorsport Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties.(PR)(11-13-2009)
UPDATE: ExxonMobil and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) unveiled a new technological partnership in which ExxonMobil will provide its Mobil 1 racing oil technology and products to TRD- supported NASCAR teams. Kicking off at the start of the 2010 NASCAR season, TRD-supplied NASCAR engines will be filled with specially modified motor oil based on the same technology available to consumers in Mobil 1 Racing oils, which were unveiled in April. The TRD-specific motor oils will deliver outstanding power via unique low-friction synthetic lubricant technology combined with boosted levels of anti-wear additives to protect and extend the life of engine hardware. Formally announced before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the collaboration will pair Mobil 1, the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” with one of NASCAR’s top engine manufacturers. With this new partnership, ExxonMobil’s racing oil technology will now provide performance and protection for the TRD-supported Red Bull Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing NASCAR teams.(Toyota PR)(11-14-2009)
Red Bull Racing re-ups with Toyota: Red Bull Racing Team has extended its partnership with Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The agreement continues a three-year relationship where Toyota has supported Red Bull Racing Team’s progression from a start-up organization to a berth in the championship- deciding Chase. “Our partnership with Toyota has been a critical element to the success of Red Bull Racing Team,” said Jay Frye, RBRT vice president and general manager. “Both Red Bull Racing Team and Toyota share a common goal of being a championship-contending team. Toyota has supplied the engine and technical support we need to get our teams into victory lane and now the Chase for the Championship. We look forward to the future with Toyota.” Toyota has been an integral part of the team’s success as both an engine supplier and manufacturer. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Red Bull Racing Team – a member of our ‘freshman class’ in 2007 when Toyota joined the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a manufacturer,” said Lee White, president and general manager for Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. We are extremely proud of the team's and Brian's accomplishments, including their first victory and qualifying for the Chase.”(RBRT)(9-16-2009)
No plans for Red Bull Racing to expand: Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye says there are no plans as of now for the organization to expand to three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams next season. Red Bull, in its third season in NASCAR’s top series, currently fields entries for driver #83-Brian Vickers and rookie #82-Scott Speed. “There’s really no goal to have a third team at this point, in my opinion,” Frye said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “We have to get our two teams both competing in the high levels every week before you would think about expanding. We’ve got one team [Vickers’ #83 team] that’s competing at a high level every week. Scott, obviously part of his development now, we’re getting into phase two of that where we’re going to race tracks for a second time, and obviously we need to see an improvement from the first races.” Speed has just one top-10 finish – a fifth at Talladega – in 22 starts this season and has failed to qualify three times. Frye hopes Speed’s results will improve as he gains more seat time and revisits tracks, such as last weekend at Michigan, where he had only competed once before. As for Red Bull’s widely rumored switch from Toyotas to Chevrolets next season, Frye said negotiations are ongoing and didn’t rule anything out. “Manufacturer-wise we’re working really hard to get that done,” he said. “That is the next step in our progression to lock that down for a few years. Again, Toyota has been a great partner, and we are working through a lot of different scenarios with them. I would anticipate everything being shored up at some point in the near future with them.”(SceneDaily)(8-22-2009)
Red Bull to stay with Toyota: It looks like Team Red Bull will be sticking with Toyotas and TRD engines in 2010, rather than jump to Chevys and Rick Hendrick horsepower. Team manager Jay Frye said he expected to make some announcements on everything in the next week or so. Brian Vickers' contract renewal with Red Bull has been up in the air, but Vickers is expected to get a new deal with the team, and Vickers is also expected to drive some for Toyota Nationwide owner Todd Braun in 2010.(MikeMulhern.net)(8-10-2009)
Red Bull getting closer on manufacturer, Vickers: Red Bull Racing's vice president and general manager, Jay Frye, spent nearly 24 hours traveling to Austria for a three-hour meeting last Tuesday at his company's headquarters, and Friday at Pocono Raceway confirmed the team is evaluating manufacturers for 2010 and getting closer to re-signing lead driver #83-Brian Vickers. "And that was a long [meeting] -- usually they're only an hour or two," Frye said, laughing. "The meeting was great and there's lots of enthusiasm for what we're doing with the program. I would think in the next short while we'd have some sort of announcement of what the future is and what we have going on. I think what happened at the meeting was, all the scenarios were laid out, and they're all great scenarios, but it was about what're we going to do 10 years from now, or five years from now? "A lot of stuff was exchanged and there are a lot of things they have to review. I had a couple things I had to come back and do that have been done, so in a very short while we should have some things resolved." Vickers has said he has an oral agreement to continue with Red Bull Racing Team, for which he's driven the #83 Toyota since 2007, the inaugural year for both Red Bull and the manufacturer in the Cup Series. Frye, who joined Red Bull's third-year Cup program last season, said that's part of the reasoning that has put Red Bull in position to evaluate whether it will stay with the Toyota Camrys it's run since it joined the series, or switch to another carmaker, speculated to be Chevrolet. David Wilson, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development, came from a meeting with Frye to Pocono's infield media center and said, despite knowing about Red Bull's evaluation process, the manufacturer hadn't changed its focus. "The bottom line is we continue to work with Red Bull and we continue to desire a longer-term partnership," Wilson said. A Chevrolet spokesperson said the manufacturer would have no comment regarding its team lineup. Frye said Red Bull had no designs currently on expanding beyond two cars or diversifying into the Nationwide Series, where Vickers' teammate, #82-Scott Speed, has about a half-dozen more races to run this season with Michael Waltrip Racing. "My opinion right now is we have to make sure these two teams are shored up and competing at a high level every week, and once you can do that, that's when you start looking at expanding," Frye said. "The whole team has come a long way, we made great gains in 2008 and statistically we're ahead of where we were last year. Just like everybody else, we've had some bad luck and we've had some things happen."(in part from NASCAR.com)(8-2-2009)
Speed to visit Victory Junction: #82 Red Bull Racing driver Scott Speed makes his first trip to Victory Junction Tuesday night in Randleman, NC for "Irritable Bowel Disorder Week." Speed will take a tour of the facility, and have dinner and play games with campers who suffer from irritable bowel disorders including both Chron's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Speed was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when he was twenty years old. UC is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes open sores or ulcers to form in the large intestine, or colon. Speed is a National Spokesperson for the Chron's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).(TRB)(7-28-2009)
- Keselowski to Penske next year? UPDATE 4 Red Bull denied: For the second straight season, Brad Keselowski is the top candidate for the #12 Penske Racing Dodge. David Stremme has experienced a couple of miserable weeks at the racetrack and is currently 32nd in the point standings. Keselowski said on Friday he does not have a deal signed for next year. Certainly for a self-proclaimed "Eastsider," partnering with fellow Detroit-based Roger Penske would be an honor. Keselowski was offered the #12 ride last year after Ryan Newman announced he was leaving the ride to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox Sports)(7-11-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided. The 25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick, though no final decision was reached. "I have some preferences, but I haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really close on anything." No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would have a full-time ride next season. "I feel pretty confident that's the way it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up for that not to happen."(Associated Press)(7-12-2009)
UPDATE 2: #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said there's "only a 10 percent chance" he'll move his JR Motorsports team from the Nationwide to the Cup series next year. "I basically just wanted to put feelers out there and see what kind of interest there was from sponsors," he said. "I would have to drive the car myself (to get a sponsor) and I'm going to be working for Rick for the next couple of years, at least."(Indianapolis Star)
UPDATE 3: Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series, the latest buzz has Keselowski paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its engine program.(FoxSports)(7-13-2009)
UPDATE 4: been told by sources that no one at Red Bull Racing has talked to Keselowski about driving for the team in 2010.(7-15-2009)
- Speed getting married this weekend: #82 Red Bull Racing Team driver Scott Andrew Speed will wed Amanda Smith Mathis on Saturday, July 18th in a black and white-themed ceremony and reception. The couple, who wrote their own vows, will say "I do"at the 55-acre Graylyn Estate in Winston Salem, NC in front of 120 of their closest friends and family. The couple became engaged in November 2008. "I'm really excited for our wedding this weekend, for sure!" Speed said. "Amanda has put a lot of planning into this wedding so I know it will be a really fun evening. We have a lot of family and friends coming in town to see us tie the knot, so it will be nice to hang out and have some fun with everyone. What can I say - head first, here we go!" The 26-year old Speed helped pick the wedding location and the design for the invitations, but when it came down to details, he let his bride-to-be take the reins. "Honestly, Scott's just been too busy this year to find time for wedding planning," Mathis said. "I'm definitely the organized one of the the two of us, so I really enjoyed the wedding planning experience. Scott claims he's going to have one final input - and that's the song for our first dance - but we'll see about that!"(Red Bull Racing Team)(7-14-2009)
- Latest on Red Bull to Chevy: Red Bull Racing [#82 & #83] will decide in a month whether to switch from Toyota to General Motors in 2010, sources close to the situation said. There has been speculation for a month that Red Bull would move to Chevys with the chassis and engines supplied by Hendrick Motorsports. HMS owner Rick Hendrick has said he needs to pick up some additional business to make up for the financial support GM cut after it filed for bankruptcy last month. Red Bull general manager Jay Frye, who has worked with HMS in the past, said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, that no decision has been made. Richard Petty Motorsports could leave Dodge and fill Red Bull's vacancy if there is one. Robbie Loomis, the vice president for race operations at RPM, said the organization continues talking to all manufacturers about next season.(ESPN Insider)(7-3-2009)
- More on Red Bull Manufacturer: Red Bull Racing driver #83-Brian Vickers has won back-to-back poles in a Toyota Camry, but to hear his boss talk, it doesn’t sound like that will make a difference on whether Red Bull remains a Toyota team. Red Bull is in its final year of its Toyota contract, and there has been speculation that Red Bull, could move to Chevrolet (without manufacturer support). But wouldn’t two consecutive poles make the team brass think twice about going to a new manufacturer, especially after being one of Toyota’s initial teams when it entered Cup in 2007? “Ask them,” Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye said at Infineon Raceway Saturday. “Obviously Toyota has been great to us. We’ve been one of their freshman teams and all that. We appreciate everything they’re doing and continue to do. We’re going through lots of different scenarios right now. There’s a lot going on in the world and it’s been reported that our deal is up with them at the end of the year and it’s possible they don’t want us to come back, right? It’s possible. Or it’s possible they want us to come back but they can’t for some reason do that. Anything is possible.” Toyota Racing Development senior vice president Dave Wilson said the manufacturer wants to continue the relationship with Red Bull and there have been discussions to extend the relationship. There have been reductions in Toyota’s total racing budget, but Wilson said the manufacturer wants to have 10-12 cars on the track. “We have a great deal of loyalty to those guys,” Wilson said. “They slogged it out in the tough entry period in ’07 and obviously we should have notched a couple of victories with Red Bull. We’re certainly not looking to change that.” Frye said there is no time frame to make a decision. The other contract Red Bull needs to get finalized is the one for Vickers. Frye indicated that everything just needs a look in the corporate offices in Austria. “Everything is agreed, done, just the legalese stuff and things like that are going on right now. There’s no [issues],” Frye said.(SceneDaily)(6-22-2009)
- Red Bull to Chevy? UPDATE: It is very possible that Brian Vickers, winner of the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, could be behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Chevy next season. Yes, Chevy. Over the last three years, the Red Bull program has worked to gain speed but has experienced some reliability issues with the Toyota Racing Development engines. Red Bull's contract with Toyota is up at the end of this season. And although General Motors likely cannot afford to support additional teams at this time, Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns race teams in both NASCAR and Formula One, could certainly afford to take on the role as Chevy parts customer. If Red Bull Racing was to make the switch to Chevy engines, Hendrick Motorsports would be the logical choice of vendor. Given Jay Frye's relationship with HMS, most recently during the management of Ginn Racing and MB2 Motorsports prior to that, there's a familiarity as a technical customer.(FoxSports)(6-13-2009)
UPDATE: Red Bull is in its last year of a three-year contract with Toyota and that's led to a report that the team could switch manufacturers to Chevrolet and receive equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, as Stewart-Haas Racing does. The team fields cars for Brian Vickers, who is starting on the pole for today's race, and rookie Scott Speed. "We're going through lots of different scenarios right now,'' said Jay Frye, the team's general manager. "It's possible they won't want us to come back. It's possible. Or it's possible that they want us to come back but they can't for some reason do that. Anything is possible at this point. They've been a great partner. We'll see here shortly what's the next step.''(Roanoke Times)(6-21-2009)
- Speed to race the #87 car at Infineon: Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye worked a deal with #87-Joe Nemechek, who qualified 31st, to put Scott Speed in his car for Sunday's race. Nemechek races in old Red Bull cars, and qualified in one of their Toyotas from last season. Red Bull, which also borrowed his car for Speed at Darlington last month, will cut Nemechek a later deal as payment for the Sonoma favor. "I came here to race, but I told them 'Hey, whatever you need me to do,' " Nemechek said of turning over his ride. Speed, a former Formula One driver with a tremendous amount of road course experience, was having a strong run that would have solidly put him in the field when he overdrove his car and went off course. Although he saved it from a wreck, it sunk his qualifying chances.(ESPN/AP)(6-20-2009)
- Kyle Busch & Scott Speed to drive for Ganassi in Rolex event at Daytona: Chip Ganassi Racing will field a second entry for Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Scott Speed in the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4. The race will take the green flag at 2 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on SPEED in advance of that evening's Sprint Cup race. The duo will make their Grand-Am Rolex Series debut piloting the #02 Lexus Riley alongside defending Grand-Am series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in the #01 Lexus Riley.(Chip Ganassi Racing PR)(6-15-2009)
- Red Bull Racing Team will host their annual Fan Day on Friday, May 22 at the shop located at 136 Knob Hill Road in Mooresville, N.C. Fan Day runs from 10am to 3pm/et with appearances by drivers Brian Vickers and Scott Speed from 12noon to 1pm. Tickets for driver autographs will be given out starting at 10am to the first 200 fans. Red Bull Racing Team's Fan Day will feature music from DJ Van Dam, Red Bull sorbet, a performance by BMX flatland rider Terry Adams, a Red Bull Albatross flyover, as well as pit crew members teaching the art of changing tires. Fans will have a chance to win big in a raffle that includes a driver uniform, gloves and shoes signed by Vickers, a #82 hood and 1:24-scale diecast signed by Speed, framed photos and team merchandise.(TRB)(5-20-2009)
- Speed to run #87 for Nemechek: Scott Speed will drive Nemco Motorsports' #87 Toyota tonight in the Southern 500, a Red Bull Racing spokeswoman confirmed Saturday afternoon. Speed failed to qualify his #82 Toyota for the Sprint Cup race on Friday at Darlington after crashing in practice and going to a backup car. Red Bull worked out an arrangement with Nemco to have Speed replace driver Joe Nemechek. Speed already seemed to rebound well from not qualifying for the Sprint Cup race, as he finished 13th in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide Series race Friday night at Darlington. Speed is driving a part-time schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing in that series. By putting Speed in the car, which will keep its regular logos, Red Bull will get the rookie valuable experience and Speed will earn the driver points. Team owner Joe Nemechek will get to keep the owners points. Depending on the financial arrangement, Nemechek also likely got some money for his unsponsored team to continue to go to races.(SceneDaily)(5-9-2009)
- Allmendinger and Speed on USF1's short list UPDATE Speed says NO: Sources tell AutoRacingSport.com that NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers AJ Allmendinger and Scott Speed are 'definitely' on the short list of the newly formed USF1 Formula 1 team that's set to begin competition in 2010 while IndyCar star Danica Patrick and NASCAR Sprint Cup sensation 'Kyle Busch are not. Ken and Peter (Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor-USF1 team Principals) are really looking for open wheel experience, and Scott and AJ (Speed and Allmendinger) fit that bill quite well, with AJ being a winner in Champ Car and Scott having F1 experience.' our source informs us.(AutoRacingSport.com)(3-28-2009)
UPDATE: Oh yeah, there’s one other thing I [Scott Speed] wanted to mention. Even though I might talk fondly about my F1 days, I’m not going back. So don’t believe anything that anyone is saying about me joining the new U.S. F1 team next year. Those rumors were generated by journalists who were just being journalists, that’s all. So get used to me, I’m not going anywhere!(Frontstretch.com/Scott Speed Diary)(4-4-2009)
- Scott Speed...the DJ? With his ear on the Winter Music Conference later this month in Miami, Scott Speed is taking DJ lessons on Thursday in midtown Atlanta. He’ll hook up with DJ TD — short for music mixer Tim DeGroot — for the first of several scratch sessions that Speed has planned before the March 23-25 Winter Music Conference. “He’s going to spend some time working with me to teach me the basics of DJ’ing,” said Speed, whose favorite artists include DJ Tiesto, Timbaland, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Placebo. “I’ve already been working on some stuff on my own with DJ equipment in my basement, so I’m hoping DJ TD will have some good stuff to add to what I’m learning. “I just like doing as much as I can. Life’s short — I want to do all of it.” The WMC is a weeklong electronic music event held every March since the mid- 1980s in south Florida. The event moved to Miami Beach in 1991 and was considered a major catalyst in the establishment of the South Beach club scene. WMC draws more than 3,500 music industry participants and 62,000 event participants from 70 countries.(Red Bull Racing)(3-5-2009)
- Arnett, Speed win Rookie Cooking Challenge: Michael Annett and Scott Speed teamed to win the Fourth Annual Raybestos Rookie Cooking Challenge Thursday afternoon at ESPN Zone Las Vegas. Annett and Speed prepared a tasty dish of elbow macaroni with meat sauce, garlic onion and mozzarella cheese. Other drivers competing in the event were Max Papis, Scott Lagasse Jr., John Wes Townley and Justin Allgaier. The event was judged by members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. All drivers who participated in the cooking competition were assisted by members of the ESPN Zone Culinary Team, led by chef Chris Gagen. Once the meals were prepared, each child from the Boys and Girls Clubs sampled the dishes and their applause determined the overall winner. Following the contest, drivers and kids played games in ESPN Zone’s interactive Sports Arena.(Raybestos PR)(3-1-2009)
- Some NASCAR drivers linked with new US F1 team UPDATE: With the new prospective American team USF1 set to be announced officially on Tuesday [Live press conference on SPEED 12noon/et], attention is already turning to the possible occupants of the Charlotte-built race cockpits in 2010. Indycar star Danica Patrick has already played down her reported link with the outfit, but other notable American names have also been mentioned in various quarters of the racing world. #44-AJ Allmendinger's has been another name associated with USF1, but he said he is concentrating on his NASCAR foray even though he views a formula one opportunity as "intriguing". The motor sport writer for the Toronto Star claims #18-Kyle Busch should be "a shoo-in" for a USF1 seat, while the 26-year-old veteran of 28 grands prix #82-Scott Speed has also been linked with Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor's project, as have Conor Daly and Marco Andretti. Windsor is quoted by Britain's The Independent newspaper as clarifying that no decisions about details including engines and drivers have been made. "We have yet to speak to any drivers, but we are looking at every American with the right credentials, and Danica is definitely on the list," he said.(
motorauthority.com)(2-24-2009)
UPDATE: Kyle Busch's agent said the young NASCAR star would "certainly leave the door open" to try Formula One "at some point" after Busch's name was mentioned during a press conference announcing a new American-based F1 team. Officials with the USF1 team, which will be based out of Charlotte, said it would be interested in having Busch drive its car. Busch is under contract at Joe Gibbs Racing through the end of next season [2010]. "Obviously, it's very flattering for him to be mentioned for a Formula One ride, especially an American-based team," said Jeff Dickerson, Busch's agent. "Thanks to Toyota, he was excited at the prospect of getting to test a Formula One car this past offseason. While it didn't work out then, he would certainly leave the door open to try it out at some point. At the same time, he's currently focused on winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series championships for Joe Gibbs Racing." IndyCar Series drivers Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti were also among the drivers mentioned as possibilities by the USF1 team.(SceneDaily)(2-25-2009)
- Montoya, Speed not interested in F1: A new Formula One team based in the United States will announce its plans Tuesday, but no Sprint Cup drivers with connections to the series expect to be involved. #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, who has seven career Formula One victories, seemed surprised when asked about the pending announcement Friday at Auto Club Speedway in California. "I didn't even know there was supposed to be a team here," Montoya said. #82-Scott Speed, who competed in Formula One in 2006 and 2007, laughed when asked if he was going back to that circuit. "No, I don't think so," the Red Bull Racing driver said. "I've been there, done that."(Scene Daily)(2-22-2009)
