Scott Speed has been around the world doing what he loves: Racing. Sao Paulo. Hong Kong. Montreal. Monaco. Those are the perks that come with being the first American to land a Formula 1 ride since Michael Andretti in 1993. But after two years [2006-2007] of F1 racing, Speed came back home to America. And after a short stint in NASCAR [2008-2013, 163 total races], Speed has found a home in Global RallyCross, a dirt-track series that includes jumps and hairpin turns in 600-horsepower compact cars. His next race is on Friday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, just 30 minutes from his Mount Holly home. Speed struggled in NASCAR – he has one top-five and four top-10s in 118 [Cup] career starts – and was released from his contract by Red Bull in 2010, leaving him without a team for most of the 2011 season. After bouncing around between teams and a short attempt at IndyCar racing, Speed finally found a home in Global RallyCross. In his first race, at X Games Brazil, he shocked the field by taking the lead on the final lap to win. Global RallyCross appealed to Speed because of how much better technology the GRC cars have than the ‘archaic’ NASCAR cars. It probably also didn’t hurt how quickly GRC caught on with him. Just five months after his win in Brazil, Speed won another race in Charlotte, allowing him to finish fifth in the overall standings on the year. This season, after signing with Volkswagen Andretti RallyCross, he’s second in the season standings, with wins in Barbados and at X Games Austin. Now with a year under his belt in GRC and his second hometown race coming up, Speed feels confident with his future in racing. ‘For the rest of my life no matter what ever happens, making it to Formula 1 will be the most successful thing I’ve ever had happen,’ Speed said. ‘I think after going over there and experiencing it and doing it all, I had an opportunity to stay, but honestly the idea of coming back to the States to try something new was quite exciting as well.’(full article at the Charlotte Observer)(7-24-2014)
