A new track and new race format couldn’t stop the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team of Scott Speed and Tanner Foust, kicking off the season in dominating fashion on a hot and humid Southern Saturday at Memphis International Raceway.
After getting the jump on Lap 1 over Foust in Saturday’s Final, Speed opted to take the Joker on Lap 2, putting a distance between him and second. As Speed drove to a 3.65 second lead over his teammate, Foust chose to take the Joker on his fourth lap, closing the gap on Speed and putting a distance between second and third. With the 10-lap main event winding down, Foust ran out of laps chasing down first, forcing him to settle for second as Speed took the checkered flag.
With his podium, Foust claims his first of the season while earning a record 25th of his career, in addition to his Semifinal A and Heat 3B wins. Speed becomes the winningest driver in Global Rallycross series history with Saturday’s Final win, his 12th in GRC competition, just ahead of Foust. Speed also picked up a win in Semifinal B and Heat 2B.
Leaving Memphis, Speed leads the championship points over Foust, while Volkswagen leads over Honda and Subaru in manufacturer’s points. Red Bull Global Rallycross returns for Round 2 action May 20-21 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY.
Scott Speed – No. 41 Oberto Circle K Beetle GRC
Started: 1 // Finished: 1 // Championship 1 (79 pts.)
“(Being the winningest GRC driver in history) is a great stat, but those wins are all part of having a great team – starting with Tanner Foust, I have an incredible teammate. The whole Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team just worked this offseason. We put in the work, and when we wanted to stop we worked some more. When you show up to the first race and you put this kind of performance down, it just makes all that work worthwhile. Big shout out to Circle K and Oberto for coming on this year, and obviously Rockstar – thanks so much, guys.”
Tanner Foust – No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC
Started: 2 // Finished: 2 // Championship 2 (74 pts.)
“Memphis really is a tricky track, because that first corner is so fast. You kind of dive in there and wobble your way up the banking. Qualifying second on the new format was kind of rough, so I’m really excited to be able to come back and finish second after that. My teammate Scott [Speed] really put up amazing heats, so you just have to grab on to those heels and hang on. The points are much closer now as we went into the Final. The points are very similar for everybody. It’s definitely spreading the points out with the format change, which is one of the main functions of making that work. This track was awesome, the crowd was awesome, and what a great way to start the season!”