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Scott Speed

Speed at Sonoma Raceway in 2024

Born

Scott Andrew Speed
January 24, 1983 (age 42)
Manteca, California, U.S.

Nitro Rallycross career

Debut season

2021

Current team

Subaru Motorsports USA

Racing licence

FIA Platinum

Car no.

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Best finish

2nd in 2021

Previous series

2018–2019

2013–2017
2014–15
2014
2011
2009
2007–2008
2006–2007
2005–06
2005
2004
2004
2004
2003
2002
2002
2001

Americas Rallycross Championship
Global Rallycross Championship
Formula E
Super Trofeo North America
IndyCar Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
ARCA Racing Series
Formula One
A1 Grand Prix
GP2 Series
Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
Asian Formula Renault
British Formula Three
Star Mazda
Formula Dodge
Formula Russell

Championship titles

2018
2015–2017
2004
2004

Americas Rallycross
Global Rallycross
Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup
Formula Renault 2000 Germany

NASCAR Cup Series career

118 races run over 6 years

2013 position

41st

Best finish

30th (2010)

First race

2008 TUMS QuikPak 500 (Martinsville)

Last race

2013 AdvoCare 500 (Atlanta)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
0	4	0

NASCAR Xfinity Series career

29 races run over 3 years

Best finish

34th (2009)

First race

2009 Sam's Town 300 (Las Vegas)

Last race

2012 Feed the Children 300 (Kentucky)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
0	9	1

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career

16 races run over 1 year

Best finish

21st (2008)

First race

2008 American Commercial Lines 200 (Atlanta)

Last race

2008 Ford 200 (Homestead)

First win

2008 AAA Insurance 200 (Dover)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
1	9	1

Formula One World Championship career

Nationality

American

Active years

2006–2007

Teams

Toro Rosso

Entries

28 (28 starts)

Championships

Wins

Podiums

Career points

Pole positions

Fastest laps

First entry

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix

Last entry

2007 European Grand Prix

Medal record


Representing United States
Summer X Games
Gold	2015 Austin	RallyCross
Gold	2014 Austin	RallyCross
Gold	2013 Foz do Iguaçu	RallyCross

Last updated on: July 22, 2016.

Scott Andrew Speed, born on January 24, 1983, is an American race car driver. He's raced in many different types of car races, like open-wheel, stock car, and rallycross.

In 2006, Scott Speed became the first American to race in Formula One since Michael Andretti in 1993. He started his Formula One journey at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix with the Toro Rosso team. After 28 races, he was replaced by Sebastian Vettel in 2007. Scott then switched to NASCAR stock car racing, driving for teams like Team Red Bull. Later, he joined Andretti Autosport in Global Rallycross. He won the Global Rallycross championship three times in a row: 2015, 2016, and 2017. He also won the 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship with Andretti before racing with Subaru Rally Team USA in 2019.

Early Racing Years

Scott Speed was born in Manteca, California. He finished high school at East Union High School in 2001.

Starting in Karting

Scott's racing career began when he was just 10 years old, in karting. He raced karts from 1993 to 2001. During this time, he won several important titles. These included the SKUSA Super Pro Title in 2000 and three IKF regional titles. In 2002, he also won the Rock Island GP in 125cc Shifter Karts.

Moving to Formula Racing

In 2001, Scott moved up to the Formula series, where he became champion in US Formula Russell. In 2002, he competed in both the Formula Dodge National Championship and Star Mazda. He finished third in Formula Dodge and eighth in Star Mazda.

In 2003, Scott drove for Alan Docking Racing in the British Formula Three Championship. He joined this team after winning the Red Bull Driver Search program. That year, he became sick with ulcerative colitis, a type of bowel disease, and had to return to the United States for treatment.

After getting better, Scott returned to racing in 2004. He won two championship titles that year. First, he won the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup. Then, he won the Formula Renault 2000 Germany. He achieved these wins even though his colitis was getting worse.

His strong performances led him to race in the first season of the GP2 Series in 2005. He drove for iSport International. Scott finished on the podium five times and in the top five 12 times out of 24 races. He ended the season in third place in the drivers' championship.

At the end of 2005, Scott Speed raced in the first three events of the new A1 Grand Prix series for A1 Team USA. His best finish was fourth place in the Portugal feature race.

Formula One Career

Testing with Red Bull (2005)

Speed as Red Bull's third driver at the 2005 United States Grand Prix

In 2005, Scott Speed took part in a test session for Red Bull Racing at the Canadian Grand Prix. This made him the first American driver to be part of a Formula One event since Michael Andretti in 1993. He also served as a test driver at the United States Grand Prix.

After buying the Minardi team, Red Bull Racing created a new team called Scuderia Toro Rosso. They announced that Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi would be their drivers for the 2006 season.

Racing for Toro Rosso (2006–2007)

2006 Season

In his first race, the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix, Scott finished 13th. A week later, at the Malaysian Grand Prix, he had to stop racing after 41 laps because of a clutch problem. At the Australian Grand Prix, it looked like he had scored his first point for Toro Rosso. However, he was given a 25-second penalty for passing another car when yellow flags were out. This dropped him to ninth place, outside the points. He was also fined $5,000 for using bad language towards David Coulthard during a meeting with race officials.

Speed at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix

He finished 15th at the San Marino Grand Prix. A week later, he finished 11th at the European Grand Prix. He had to stop racing at the Spanish Grand Prix due to an engine problem. In his first Monaco Grand Prix, he finished 13th. He retired from the British Grand Prix on the first lap after crashing with Ralf Schumacher.

Scott bounced back and raced well at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing 10th. At the United States Grand Prix, he qualified in a career-best 13th place. However, he was involved in a crash on the first lap. His teammate Liuzzi finished eighth, earning the team's first championship point. At the French Grand Prix, Scott finished 10th, even though he was suffering from back pain and breathing problems from a crash during practice.

After crashing in qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Scott finished 12th in the race. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he finished 11th in very wet conditions. At the Turkish Grand Prix, he started 18th and finished 13th. At the Italian Grand Prix, Scott qualified 15th and finished 13th in Toro Rosso's home race. At the Chinese Grand Prix, he qualified 11th in wet conditions but finished 14th. In Japan, he started 19th and was classified 17th after a power steering failure. Finally, at the last race of the season in Brazil, Scott finished 11th.

On February 24, 2007, Toro Rosso confirmed that Scott Speed would continue to drive for the team in the 2007 Formula One season, again with Vitantonio Liuzzi.

2007 Season

Scott Speed's 2007 season was mostly disappointing. He had problems with his car and several crashes. He crashed twice with Alexander Wurz at Silverstone and in Canada, which ended his races. He then spun off in the rain at the European Grand Prix, which turned out to be his last race for the team. After that race, there were reports of a physical argument with team boss Franz Tost, though Tost denied it. Scott also spoke out against the team, saying they wanted to get rid of him and Liuzzi.

Speed driving for STR at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix

However, before the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was announced that he had been replaced by BMW test driver Sebastian Vettel. Scott's best result in 2007 was ninth place at Monaco, where he started 18th. He just missed out on a championship point.

On July 31, 2007, Scott Speed was released from his contract with Scuderia Toro Rosso. He was replaced by BMW Sauber test driver Sebastian Vettel. Scott said he would never work with the Toro Rosso team bosses again. However, his relationship with Red Bull overall remained good, and he got a Red Bull-supported racing opportunity in the U.S. for 2008.

ARCA Re/MAX Series

Speed pits the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota at Pocono Raceway, during the 2008 Pocono 200.

To get ready for his NASCAR career, Scott Speed raced in some Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series races in 2007 and a full season in 2008. Driving a Red Bull-sponsored Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing, Scott finished fifth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series points in 2008. He was in a good position to win the championship, but in the final race, he was crashed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., another championship contender. Scott and his car owner, Sharp, won the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge title in 2008. In 22 races from 2007, Scott had 10 top-five finishes and 18 top-ten finishes. He won four races in 2008 at Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Berlin Raceway, and Nashville Superspeedway.

Controversy in ARCA

During the last race of the 2008 ARCA season, Scott Speed and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were fighting for position. Stenhouse hit the back of Scott's car, sending him into the wall. This crash ended Scott's chances of a good finish and possibly the championship. After getting repairs, Scott's car was very slow. When Stenhouse came by to lap Scott, Scott sped up and crashed into Stenhouse, sending both cars into the wall. No one was hurt, but ARCA officials stopped Scott from racing for the rest of the day. This ended his chance to win the championship.

NASCAR Racing

2008 NASCAR Season

Speed's No. 82 at the 2009 Coca-Cola 600

Scott Speed made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7, 2008. He drove the No. 46 Chevy for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports with Red Bull sponsorship. In only his second race, he got his first top-ten finish in NASCAR, placing tenth at Martinsville Speedway. On April 25, 2008, he won his first ARCA race in just his fourth start at Kansas Speedway. The next day, April 26, 2008, Scott finished eighth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Kansas Speedway. He drove the No. 22 Red Bull Toyota for Bill Davis Racing. The following week, he won his first career Truck Series race at Dover. Two races after his first win, Scott got another top-five finish at Michigan International Speedway. On July 18, 2008, he won his second ARCA race at Kentucky Speedway. On October 19, 2008, Scott started his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 30th. He finished the season driving the No. 84 Team Red Bull Toyota Camry.

2009 NASCAR Season

For the 2009 Sprint Cup season, Scott Speed's car number was changed to 82. He was able to race in the 31st Annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. This was because his car was one of the top six Toyotas in points. He began his journey to become Rookie of the Year in 2009. He won his first Rookie of the Race award at the Daytona 500. Scott won the pole position for the Sam's Town 300 in his Nationwide Series debut on February 28, 2009. He also broke the track record with a speed of 182.451 miles per hour. However, he crashed with Kyle Busch early in the race and finished 40th.

Speed competing in the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500

After not qualifying for races at Darlington and Sonoma, Scott Speed competed in Joe Nemechek's No. 87 Toyota. He also failed to qualify for the April Texas race.

2010 NASCAR Season

Red Bull Racing's No. 82 car finished 36th in the 2009 owner's points standings. This meant they missed a guaranteed spot in the first five races of 2010 by just one position. Scott successfully qualified for the 2010 Daytona 500. He led several laps late in the race. The next week at Auto Club Speedway, during a rain delay, Scott did not pit and eventually ran out of gas. Scott was in the top 12 after the Food City 500, which guaranteed him a spot in the top 35.

During the Michigan race in June, Scott had an incident with his temporary teammate Casey Mears. While they were running 34th and 35th, Mears crashed into Scott, causing him to spin out and bring out a caution flag. Mears was replaced by Reed Sorenson for the rest of the season. On November 26, 2010, Scott Speed was released from his contract at Red Bull Racing. This was to make room for Brian Vickers, who was returning after heart surgery. Scott then filed a lawsuit against Red Bull, saying they broke his contract. Scott's best finish with Red Bull Racing was fifth at Talladega in the 2009 Aaron's 499.

2011–2013 NASCAR Seasons

Scott Speed did not have a full-time ride for most of the 2011 season. He drove for Whitney Motorsports in several races at the end of the year. In 2012, he raced a limited schedule for Leavine Family Racing in the No. 95 Ford. In August, it was announced that he would return to the team for 2013 to race most of the season.

Even though he scored Leavine's first top-ten finish at Talladega, Scott was released from the team after the Atlanta race in September. He has not raced in NASCAR since then.

IndyCar Racing

Scott Speed tried to qualify for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Dragon Racing. However, he struggled to get the car fast enough. On the last day of qualifying, he was replaced by Patrick Carpentier, who then crashed the car in practice. Scott also turned down a chance to earn $5 million as part of a special event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This event was for drivers not racing the full IndyCar season to participate in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships. Just hours after the crash that took the life of Dan Wheldon, Scott said that IndyCars were too dangerous to race on oval tracks.

Rallycross Success

Speed competing in the 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship

Scott Speed won a gold medal at the 2013 X Games in Foz do Iguaçu. This was his very first rallycross race. He won a second gold medal at round 8 of the Global RallyCross Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In 2014, Scott joined Andretti Autosport to drive a factory-supported Volkswagen Polo and later a Volkswagen Beetle. He finished third in points with three wins. He then won the Global RallyCross Championship three years in a row: 2015, 2016, and 2017. During these years, he collected a total of ten wins. In 2018, he won the Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) with Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross, earning two wins.

On November 1, 2018, Scott Speed announced he would join Subaru Rally Team USA for the 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship. In August 2019, he broke bones in his back during a crash at the Nitro World Games 2019. This injury forced him to miss the rest of the ARX season. At the time of his injury, he was leading in points.

Scott returned with the Subaru factory team for the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Championship. He finished as the runner-up, with one win and four podium finishes in five races.

Formula E Racing

Scott Speed competed for Andretti Autosport in the fifth race of the 2014–15 Formula E season in Miami in 2015. He raced alongside Jean-Éric Vergne, taking the place of Marco Andretti. On March 14, 2015, Scott qualified 11th and moved up through the field to finish second, right behind the race winner Nicolas Prost.

Images for kids

Speed at Sonoma Raceway in 2024
Speed as Red Bull's third driver at the 2005 United States Grand Prix
Speed at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix
Speed driving for STR at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix
Speed pits the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota at Pocono Raceway, during the 2008 Pocono 200.
Speed's No. 82 at the 2009 Coca-Cola 600
Speed competing in the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500
Speed competing in the 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship