Scott Speed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott Speed
Speed at Sonoma Raceway in 2024
Nationality	American
Born	Scott Andrew Speed (1983-01-24) 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.	41
Starts	5
Wins	1
Podiums	4
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 2000 Germany 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	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
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 January 24, 1983) is an American race car driver. He has competed in many different types of racing. These include open-wheel cars, stock cars, and rallycross vehicles.

In 2006, Scott Speed became the first American driver to race in Formula One since 1993. He started his Formula One career at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix. He raced for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Scott competed in 28 races before leaving the team in 2007. After Formula One, he moved to NASCAR stock car racing. Later, he found great success in Global Rallycross with Andretti Autosport. He won the championship three years in a row, from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, he won the Americas Rallycross Championship with Andretti. He then raced with Subaru Rally Team USA in 2019.

Early Racing Days

Scott Speed was born in Manteca, California. He started his racing journey at just 10 years old. From 1993 to 2001, he competed in karting. He won several important titles during this time. These included the SKUSA Super Pro Title in 2000. He also won three IKF regional titles. In 2002, he won the Rock Island GP in 125cc Shifter Karts.

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

In 2003, Scott joined Alan Docking Racing in the British Formula Three Championship. He earned this spot through the Red Bull Driver Search program. During this year, he had to return to the United States for medical treatment.

After getting better, Scott returned to racing in 2004. He had an amazing year, winning two championship titles. He won the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup. He also won the Formula Renault 2000 Germany. His strong performance led him to race in the first season of the GP2 Series in 2005. He raced for iSport International. Scott earned five podium finishes and 12 top-5 finishes in 24 races. He ended the season in third place overall. At the end of 2005, Scott also raced in the new A1 Grand Prix series for A1 Team USA.

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 became a test driver for Red Bull Racing. This was a big deal because he was the first American driver to take part in a Formula One event since 1993. He tested for Red Bull at the Canadian and United States Grand Prix races.

After buying another team called Minardi, Red Bull Racing created a new team. This new team was called Scuderia Toro Rosso. Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi were announced as its drivers for the 2006 season.

Racing for Toro Rosso (2006–2007)

2006 Season

Scott made his Formula One debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix. He finished 13th in that race. A week later in Malaysia, he had to stop racing due to a clutch problem. At the Australian Grand Prix, it looked like he had scored his first point. However, he was given a penalty for overtaking when yellow flags were out. This dropped him to 9th place, just outside the points.

Speed at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix

Scott finished 15th in San Marino and 11th in the European Grand Prix. He had to stop early in the Spanish Grand Prix because of an engine problem. In his first Monaco Grand Prix, he finished 13th. He crashed out of the British Grand Prix on the first lap. In Canada, he bounced back and finished 10th.

At the United States Grand Prix, he started 13th, his best qualifying spot. But he was caught in a big crash on the first lap. Luckily, no drivers were hurt. His teammate, Liuzzi, finished 8th and scored the team's first point. Scott finished 10th in France, even though he had back pains from an earlier crash. He finished 12th in Germany and 11th in Hungary. In Turkey, he finished 13th. At Toro Rosso's home race in Italy, he finished 13th. In China, he qualified well in wet conditions but finished 14th. In Japan, he had a power steering problem and was classified 17th. He finished the season in Brazil in 11th place.

In February 2007, it was confirmed that Scott Speed would continue racing for Toro Rosso. He teamed up with Vitantonio Liuzzi again.

2007 Season

Scott's 2007 season was tough. He had problems with his car and several crashes. He crashed twice with Alexander Wurz at Silverstone and in Canada. He then spun off the track in the wet European Grand Prix. This was his last race for the team. After this race, he was replaced by Sebastian Vettel. Scott said he would not work with the Toro Rosso team bosses again. However, his relationship with Red Bull overall remained good. This helped him get a Red Bull-supported racing spot in the U.S. for 2008.

ARCA Racing 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. He raced a full season in 2008. Driving a Red Bull-sponsored Toyota, he finished 5th in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series points. He won four races in 2008. These wins were at Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Berlin Raceway, and Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR Racing

2008 Season

Scott Speed made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in March 2008. He raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In only his second race, he finished tenth at Martinsville Speedway. This was his first top-10 finish in NASCAR. In April 2008, he won his first ARCA race at Kansas Speedway. The next week, he got his first career win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Dover. He also finished 8th at Kansas Speedway in the Truck Series. In October 2008, Scott started his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished 30th.

2009 Season

For the 2009 Sprint Cup season, Scott's car number changed to 82. He was able to race in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. He started his quest for NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2009. He won his first Rookie of the Race award at the Daytona 500. Scott also won the pole position for the Sam's Town 300 in his first Nationwide Series race. He set a new track record.

Speed competing in the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500

2010 Season

Scott successfully qualified for the 2010 Daytona 500. He led some laps late in the race. He was in the top 12 after the Food City 500. This guaranteed him a spot in the top 35. In November 2010, Scott left Team Red Bull. His best finish with Red Bull Racing was fifth place at Talladega in 2009.

2011–2013 Seasons

Scott did not have a full-time ride for most of 2011. He raced in a few events for Whitney Motorsports. In 2012, he raced part-time for Leavine Family Racing. He returned to the team for most of the 2013 season. He achieved Leavine's first top-ten finish at Talladega. However, he left the team after the Atlanta race in September.

IndyCar Racing

Scott Speed tried to qualify for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Dragon Racing. But he had trouble getting the car fast enough. He was replaced by another driver on the last day of qualifying. Scott also turned down a chance to earn $5 million in a special race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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 another gold medal at the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte Motor Speedway that same year.

In 2014, Scott joined Andretti Autosport. He drove a 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 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) with Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross. He earned two wins that season.

On November 1, 2018, Scott 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. This meant he had to miss the rest of the ARX season. At the time of his injury, he was leading in points. Scott returned with the Subaru team for the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Championship. He finished second overall, with one win and four podium finishes in five races.

Formula E Racing

Scott Speed raced for Andretti Autosport in the fifth race of the 2014–15 Formula E season in Miami. He finished second in that race, right behind the winner Nicolas Prost.

Racing Records

Career Summary

^† Ineligible for championship points.
^‡ Includes points scored by other drivers for A1 Team USA.

Images for kids

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  Speed driving for STR at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix