Top 35 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers: No. 35, Scott Speed
By Jared Turner - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Friday, November 27, 2009
Red Bull Racing's Scott Speed (left) talks with crew chief Jimmy Elledge earlier this season.
Mark Sluder
NASCAR Scene
Scott Speed didn’t have the kind of rookie season he likely wanted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The former open-wheel driver’s relative inexperience in full-bodied stock cars showed as he failed to qualify for three races with his Red Bull Racing team and wasn’t a factor on most weekends.
Paired with crew chief Jimmy Elledge, the Manteca, Calif., native’s struggles were magnified by the success of teammate Brian Vickers, who gave Red Bull its first entry in NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup in the team’s three-year existence.
Speed finished a distant second to Joe Gibbs Racing driver Joey Logano in the battle for 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors and, unlike Logano, failed to win a race.
The 26-year-old former Formula One driver will have his work cut out for him once again when the 2010 season begins since his team’s 36th-place finish in the 2009 owner standings could force him to qualify his way into the first five races, depending on whether all the team's in front of his remain in competition next season.
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 35 in 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup driver points. Here’s how Speed’s season unfolded:
By the numbers: Speed scored just one top-10, a fifth-place finish at Talladega in April. The rookie driver finished in the top 20 just four times in 35 starts. He led 19 laps and had eight DNFs. His race winnings totaled $3,495,219.
Season highlights: The highlight of Speed’s season was undoubtedly the fifth-place finish at Talladega, which came in just his 14th Cup start. Speed led a season-high 12 laps at Martinsville in March but finished 39th in the race. His only other top-15 was a 15th-place finish at Bristol in August. He finished 18th twice. Speed qualified in the top three on three occasions in the last 18 events but didn’t win a pole. He enjoyed more success in his part-time Nationwide Series schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing, netting a pole and eight top-10s in 13 starts.
Key setbacks: Speed struggled out of the gate, finishing no better than 21st in his first eight starts. He failed to qualify for three races, but only missed one race as he switched and drove Joe Nemechek’s Nemco Motorsports entry at Darlington in May and at the Infineon Raceway road course in June. The only race that Speed didn't compete in was the spring event at Texas.
Newsworthy moment: Speed largely flew under the radar in 2009 and wasn’t the subject of much on-track or off-track chatter. Thus, the career-best fifth-place finish at Talladega in the season’s ninth race was the driver’s most newsworthy moment.
In his words: “Ever since I came back over the pond and started racing these things, every time I get into it, there’s something big that I learn. And honestly, it has been a lot more exciting having done that just because I physically can see so much more progress in myself, you know, from where I started out, say from my first Cup race, to where I’m at now. It’s really fun and exciting for me to be able to make those improvements and be able to better myself as a race-car driver. That’s honestly the most rewarding.”
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7 responses to "Top 35 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers: No. 35, Scott Speed". Post a Comment.
DRLDeBoer said:
Nov 27, 2009 at 10:51 AMI expect better next season, Scotty has made good driver friends to teach him more about this type of racing. And his sponsor likes him.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdtk1952 said:
Nov 27, 2009 at 12:57 PMScott is another wannabe. And that is all he'll ever be. AJ Allmendinger will, the man who was thrown under the bus for this guy, will always be ahead of him.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmbvoelker said:
Nov 27, 2009 at 6:52 PMI see Scott's singing a different and humbler tune than he was at Daytona when he said that there was nothing anyone could teach him about driving.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRobbygordonfan1 said:
Nov 27, 2009 at 7:14 PMI never liked his attitude in F1 or Nascar....The sooner this guy is gone the better.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjeffreesuk said:
Nov 27, 2009 at 7:58 PMHe's undoubtedly a talented driver but just like dale jr he's struggling to get to grips with the handling on the COT.I cant decide if its a bad car or they are poor drivers.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportamalycke said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 3:10 PMI met NASCAR driver Scott Speed at Bristol and HE WAS COOL AS HECK!!!!! Good luck in 2010!!! Joe Nemechek should be his best friend, honestly.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportvdeputy48 said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 5:52 PMI like Scott and hope he does well in 2010. Yes, he was far behind Joey but consider what Joey got - one of the top cars and crew chiefs in Cup, voted into the All-Star race, five gazillion commercials (geez, will I be glad to see the end of that!), great mentoring from his teammates (don't think there is much love lost between Scott and Vickers).If ever anyone had a silver spoon, it is Joey.
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