SCOTT SPEED CLAIMS DOMINANT WIN FOR VOLKSWAGEN IN INAUGURAL ATLANTIC CITY GRC EVENT
8.28.16
Scott Speed continued his Red Bull Global Rallycross winning streak in Atlantic City on Sunday, earning his third consecutive first-place finish, after a perfect inaugural weekend of competition at Bader Field. Speed reclaimed the lead of the race with two laps remaining when his teammate, Tanner Foust, struck trouble with a punctured tire. The two-time series champion Foust managed to bring his wounded Beetle GRC to the line in fourth position, earning valuable championship points.
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross was impressive from the start of the weekend. Speed laid down the fastest time in qualifying by a wide margin, setting up a strong position to begin Sunday’s rounds of Heat and Semifinal races. Speed won each of his bouts before the Final, while teammate Foust matched the feat, continuing his uninterrupted streak of Heat and Semifinal wins dating back to the first race of the season in Phoenix.
Foust and Speed started the Final side-by-side and jumped out to an early lead on the rest of the field. Foust managed to pass his teammate in the dirt section of Lap 1 and Speed began his pursuit. With no pressure from behind, the pair dueled, pushing each other hard until the second-to-last lap, when Foust suffered a tire puncture and began to slow. Speed passed his teammate to claim the win.
“This track was one of the most technical we’ve been on,” said the driver of the No. 41 BF Goodrich/Toms River Volkswagen Beetle GRC after the race. “I got caught out on the third lap in the ruts, so I was being conservative for most of the race and it looks like it paid off. I’m glad that Tanner managed to finish fourth after his problem, but I hoped he would have been joining me on the Podium.”
Foust entered the weekend as the championship leader and earned maximum points leading up to the Final by winning each of his Heat and Semifinal rounds. His victory in Semifinal B marked his 22nd consecutive Heat or Semifinal win—a record-setting achievement. Foust’s fourth victory of the season was within grasp before the problem with his tire at the end of the race.
“It was a tough end to a long weekend filled with red flags and contact with other cars,” said Foust after the Final. “The team was kept busy keeping the Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC together, but the cards started falling in our favor in the Final. The dream team was making hay, gapping the field, before my puncture and the last two laps were totally survival mode. I have to be happy with fourth place. Just a little gutted to have an issue when we had such a clean lead.”
Volkswagen increases its lead in the manufacturer’s championship with its fourth consecutive win and sixth of the season. Provisionally, the drivers still lead the championship standings, although their positions have swapped. Both drivers continue to grow their points gap to the rest of the field, heading into the final three races of the season.
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross will be back in action at the ninth round of the 2016 season in Seattle. The race will air on NBC — Sunday, September 18 at 1:30 p.m. (ET).
