Speed, Foust Battle In Texas ARX Rallycross Event

They are at it again! Scott Speed and Tanner Foust, drivers for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross effort, are swapping leads and taking advantage of each other’s miscues to increase the team’s Championship lead. They are also upping their own totals in the race for the individual winner.

Almost Perfect Weekend

Speed completed a near-perfect weekend by claiming his first victory of the year, ahead of his teammate. Tanner Foust, on the other hand, worked hard to gain a third-place finish on Saturday afternoon. They were driving in the second round of the Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Auston, Tex.

Speed dominated the event from the outset. He set the fastest time in practice before winning his first three qualifiers. In the fourth and final qualifying run, there was contact with another competitor which knocked the No. 41 Oberto Circle K Beetle Rallycross entry to the back of the field.

Speed’s fourth place was the only blemish on an otherwise near-perfect day. The reigning champion bounced back with a win in his Semifinal round before controlling the afternoon’s Final from the start, delivering his first victory of the season.

Win Was a Great Accomplishment

“Getting this win this weekend is a great accomplishment for the Volkswagen Andretti Team,” Speed told an interviewer. “The track conditions changed throughout the day, and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find where the grip was. It is great to be back at COTA and to be racing rallycross in America.

Tanner Foust shadowed Speed most of the day. He gained second-place finishes in the first three qualifying rounds. In the fourth, Foust took advantage of his teammate’s troubles to earn a win, setting up the first-place starting position in his Semifinal. Victory for the pilot of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle Rallycross in Semifinal 2 gave the championship leader a second-place grid position and front row starting slot.

Foust was at the rear of the field at the end of the first lap of the Final. He had to work his way back forward to finish up in a hard-fought third position at the checkered flag.

Lots of Decision-Making

“There was a lot of decision-making in the first 100 feet of the track, and the only hope was that as many vehicles as possible would follow me into the Joker (turn),” Foust explained to an interviewer after the race.

“Our strategy did not work. In the end, I had to work hard to get the third-place finish for the team. It was great to see all the new fans that came out in this Texas heat. I am looking forward to coming back in September.”

Sitting Atop Provisional Lead

The weekend’s results place the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross drivers at the top of the provisional championship standings – Scott Speed holds a one-point lead over teammate Foust. The VW Andretti Rallycross will return to action next month with a trip over the border to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Aug. 4-5.