Scott Speed is one of few drivers in motorsports to make the transition from Formula One to NASCAR.
After two seasons behind the wheel in F1 in 2006 and 2007, the California native moved back to the United States to give NASCAR Cup Series racing a shot in 2008.
Paired up with Red Bull Racing, it was not an easy move for Speed. The now 43-year-old opened up about his transition from F1 to NASCAR in the most recent episode of “The Dale Jr. Download.”
Scott Speed on NASCAR transition: ‘It was different’
Across 2006 and 2007, Speed competed in 28 Formula One races. Speed posted an average finish of 15.1 across the two seasons.
As he discussed on Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘s podcast, Speed felt he had answered his question of whether or not he was a capable F1 driver. Although he did not consider himself one of the best, such as Lewis Hamilton, Speed felt he had proven himself.
“For me, I had answered the question I had for myself, which is, ‘How good am I as a racing driver?’ I’m not Lewis, I’m not Nico, but I’m a good F1 guy,” Speed said.
After feeling like he had done everything he could do on the F1 side, Speed decided to move back to America and give NASCAR a try.
Speed knew very little about NASCAR and stock car racing as a whole. While he was familiar with the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan, getting behind the wheel of a stock car was a completely different experience for Speed.
“It was different. I knew it was very different and it would be a challenge. I did grow up a little bit watching obviously [Dale Earnhardt], Ernie Irvan — I watched some stock car racing, but not enough to really have any grasp of what it was going to take or what the level was at all,” Speed said.
A look at Scott Speed’s NASCAR career
In 2008, Speed competed part-time in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
Speed found success behind the wheel of a truck as he captured his sole NASCAR win. Piloting the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing truck, Speed wheeled his way to victory at the Dover Motor Speedway in 2008.
On the Cup side, it was a struggle for Speed. In five starts, the driver of the No. 84 posted a best finish of 16th in the season-finale race at Homestead. However, Speed posted a finish of 30th or worse in his other four starts.
Speed was promoted to full-time Cup competition for Red Bull Racing in 2009. The former F1 driver recorded a career-best fifth-place finish at Talladega.
Speed posted an average finish of 29th and finished 35th in the points standings in the ’09 campaign.
The 2010 NASCAR Cup Series season would be Speed’s final as a full-time driver. He posted two top-five finishes, an average finish of 25.1, and finished 30th in the points standings. Speed left Red Bull Racing at the end of the season.
Speed proceeded to make 42 more starts in the Cup Series from 2011-2013. His final NASCAR Cup race would end up being the 2013 Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.