GRC: Speed Scores Back-to-Back Second Place Finishes in Detroit Doubleheader

Speed gains valuable championship points in the first-ever rallycross races in the Motor City.

Herndon, VA — The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team heads home with two podium finishes after a long doubleheader race weekend in Detroit. Drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed were consistently among the quickest cars at Belle Isle Park, often finding themselves racing head-to-head for top positions.

Scott Speed, driver of the No. 41 Kinetic Vision Volkswagen Beetle GRC, battled his way to back-to-back second place finishes in Saturday and Sunday’s races. Speed, who had fallen to ninth in points after three consecutive races with mechanical issues, earned valuable championship points, bringing him closer to the top spot.

“I wish they had let Sunday’s final run without a restart because I think we would have had a better shot, but Patrik (Sandell) had us by a little bit all weekend and deserved to win,” said Speed. “Coming away with two podium finishes is great for our championship points, and now we’ll be looking forward to the D.C. race and hopefully a win.”

Tanner Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle GRC, was quick all weekend, and even passed teammate Scott Speed to win Sunday’s semi-final. Unfortunately, Foust did not finish either final race due to collisions with other drivers on the track.

“It was a positive and productive weekend considering the awful results for the Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle,” said Foust. “We changed the car every session and we continued to get faster and faster. Scott (Speed) and I started out the quickest and ended the quickest, as far as lap time goes. In Sunday’s final, I had an ideal position to challenge (Patrik) Sandell for the lead in the first lap, and I played it a bit safe by choosing the inside of the second row instead of the outside of the first row. I ended up in the wall by the narrow Joker lane, damaging the car pretty badly. I have to fight for the win in the next races to try and regain some championship points after this weekend.”

In three weeks, the team heads to Washington D.C. for the seventh round of the twelve-round season. NBC will air the race live on Saturday, August 15, at 3:00 p.m. EST.

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