Scott Speed does double duty at Daytona

Scott Speed spoke to the media Tuesday at the NASCAR research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. He is going to be doing some unique double duty this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, racing twice on Saturday, in two completely different events. Saturday afternoon, Scott and driver Kyle Busch, will be in the 02 Waste Management Lexus Riley in the Brumos Porsche 250. That's the seventh race of the season for the Grand Am Rolex sports car series.

Scott and Kyle, they are going to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the 250, and after a short break, come back on track. Saturday night, Scott will be in his usual ride, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota for the Coke Zero 400, 17th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Team: Red Bull Racing Team
Team Owner: Dietrich Mateschitz
Crew Chief: Jimmy Elledge
Engine Builder: Toyota Racing Development
Career Starts: 5
Career Wins: 0
Career Poles: 0
Best Points Finish: 55th (2008)
First Full Season: Scheduled to be 2009
First Start: Oct. 19, 2008 (Martinsville)
Best Career Finish: 16th, Nov. 16, 2008 (Homestead)
Best Career Start: 2nd, Nov. 16, 2008 (Homestead)

Birthdate: Jan. 24, 1983
Hometown: Manteca, Calif.
Resides: Mount Holly, N.C.
Hobbies: Golf and video games

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Won NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in sixth career start, at Dover, May 2008.
• Won NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole, at Bristol, August 2008.
• Competed in Formula One, 2006 and 2007.

2008 Finished 55th in series points. … Finished 30th in series debut at Martinsville in October.… Qualified second at Homestead-Miami Speedway in season finale.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

Started 16 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2008. Had one win (Dover), four top fives and nine top 10s. Earned first career pole, at Bristol. … Finished third in 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series after winning four races. … Made 28 Formula One starts in 2006 and 2007 for Scuderia Toro Rosso. … Won races in Formula Renault championships in Germany and Europe in 2004. … Won series title in rookie season in Jim Russell Racing Championship in 2001. … Started racing karts in 1993 and won first national championship two years later.

NOTEWORTHY

Became first American to compete in Formula One since Michael Andretti in 1993. … Started relationship with Red Bull in 2002 after winning Red Bull American Driver Search. … Earned first karting national championship at age 12.

Here are some highlights from the teleconference.

Maybe to open up, talk about some of the challenges Saturday that's going to be ahead as we are going to present you and Kyle Busch as you go back and forth between the two cars.

SCOTT SPEED: Well, yeah, for one, the car is a completely different. Not only is it racing different being on a road course but the cars themselves having so much more downforce are obviously completely different to drive. Luckily we got a test session in yesterday. We were able to do some laps which was for sure very beneficial for both of us rust to get into the groove of so the of driving a car that's so much different and that actually has some grip.

And then, yeah, I mean, to have the two different races on the same day, I'm sure that's going to be interesting. I'm sure Kyle will be more used to doing that kind of stuff than I am. But nonetheless, for both of us it's going to be a big challenge to go from a car that's got a lot of grip and turning right to Daytona where you're just trying to keep it flat-out and drafting all day.

Q: The rookie class, obviously Joey Logano is kind of running away with things there. But you and Joey were involved in an incident in the first race at Daytona. How have you see him improve since then?

SCOTT SPEED: I think obviously a lot. Joey started off, you know, as you expect, struggling a bit at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, but you know, clearly they have had their stuff together for a while now. Probably since around Las Vegas they have been going really in the right direction. It's good to see obviously being able to pull out a win.

Q: What about him is different now than maybe at Daytona?

SCOTT SPEED: More experience in the cars, I would say. You've got to realize as well, there's a big difference in the rookie class as just general experience. Joey is 18, but he grew up racing these type of cars.

My advantage out of the whole deal was that I've already raced in Formula 1 and in a high-pinnacle series, so I've dealt with the pressures and media obligations and all that, and certainly he has picked that stuff up surprisingly well for his age. I'm sure he'll be really successful at it.

Q: For a lot of the season, you've had to race your way in, for the first ten races. Is it frustrating for a team like yours prepared to run the whole race having to fight for position with teams not prepared to run a whole race?

SCOTT SPEED: I don't know I think it's just the economic time at the moment. It's not that they don't want to run the whole race, they physically can't. They are in a difficult situation. I think the fact that the top 35 is locked in and if you're not in that top 35, you have to qualify in, and I think that just shows the strength of the series.

In fact, you have more guys wanting to race than can physically do so. And then the way they have done it, it makes sense, I don't think there's anything wrong with the program.

For us, it's we the got a bit unlucky in the beginning of the year actually, and we got ourselves in the top 35 and then we are in really not the best position, because obviously, you know, it's a bit of advantage to be able to not have to worry about it, but a position we are in and we are dealing with it the best we can and it just the way life goes. I don't think there's anything that's wrong with it, it's just I think if anything, it just shows the strength of the series.

Q: And second question, where did you and Kyle test, and did you get a feel for whether or not you guys both like the same thing in a sports car or not, or do you have different feels for it?

SCOTT SPEED: I think we both like the similar thing for sure. I think everyone has to really understand that something like this has got a lot of downforce, not only is it on a road course which Kyle, he's obviously demonstrated he can drive those fine, but driving a car with downforce is something completely different than Kyle has ever done before. And I have to say, how fast he was able to progress and how much he picked up was truly impressive. He's a man, there's no question. One good thing was we were able to fit into the same seat, we are similar sizes and we like the same car setup. A lot of the big fundamental things we got out of the way and I think it will work out good with the two of us.

Q: Where was that?

SCOTT SPEED: We tested in Putnam Park.

Q: My understanding the Putnam Park test near Indianapolis came off really well for you guys with you coming out a little bit faster, but then again you've had that aerodynamic aspect in your life, inaudible, and trust going deeper into the turns before climbing on the brakes?

SCOTT SPEED: Look, from where we started when we got there to where we ended, it was a huge difference, and driving a road course, like I said it's one thing. But driving a car that it has got downforce, you attack the corners differently, and it requires a totally different driving style which falls right into my lap; that's how I've driven cars my whole life.

So certainly a lot easier for me to get used to this type of car. But Kyle is, how quickly he can adapt and how well he analyzes the data and learns by seeing what we are doing and how we are able to take the corners, I think by the end of Daytona he's going to be just fine, no question.

Q: Part of this I would determine is being a fun factor race where you don't have the types of pressures that you would engage in elsewhere, but I also suspect that the racer inside of you wants to do well. Would you address that, please?

SCOTT SPEED: Well, there's no question, we didn't go there to have fun. We have fun racing and we have fun racing the RC car. We go there to win for sure. I think that it's going to be tough for us. I think we've got, you know, a lack of experience doing this stuff, but hopefully we'll be competitive to where we can challenge for the win. I mean, at the end of the day, that's what we are going there to do.

Q: Have you figured out which one will drive at which time?

SCOTT SPEED: Yeah, because we are going to fit into the same seat, we are not going to adjust anything. Kyle likes his lower belt strap really, really, really tight, so to get him into the car after a driver change, we figure would take a little bit of time.

So just purely from the amount of time and how quickly we can get in and out of the car, it was a bit quicker for us to have Kyle drive first, so that's at the moment what our current strategy is, to have him qualify the car and run the first stint and have me run the latter part of the race.

Q: You and your Red Bull teammate, Brian Vickers, had a dust-up I guess Saturday, and I don't know if it carried over to Sunday or not. Have you guys talked about it, straightened it out at all or anything? What's going on there?

SCOTT SPEED: Honestly I haven't spoke about it yet. I think we wanted to let things cool down a little bit. I did mention, however, that I didn't touch the 83 when he was off in the grass under caution. I didn't have any part of that. But I did vocally say that he might have paid someone off to take us out, because we were having a really good weekend and then got wrecked unfortunately.

It's one of those things where we've got a good enough organization here at Red Bull, we have got, you know, good people on board, and I'm sure it's something that we are going to be able to straighten out and it's not going to be such a big deal to care for. It we'll have our talk and I'm sure we'll be all fine after.

Q: So you plan on talking to him some time this week, I guess?

SCOTT SPEED: I'm sure we'll sit down, absolutely.

Q: Is there anybody in the Ganassi organization who has mentored you and Kyle when it comes to the Grand Am cars, or are you just going into this stone cold?

SCOTT SPEED: Well, at the most, honestly we can say that we have pretty much kind of gone into it as cold as you can. Fortunately when we got there, there was obviously a lot of advice for us and we had good data to look at. And you know, the most important thing is the organization we are running with has been very successful doing it. They have won the last two races, and you know, going into something like that, you know the advice you're getting. If you need to run a setup towards this direction, you believe them.

So it's good guidance there, absolutely. But beyond what we have experienced as we start testing, and with the team we are with, I would say we pretty much didn't know a lot about it.