The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team is coming home with a first place trophy and some bodywork that needs fixing. Tanner Foust and Scott Speed were two of the fastest cars on the track throughout the fourth round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in New York.
However, rough starts and tough competition had the drivers battling their way through the field all weekend at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Going into the final on Sunday, the teammates found themselves sharing the middle lane of rows 1 and 2 on the starting grid. After rubbing fenders with the other racecars on two red-flagged starts, Foust and Speed battled their way to an incredible 1-2 finish.
“Ultimately, it was a great end to a long weekend,” said Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen. “The two guys with the most road racing and oval experience—Scott Speed and Nelson Piquet Jr.—certainly were the ones to beat. Luckily it's still a rallycross start, and I was able to get the nose of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen in there off the line."
Unfortunately, Speed’s second-place finish was later penalized due to an unapproved adjustment done under the first red flag of the race. Under the championship’s supplemental regulations, he was penalized from that point forward, resulting in a ninth-place finish.
“Obviously it was a 'not to plan' weekend for the No. 77 7UP Volkswagen,” said Speed. “We were the fastest car all weekend during practice and heat sessions and then we had engine problems on our starts. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team did an incredible job, and the car definitely took a beating out there as we were pushing through the field."
Concord, NC, will host the next round of the Red Bull Rallycross Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, from July 25-26. NBC will air the race live on Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m. ET.
