Las Vegas – Scott Speed has accomplished just about everything when it comes to auto racing.
The Red Bull driver was one of the few American drivers to compete in F1. He raced on NASCAR ovals and won several championships in rallycross.
Speed made 28 appearances for Scuderia Toro Rosso during the 2006-2007 season. He was one of the last Americans to compete in F1 races before Alexander Rossi and Logan Sargent.
At the time, the United States Grand Prix was part of F1's schedule, with the Miami Grand Prix opening and last year the Las Vegas Grand Prix not opening until 2022.
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Scott Speed (USA) during practice for the 2007 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6, 2007. (GEPA Photo/Franz Pammer, via USA Today Sports)
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“It's out of control. It's completely, completely different,” Speed told Fox News Digital on Friday. “To be honest, I was rather happy because I’m a bit of a reserved person. So after my F1 career ended and I moved back to America, no one recognized me or knew anything about me. It was actually quite nice. To be honest, I really enjoyed the anonymity.
“Of course, this is great, because there are a lot of Americans and friends and family here who know what F1 is and they're like, 'Oh my god, you did that?' It's like, 'And as a fan of auto racing in general, whether it's the Netflix show or a lot of factors, I'm really happy that we've grown here, which is really great. ”
Although he didn't have the same speed success as Mario Andretti, being able to drive at the pinnacle of open-wheel racing is a huge victory.
It's not easy to compete with the likes of Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa.
“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of auto racing, right? But there hasn't really been an avenue for that in America. So it's kind of an aspirational goal to have the opportunity to be a driver for Red Bull America. I was very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to move to Europe and actually have a pathway from the Red Bull Junior Development Program to get to Europe.
F1 driver Scott Speed (USA) practices for the 2007 French Grand Prix on the Magny-Cours Highway on June 29, 2007. (GEPA Photo/Mathias Kniepeiss, via USA Today Sports)
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“My biggest memory is how special it was to make the most of those opportunities and actually get there.”
Speed said one of the most difficult parts of F1 was racing hard against the best teams, from winning a lot to fighting for the lead in feeder series. And finding victory lane or the podium wasn't always a “hard thing to get used to.”
“Formula 1 is very special and the cars are incredibly fast. The most special thing is, I mean, everyone remembers the first time I took an F1 car out of the garage. And for me, it was Barcelona So I was also lucky to have the memories of the engine, and those were a lot of great memories. ”
Speed competed in NASCAR for several years before getting the opportunity to compete in another different type of racing: rallycross, which takes place on closed mixed-surface circuits.
Scott Speed drives the No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle during the Red Bull Global Rallycross race at Daytona International Speedway on June 21, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
The Red Bull athlete won three consecutive World Rallycross Championships from 2015 to 2017 and the Americas Rallycross Championship in 2018. He told FOX News Digital that he wanted to challenge himself and race in a series outside of his comfort zone.
“There are many options that are easier and perhaps a more natural fit,” he says. “I really wanted to challenge myself and do something different.
“This is probably the most satisfying decision for me, because it led me on a path of exploration and learning how to drive different vehicles. I got really into that aspect of auto racing, moving away from just being good at driving, and thinking, “Oh, this car, as a driver, you need to do different things to optimize the car.'' i am in love. And I fell in love with it.
“With rallycross after stock car racing, there's been an evolution where you're like, 'OK, we need something else for this,' and I'm thinking about what we need to get the most out of the physics of the vehicle. I've always been fascinated by that, and I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from many different fields.
Speed also offered advice to young drivers looking to break into the sport.
“Don’t quit,” he said. “I believe that you can have everything you want in life if you really want it. It always depends on whether you are willing to pay the price and are willing to put in the energy and time it takes. It depends on whether or not you can do anything.
Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Scott Speed during the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Mark J. Revillas/USA Today Sports)
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“I think the most important thing is to love what you do. I was very lucky to know at a young age that I loved racing, and to pursue it and make it a career. I could change things. But I think love is what matters.'' It takes a lot of effort and energy to be successful in something as difficult as auto racing, and if you don't love what you're doing, cannot be successful. I'm willing to pay the price for that. ”
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