Scott Speed 2010 Preview, Predictions & Odds

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Scott Speed 2009 Stats

Scott Speed 2009 Recap & Review

In years past, rookie seasons such as these would be quite normal and expected. But in today’s era of rookie standouts like Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch, this freshman’s 2009 results are a bit numbing. That is not to cast aspirations on Scott Speed’s ability, though – quite the contrary. His early success in ARCA and the Camping World Truck Series, along with his limited Nationwide schedule this year that produced eight Top 10s in 13 starts, has shown he clearly has the ability to compete at this level. Perhaps the biggest hurdle for him this year was learning the tracks, the CoT, and having to qualify on time each weekend. Speed has said himself that he didn’t think Cup racing would be as hard as it proved to be this season, collecting twice as many DNFs (eight, including three in a row for wrecks) as top 20s (four) in 35 starts.

What shouldn’t be lost in the shuffle here, though, is that although Red Bull is perhaps the largest motorsports sponsor worldwide, Team Red Bull is not nearly the size of Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, or Richard Childress Racing. Think Petty Enterprises pre-merger, and you’ll get a sense of this team’s stature. So as the season came to a close, up to 25 employees between the No. 82 and No. 83 teams were laid off, further testament to this troubled time in motorsports – even for the most well-healed of corporate sponsored and in this case, corporate-owned teams.

Scott Speed 2010 Preview & Prediction

Scott Speed’s ascension through the NASCAR ranks was nothing short of meteoric. It was only two short seasons ago that Speed, the former F-1 driver, made his stock car debut in the ARCA Series, winning four of the 21 races he entered. That same year, he posted a win in the NASCAR Truck Series, where he ran a partial schedule, earning him a job as the full-time Cup driver of Red Bull Racing’s No. 82 Toyota. But after a tumultuous rookie season that included eight DNFs (including three in a row for wrecks), only six lead lap finishes, and four top 20s, the brash young talent learned that the jump to the bigs comes with the toughest learning curve.

Two major issues hampered Speed’s progress, and addressing them will be a primary focus in 2010. The short-term urgency is working to stay at or above 35th place in owner points — the cutoff separating cars guaranteed a starting spot in the race from those needing to time their way in. Speed spent most of ’09 at or below that critical line and, as a result, missed three races by failing to qualify.

The problem can easily become self-perpetuating, as too much focus on qualifying setups takes away from practice time spent on the race. The team is currently ranked 36th in owner points, but a fluid situation involving other teams during the offseason will likely earn the 82 a “locked in” spot it must preserve beyond the first five races. Speed’s team also needs to tone down the aggression that led to the rookie wrecking almost a dozen times in ‘09. He may count Kyle Busch among his closest friends, but the difference between Busch and Speed is that the former can beat and bang with the best of ’em and still bring the car home in one piece.

On the plus side, Speed’s teammate, Brian Vickers, won a Cup race in 2009 and made the Chase, both signs of improvement for Red Bull as a whole. But considering both his teammate and cars with one-tenth the budget are running circles around the F-1 convert, Speed must improve to avoid another dreaded cliché: “The higher they rise, the harder they fall …”

Scott Speed 2010 Predictions

We predict that Scott Speed will finish 30th in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Scott Speed Betting & Odds

Scott Speed NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Odds: +5000

Scott Speed Betting Trends & Situations

• after finishing 11th to 15th, average finish is 24.0
• when racing in February, average finish is 26.5

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