DECEMBER 2, 2008

Scott Speed lands a permanent NASCAR drive

Scott Speed will join fellow F1 refugee Juan Pablo Montoya next year as a full time driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup The former Scuderia Toro Rosso driver has taken the oval racing world by storm this year and has now been confirmed as the permanent replacement for AJ Allmendinger at Team Red Bull. Speed will drive a Toyota Camry, prepared by a team led by highly-rated crew chief Jimmy Elledge. Speed took part in five Cup races this year and finished the year with 16th place at Homestead. Speed's team-mate will be Brian Vickers.

"Scott earned his Sprint Cup ride by exceeding our expectations in ARCA and Trucks," said Red Bull team boss Jay Frye. "He has a great asset in Jimmy, who has experience working with both rookies and open-wheel drivers."

Elledge previously helped Montoya adapt to oval racing at Chip Ganassi Racing but was fired earlier this year when he fell out with the team management.