NASCAR

Sprint Cup

CUP: Speed Has Speed

Scott Speed is starting to get noticed...

Mike Hembree | Posted March 09, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Scott Speed finished 10th at Atlanta Sunday. It his best career finish at a non-restrictor plate track. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

In the tumult that was the finish of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Scott Speed slipped into the Sprint Cup top 12 almost unnoticed.

His ride might not stay that way.

Speed finished 10th Sunday, driving through the chaos that surrounded him, scoring his best finish at a non-restrictor plate track. It’s early, but there’s reason to believe Speed is poised to make a giant step from his 2009 season.

Speed’s teammate, Brian Vickers, scored his first top 10 of the season (seventh) at Atlanta. He’s 16th in points.

“We kind of had to dog-fight our way up there,” Speed said. “We were running sort of between 10th and 15th the last half of the race. To be dog-fighting up there and to be able to scrounge and make really big, aggressive moves on my part and to be able to see the thing go forward, that is huge for us. This top 10 means a lot.

“I’m so happy with all of the progress we’ve all made, and I know how much still I have to learn, so I’m really optimistic for the future.”

Speed was a little more florid on the team radio immediately after the race: “Wooooo … Great job. Freaking awesome. Really, really great. Holy crap. Unbelievable. So proud of everyone. What an effort.”

The race marked only the second time that both Red Bull Racing Toyotas finished in the top 10.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

Tunnelheads, Pick Your Starters! Win Weekly! Win Monthly! Win The Championship!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

HEMBREE: Fuel-injecting Jake Elder
Wondering how one of NASCAR’s legendary mechanics would react…
CUP: 2012 Preview - Single-Car Teams
Former Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch is among the drivers competing…
CUP: Addington Settling In At Stewart-Haas
New crew chief Steve Addington hopes to keep Tony Stewart’s…