SCOTT SPEED RACES THE SHARK TO HIS THIRD X GAMES GOLD MEDAL IN AUSTIN

June 15, 2015 by Volkswagen

Scott Speed and Tanner Foust were quick all weekend, scoring first and fifth positions in the final on Saturday afternoon

Herndon, VA — The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team won its second straight Summer X Games gold medal in the thrilling RallyCar final this weekend; further demonstrating the performance of the 2015 Beetle GRC. The drivers and teams in attendance held nothing back this weekend, as the race was purely invitational and did not count toward Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship points.

Coming off of his second place finish the prior weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, Scott Speed, driver of the No. 41 SHARK WEEK Volkswagen Beetle GRC, was determined to bring home his third X Games gold medal. Speed was consistently among the quickest drivers on the track, winning the pole and his heat race. At the start of the final, he fell behind a few positions only to come back and pass three cars to take the win.

'The final race was the most gratifying of my career from the fact that it took so much work, not just from myself, but from the entire Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team,' said Speed. 'Ideally it would have been nice to just go through Turn 1 on the inside and just check away from the field, but that didn't happen. I'd much rather win X Games gold that way. It was a fight and when you are able to close on the win after such competition it is an incredible feeling. I'm sure the show for the X Games fans was amazing. I know I can't wait to get home and watch it.'

Tanner Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle GRC, qualified second behind Speed and was fastest in Saturday morning practice. A controversial penalty brought him back to third in his heat. Foust then advanced to the final after winning the Last Chance Qualifier. At the start of the final he was bumped in traffic, dealt with poor visibility and on track debris, finishing fifth place overall.

'This track was entirely different from Ft. Lauderdale, and further demonstrated the speed and versatility of the Beetle GRC,' said Foust. 'The dust was eventually the demise of the No. 34 podium hopes. In qualifying we had an issue navigating the track, which only became more difficult as we fell back in the field during our heat race and the final. I'm super happy for the team and Scott (Speed) for walking away with his third gold medal.'

In two weeks, the team heads to Daytona, FL, for a double-header race weekend. The event takes place on June 19 – 21. NBC will air the race on Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. EST.