• Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Volkswagen in wrong place at wrong time

DETROIT, Michigan (July 27, 2015) - Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust showed good speed this weekend at the Detroit Global Rallycross doubleheader but faced disappointment after finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time on race day.

'The car was fast and had winning potential and I feel for the team who cranked all weekend to come up virtually empty handed,' said Foust after he was sidelined Sunday in a first-corner crash.

The driver finished second in his Sunday heat and won the semifinal to earn a front-row starting position for the final. But contact with Ken Block saw Foust take massive damage to the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle. The race was red flagged and Foust was unable to continue, while Block was penalized for the incident.

'When you're between a Block and a hard place, there's nowhere to go,' said Foust, whose race ended with a slam into the track wall while driving alongside Block. 'I did everything I could to avoid the crash but there wasn't enough room for two cars side-by-side and I just got squeezed into the wall. It's a disappointing way to end a potentially good weekend.'

Foust had been hoping for a second chance Sunday following a tough day of racing on Saturday.

In the first of the weekend's doubleheader races, series officials canceled qualifying to make time for some last-minute track work. That meant drivers were placed into heat races by points position, forcing Foust into the second row for heat racing.

'There weren't many places to pass on the course so a good starting position was absolutely critical in Detroit,' said Foust. 'I took some risks to try to get ahead and unfortunately they didn't pay off.'

He scored a pair of third-place finishes in heat and semifinal racing to earn a third-row starting position in the final. There, while working his way through the pack, he and another driver touched wheels, causing damage to the Volkswagen's suspension. Foust scored 10th place points.

'The cars were fast and reliable; we had the makings of a great weekend -- fine-tuning and making adjustments to get faster for every round,' said Foust. 'I'm happy to see my teammate Scott Speed put the Volkswagen on the podium and I'm looking forward to being there along with him at the next race.'

Next for Foust and the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team in the Global Rallycross championship is Round 7 in Washington, D.C., presented by Volkswagen. The race takes place August 15 and airs live on NBC at 3 p.m. ET.

Before then, Foust will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo for World RX of Canada August 7 in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. He is running a select season of events in the World RX series this season with Marklund Motorsport.

Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. As many as 10 drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel. It is sometimes described as an action motorsport and is emerging as the top youth-market motorsport in the world.

ABOUT TANNER FOUST

Tanner Foust is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control and a proven track record of podium placements, national championships and world records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007).

He has also held multiple world records including for the astonishing Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare, which saw Foust drive a car through a 66-foot loop-the-loop. He also scored the indoor speed record for TV's Top Gear USA, and set a distance jump record with Hot Wheels when he made a 332' ramp-to-ramp leap in a truck at the Indy 500.

A dominant driver in the sport of rallycross, Foust is the only American driver ever to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He made his rallycross debut overseas in 2010 with a select campaign and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three. At home, Foust has been a leading driver in the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in 2010, and in 2014 won the New York round of the Global Rallycross Championship for the new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team.

His varied competition experience includes multiple years of open wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, off-road truck competition, various types of sports car racing and the SCORE Baja. He has represented the USA in the annual Race of Champions three times, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008, Travis Pastrana in 2009, and Mick Doohan in 2010.

When he isn't racing, the professional driver also performs in films and on television. He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel. Episodes of his online documentary series, Life in the Foust Lane, are available on the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel.

Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in the Need 4 Speed film, as well as other major releases including the Bourne Legacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2 movies.

ABOUT ROCKSTAR

Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles -- from athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through action sports, motor sports, and live music. For more information visit: www.RockstarEnergy.com