http://www.racingnascar.com/forums en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:04:39 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.racingnascar.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.racingnascar.com/forums http://www.racingnascar.com/forums/scott-speed/39107-speed-says-red-bull-contract-runs-through-2011-a.html Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:26:37 GMT Speed says Red Bull contract runs through 2011, but will he have a ride?
By Bob Pockrass


BROOKLYN, Mich. – Although Red Bull Racing might not have a Sprint Cup seat for him next year, Scott Speed said Friday he has a contract with the team for 2011.

The team announced Tuesday that Kasey Kahne would drive one of its cars in 2011 but did not say whether either of its drivers, Brian Vickers or Speed, is out of a ride.

Vickers has been sidelined since May because of blood clots. He is undergoing treatment for the clots and likely won’t know until November if the treatment is successful, whether he can remain off blood-thinners and race again.

Speed indicated Friday that he cannot negotiate with other teams about 2011.

“I have a contract with Red Bull,” Speed said prior to practice at Michigan International Speedway. “It’s not like I’m out. I can’t even go out and look for other rides at the moment.

“At this point, the focus needs to be on making our cars better and improving our performance.”

Red Bull Racing Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye said Tuesday that the organization could possibly go to three teams but didn’t confirm that Speed would be in a car in 2011.

“We are working hard to get him better and do what we need to do to get him better,” Frye said Tuesday. “But we have options. If you would have asked two months ago if Kasey Kahne would be one of the Red Bull drivers in 2011, I probably would have said no. Is it possible to expand?

“Sure, we have the ability to do that. Do we plan to do that? At this point that is unclear.”

In his second full year driving in Sprint Cup for Red Bull, the 27-year-old Speed is 27th in the standings. The former Formula One driver had gotten off to a quick start this year and was 12th in the standings after four races. But since then, he has had only five top-20 finishes.

Speed went through a crew chief change from Jimmy Elledge to Ryan Pemberton in June.

“I’m definitely still learning,” Speed said. “By the start of this year, I was a long way from where I started [as a rookie]. We had gone up the steepest part of the learning curve by the beginning of this year.

“I was a lot more comfortable with the racing and with what I was feeling in the car. And even now, I feel like I’m more even though we’re struggling. I feel a lot more confident, and normally the things that I’m saying and the things that I’m thinking are happening, so I’m certainly having a better understanding for it.”

Speed said there is no one to blame for the struggles. He said losing Vickers and having a revolving door in the No. 83 car has made it a tough year, but that he feels like the team is working on things in the right way and happy with what the team is doing to fix the issues.

“It’s just one of those things where we’ve just kind of missed something in the process and we’re trying to find it,” Speed said. “It’s not a handling issue. We can get the car to where it drives well. … It’s just a speed thing.

“We keep trying different things. Every weekend we’re coming with something new or we’re double-backing all the things we changed over time to make sure everything we’re changing is a positive thing. Again, it’s hard when you just have two cars and there are only a couple of practices every weekend.”

And on the signing of Kahne, who has 11 career victories and twice has made the Chase For The Sprint Cup?

“It is what it is,” Speed said. “It was a no-brainer decision for Red Bull to try to take that up. It came up kind of quickly, and it was a no-brainer. Anyone would try to take that opportunity if they could.”


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