Manteca native Speed is all smiles heading into Sonoma race

By Kelly Jones
kjones@modbee.com

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SAN FRANCISCO — Tooling around the streets of Manteca days before a NASCAR Sprint Cup race was a nice change of pace for racer Scott Speed.

Being so close to his hometown before Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway gave Speed a chance to show his fiancée the important landmarks for the first time.

That's where he grew up. That's where he went to school. That's where he wrecked a car for the first time.

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"We had about 40 people over (Wednesday) night and it's not a big house," said Speed, an East Union High graduate. "It was cool. It was the first time I'd been home in over a year. My dad put in a new kitchen, my brother has his own apartment and we got a dog."

Speed smiles often. He has a lot to be happy about. He'll get married next month after adding Grand-Am racer to his résumé and he's in the midst of his rookie season on the biggest stock car series in the country.

Speed is set to marry Amanda Mathis next month in Salem, N.C. They met last year when he raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series and she was a media relations coordinator for his Bill Davis Racing team.

Speed and Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch announced a deal this week to run in a July 4 Grand-Am Rolex Series race for Chip Ganassi Racing, followed later in the day by the Coke Zero 400, both at Daytona International Speedway.

Speed comes into this week's NASCAR event ranked 35th in the standings. He'll have to qualify on time instead of relying on owner's points, which tends to make some drivers nervous, especially on a road course.

Not Speed. He said it's been about 10 years since he raced at Infineon Raceway, and it's been reconfigured a bit since he drove there. But Speed is an alumnus of the track's Jim Russell Racing School and was a regular go-kart racer at the Sonoma facility.

He hasn't been on the hilly 1.99-mile course in a stock car, but Speed said his testing sessions went well and he seemed unconcerned about making the field. He said being "home" doesn't raise the expectation to do well as much as being on a road course in general does.

"I'm the guy you hire to do this thing," said the former Formula One driver. "There's pressure to do well everywhere.

"My expectations for the team aren't different than any other time of year. Hopefully we get the strategy right and the fuel mileage right and it'll be a good weekend."

Speed describes himself as a laid-back guy. That was evident Thursday at a NASCAR press conference where he swiped Busch's sunglasses and appeared comfortable talking about his family, Northern California upbringing and rocky first half of the Sprint Cup season in front of a roomful of media members.

Speed's best finish was fifth at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26. His average finish is 30th. While it's been "tough" to survive in the back of the pack most weeks, Speed said he had a lot of support, including Busch, who is ninth in points and the winner of last year's Toyota/Save Mart 350.

The young drivers have developed a rapport that helps off the track and hasn't hurt in the car, either. They recounted a few incidents of rubbing and racing on Thursday. Speed said Busch helped push him to his Talladega finish. Busch remembered running into Speed and keeping him from a better finish a few times.

"Any time I need advice I can go to him," Speed said. "He's the best guy in the business to ask. We both say exactly what's on our minds and we don't care what other people think."

Busch said he can see Speed having more success as his third-year Red Bull team gains experience. He acknowledged the difficulty Speed has had adjusting to stock cars, which have far less grip or downforce than Formula One cars have.

"I think he's done alright," Busch said. "He brings a new style and presence to the garage area. With the lack of testing NASCAR has implemented this year, he doesn't get a chance to test that often."

While Busch and driver David Gilliland wore sponsor polo shirts to the press conference, Speed donned a sponsor cap and opted for a light pink V-neck T-shirt. He said he lets someone else drive when he's not racing and leaves the daily organization to his fiancée.

Finding the right suit for his wedding is his responsibility, though, and Speed said Mathis understandably has been bugging him about it. He's particular. Speed is in the market to purchase a silk tuxedo.

Speed has stood out in the NASCAR world, being more colorful and outgoing than most drivers, from his confidence to his clothes. He said everyone is "pretty chill," though, and standing out a little is good for him.

"It's been kinda fun," Speed said. "I like wearing colors. They know if they see a pretty colorful guy in the garage, 'That's Scott.' "

Bee staff writer Kelly Jones can be reached at kjones@modbee.com or 578-2300.