CONCORD, N.C. -- Scott Speed is used to charging through life at an accelerated pace.

So if he ends up in the No. 84 Toyota fielded by Red Bull Racing for the final seven races of this Sprint Cup Series season, well ahead of the original and admittedly optimistic schedule he and team officials previously had laid out for him, it would be no great surprise.

“

At the moment, everything has gone so well; I can tell you that the original plan, we are speeding that up for sure.

”

SCOTT SPEED

Speed has spent the last two days participating in Cup testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, along with fellow Red Bull drivers Mike Skinner and Brian Vickers. On Tuesday, Red Bull Racing vice president and general manager Jay Frye said the team would soon be parting ways with driver A.J. Allmendinger -- no later than at the end of the 2008 season.

Sources confirmed Wednesday, however, that as long as testing continued to go well for Speed in the No. 82 Red Bull car at Lowe's, he likely will replace Allmendinger in the No. 84 Red Bull entry for at least several races down the home stretch of this Cup season. Allmendinger will drive the No. 84 at Kansas this Sunday, but nothing has yet been finalized for who will drive the car beyond that.

The veteran Skinner, who has served as mentor to both Allmendinger and Speed, drove the No. 84 during the two-day test at Charlotte. Driving the No. 82, Speed was second-fastest in the night session Tuesday at LMS, with a top lap speed of 184.881 mph. Only Greg Biffle in his Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford was faster.

"Honestly, what happens with A.J. had nothing to do with me and never did. I've always known, since before I came over here and started looking at all this stuff, that I would have an opportunity to do it," Speed insisted Wednesday. "It's just about getting the experience and waiting for the right time to do it.

"I would say I'm in a very lucky position because I know Red Bull is behind me, and I know Red Bull will eventually put me there and let me have a shot at it. Even if A.J. was here and they thought it was right, we would run a third car next year. It's really just waiting for the right time, and honestly what's happening with A.J. doesn't have anything to do with us."

In 2005, Speed became the first American in more than a decade to drive in the Formula One series -- but he has been trying to make the transition to stock-car racing since last October. He is driving full time in the ARCA Series this season, finishing in the top eight in 16 of 18 events while winning four to currently lead the series in points. (Continued)