Despite blue toes, Speed finding foothold in NASCAR

Talk about some fancy footwork. On the plane to Dover, Del., for last week's Craftsman Truck Series event, rookie NASCAR driver Scott Speed took time out for a pedicure -- complete with toenails painted blue to match his Red Bull-backed vehicle. Riding to the 1-mile racetrack, he told crew chief Doug Wolcott that his feet felt so good, he'd probably have better throttle control.

"You've obviously never experienced the joy of having someone take care of your feet," said Speed, a former Formula One driver who still maintains some European tastes. "It was quite amazing, actually. My feet were very, very soft, very beautiful actually, by my standards. Don't knock it until you've tried it."

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And don't knock Speed, the sometimes flaky, always entertaining, and definitely promising Red Bull developmental driver who scored his first NASCAR victory last weekend, winning at Dover International Speedway in just his sixth career truck start. He celebrated in true Speed fashion, striking "the thinker" pose after taking the checkered flag, wearing his hat sideways in Victory Lane, and walking into the post-race interview room with his firesuit unzipped down to his waist.

"Mic check, mic check, one-two, one-two," he said immediately upon picking up the microphone at the interview table. The 24-year-old from Manteca, Calif., is a live wire who's soaking up every bit of his NASCAR experience, and why not? This time last year he was a struggling driver for a struggling F1 team, and only months away from being released from his contract. With the backing of Red Bull -- which conducted the driver search that helped him land his F1 ride, and also sponsored his car in that series -- he returned to the United States and embarked upon a slate of ARCA and Truck races, with an eye toward one day reaching Sprint Cup.

Unlike more high-profile open-wheel expatriates who have essentially jumped right into stock-car racing's highest level, Speed is being brought along gradually. The results thus far have shown potential -- a seventh-place result in his ARCA debut last year for Eddie Sharp Racing, a top-10 at Martinsville in just his second truck race, an ARCA victory at Kansas in April, and then last Friday's two-tire pit stop that propelled him to victory in a Bill Davis Racing truck at Dover. This weekend brings double duty, with a truck race Friday at Texas preceding an ARCA event at Pocono on Saturday.

"Certainly we had high expectations for him, and he's exceeding them," said Red Bull general manager Jay Frye. "He's ahead of the curve. He's a great kid. He's a sponge, he really wants to listen. He's very determined, very motivated. He's got it."

Oh, he's got it, all right -- talent, a zinging sense of humor, sometimes interesting fashion sense and an unshakable belief in himself. He's leapt out of the boiler room of F1 and into a developmental NASCAR ride, backed by an energy drink juggernaut with plenty of money to spend. Pressure? What pressure? "I'm certainly looking forward to continuing on and of course looking forward to my first Cup race, but I'm not in any rush," Speed said. "I'm having the time of my life just coming over here and trying to learn this sport. It's awesome."

He might not use that term to describe some other chapters in his racing background. A karting sensation whose career was launched when he won Red Bull's F1 American driver search, Speed went to Europe and won titles in two formula ladder series despite battling serious digestive ailments. Red Bull named him a test driver for its F1 team in 2005, and one year later he was piloting the real thing as part of Scudeira Toro Rosso, a second organization fielded by the energy drink company.

But Speed's F1 career was marked by crashes, controversies -- including an altercation with current Red Bull driver David Coulthard -- and mediocre results. He was released from his contract in July of last year with a career-best finish of ninth, and never having recorded a championship point. After that, it's no wonder he's relishing his time thus far in NASCAR. (Continued)