| You may be acquainted with his attention-getting | | | | not intended. |
| persona rather than his M.P.H. on the racetrack. As | | | | Speed broke into NASCAR with a bang last March at |
| long as you know of him, he'll take care of the rest. | | | | Martinsville, finishing 10th in his second career start. |
| His name alone gives reason to sit up and take | | | | His first win came in his sixth start on May 30 at |
| notice. | | | | Dover. He currently has two top-five finishes and |
| Speed. Scott Speed, that is. Yes, that's his original | | | | four top-10s in eight races. His seat time is part of a |
| name, and he hails from Manteca, California. The | | | | BDR driver development program aimed at getting |
| 25-year-old has taken the Formula One route in an | | | | him ready for top-tier competition. |
| era where American drivers stick with NASCAR, with | | | | And the boy can drive. In fact, he contends, |
| occasional sways into IndyCar. After 13 events in the | | | | NASCAR is a breeze compared to Formula One. So if |
| ARCA Re/Max Series he has four wins and leads in | | | | he can conquer the latter circuit, Kyle Busch has |
| the points race - he also tops ARCA's SunTrust | | | | nothing on His Brashness, in style or in racing ability. |
| Rookie of the Year standings - and has already | | | | Just ask him. |
| joined the NASCAR parade as a driver for Red Bull | | | | Busch is two years younger than Speed and seems |
| Racing. The energy drink with the raging red bovine is | | | | to have NASCAR at his fingertips. Speed is |
| the perfect sponsor for Mr. Eccentric himself. | | | | unimpressed and scoffs at Shrub's latest goal - racing |
| Speed's flair for the flamboyant includes | | | | a Formula One car in the offseason. Busch has |
| blue-and-purple painted toenails - he gets pedicures | | | | already scheduled a late year F-1 test and would give |
| before races to help him relax - bright and ornate | | | | it a try if everything pans out, even though the |
| clothing, oversized sunglasses, and an occasional case | | | | racing itself is less exciting, he says. |
| of loose lips. If you see his head bobbing or his | | | | Speed says the opposite. He discards the notion that |
| tongue wagging, it's just the latest tune on his | | | | another American, especially one so accustomed to |
| ear-budded I-pod. Think of former NBA star Dennis | | | | NASCAR, can handle the g-forces and put up with |
| Rodman without the tattoos and colored hair - oops, | | | | the neck strain. He claims that going from harder |
| don't give him any ideas. | | | | (F-1) to easier (NASCAR) is the way to go, and |
| His full-time ride in ARCA, the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota | | | | Busch is stuck in reverse. |
| Camry, is owned by Eddie Sharp Racing. In the | | | | Speed's part-time run in the Truck series started with |
| Craftsman Truck Series he drives the No. 22 Red Bull | | | | Kansas on April 26, followed by Lowe's Motor |
| Tundra owned by Bill Davis Racing. A Nationwide gig | | | | Speedway, Dover, Michigan, Bristol, Talladega, |
| is next, followed by a coveted Cup ride, but he's in | | | | Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and |
| no hurry. His expected entry in the Sprint Cup Series | | | | Homestead-Miami. His Truck credentials include two |
| is 2010 at the earliest, which is fine with him. He's | | | | earlier races at Atlanta and Martinsville. |
| having too much fun to speed up the timetable - pun | | | | Imagine the exposure he'll get over next two years. |