Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross’ Tanner Foust recovered from a disappointing Saturday result to win Sunday’s Red Bull Global Rallycross final at Daytona International Speedway. Foust, who extended his championship lead with the victory, led teammate Scott Speed and 2015 defending race winner Sebastian Eriksson to the finish line.
“I really, really love bringing home a win for the guys this weekend,” Foust said. “They have been working through the heat, and we were here until 6 in the morning. We had two impacts in the previous round—one hit the hole in the track, which hit the right front suspension. That kind of made the car dead in the water and gave (Patrik) Sandell, nowhere to go, and that was the second impact. The crew had to fix both sides of the car.”
Crews for Foust and Sandell spent the entire night repairing their vehicles after extensive damage from Saturday’s main event. Speed, meanwhile, switched to a third Beetle after damage from yesterday’s fire proved too extensive to repair overnight. However, all three drivers were able to continue on Sunday, with Speed in fact posting the fastest qualifying lap before being penalized for the vehicle change.
The final required a restart after heavy contact between Speed and Austin Dyne displaced a tire barrier in turn six. On the restart, beating and banging between Foust and Eriksson wasn’t enough to displace Foust from the lead, while Speed shot ahead to fourth from his third row starting spot. As Foust extended a lead over Eriksson and Joni Wiman, Speed took a late-race Joker Lap to grab second and give Volkswagen a 1-2 finish.
In GRC Lites, Tanner Whitten finally broke through for the first time in 2016 after winning three consecutive poles since joining Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Whitten, who finished second on Saturday, turned the tables on yesterday’s winner Oliver Eriksson to grab the victory. Miki Weckstrom, winner of the Lites season opener in Phoenix, completed the podium.
Unofficial results from Sunday’s Red Bull Global Rallycross Daytona (II) are as follows:
Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
Sebastian Eriksson, #93 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic
Joni Wiman, #31 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic
Brian Deegan, #38 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
Steve Arpin, #00 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
Jeff Ward, #07 SH Rallycross/DRR Ford Fiesta ST
Patrik Sandell, #18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST
Rhys Millen, #67 Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster
Austin Dyne, #14 AD Racing Ford Fiesta ST
The 2016 Red Bull GRC season resumes in two weeks with a return to Marine Corps Air Station New River for Rounds 6 and 7 of the championship. The event can be seen on Saturday, July 2 at 5PM ET and Sunday, July 3 at 5PM ET on NBC, and on Sunday, July 3 at 5:30PM ET on Red Bull TV.
Photo Credit: Red Bull Media