FanHouse Scott Speed

Get in the groove for today's race with FanHouse Warmup.

Veteran Brian Vickers couldn't have been less of a Red Bull Racing team player during Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while his teammate Scott Speed handled a dicey situation beautifully.

The two Sprint Cup Series teammates tangled while battling Mike Bliss for fourth on the last lap, sending Vickers into the wall. On the cool-down lap, Vickers bumped Speed numerous times in retaliation.

What Vickers said, though, likely will have some lasting repercussions on the team.

The old cliché 'what a difference a year makes' couldn't have rang more true for Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00 Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

A year ago, that No. 00 driven by Michael McDowell suffered one of the single-most violent crashes in NASCAR history as it first slammed the turn one wall before rolling multiple times down the track in qualifying. McDowell, miracuously, was uninjured.

Friday, though, David Reutimann continued his hot start to the season in the No. 00 by taking the pole for Sunday's Samsung 500.

Veteran racer Mark Martin is the "cautious" in the expression, "cautiously optimistic." That's why his unabashed excitement coming into the season was a story in and of itself.

His fans and competitors alike hoped a prime job in the No. 5 Chevrolet for mighty Hendrick Motorsports would land this popular four-time championship runner-up a last really good -- perhaps long -- shot at a Sprint Cup title. Instead, a string of uncanny bad racing luck -- uncharacteristic Hendrick engine problems and a flat tire -- have left Martin ranked 34th in the standings entering Sunday's race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

He's got only a nine-point cushion on 35th place, and a fall outside the top-35 will cost him a guaranteed starting spot on the grid beginning next week, when the guaranteed starts are allotted based on the current top-35 standings.

Just as surprising as seeing Martin in this perilous predicament is the high-quality company he's keeping there.

During one of only four off-weeks all season, it's a good time to breathe and check out the early-season statistics. It's way to early to come to any conclusions, but it's been an interesting few weeks of haves and have-nots.

Here's a look at who's getting the thumbs-up or thumbs-down as we prepare for one of the best shows NASCAR has to offer -- 500 laps at the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next Sunday afternoon.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Maybe the question isn't whether Scott Speed is ready for NASCAR, but if NASCAR is ready for Scott Speed.

The 26-year-old Californian has a personality as high octane as the Red Bull energy drink that sponsors his No. 82 Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series, and sponsored the open-wheel driver competition that landed him a Formula One job in the 2006-07 seasons.

Speed carries himself with the unmistakable swagger that comes from being supremely confident and massively talented.

First we got Juan, then Jacques, and now it seems former American Formula One driver Scott Speed will make the jump from the open wheel ranks to the stock car world.

Speed, with the world's single coolest racing name, will make his debut at the Oct. 5 ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway -- the same event in which Juan Pablo Montoya made his just a year ago.

The debut will come with one of ARCA's top teams, Eddie Sharp Racing, in a Red Bull-sponsored Toyota.

Speed lost his ride with Scuderia Toro Rosso in F1 earlier this year, but he never lost his partnership with Red Bull.

"I come from a completely different world of racing, so there's no doubt it's going to be a challenge learning how these cars handle, but I'm ready to get out there and see what I've got!" said Speed.

Speed's connection with Red Bull dates back to 2002, when he won the Red Bull Driver Search, a program aimed at putting an American talent into Formula One.

Speed's venture into stock cars doesn't have a set path for 2008, but it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see the talented driver in either the Busch or Truck Series some.

Current NASCAR Nextel Cup Team Red Bull drivers Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger aren't expected to replace by the new guy, though.

After all, he didn't win support from Red Bull for a lack of talent.