Speed wins Global Rallycross Race 1 in Atlantic City

Despite getting shuffled into the middle of the pack at the start of the final, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross driver Scott Speed simply would not be denied in the Round 8 Red Bull Global Rallycross Atlantic City Supercar final. The two-time defending Supercar champion, and last year's Atlantic City winner, caught Subaru Rally Team USA's Patrik Sandell by mid-race, got around him coming to the white flag, and held on for his third straight victory to unofficially reclaim the championship lead.

"The start went really well – I went into Turn 1 all by myself, but then the chaos ensued and we came out in like sixth!" Speed explained. "We had to put the gloves on and fight, and we ended shuffling up to third by the end of the first lap.

"Not to take the Joker was a bit of a gamble, because if someone behind us had taken it and held us up it wouldn't have worked out, but fortunately no one did. I was able to use the Joker on (Sebastian Eriksson) and then track (Sandell) down. It all came down to the past two laps and making no mistakes, and it was a really hard-fought battle."

Speed, incoming championship leader Tanner Foust, and Chris Atkinson started on the front row of the final, but only Speed would survive the first lap intact; an early spin for Foust would force him out of contention and lead to a last-place finish, while Atkinson's left rear suspension was damaged heavily to force him off track early. Sandell, starting from the inside of the second row, seized the opportunity to stretch out what looked like an insurmountable lead over Sebastian Eriksson, with Speed lurking in third.

But the VARX driver, winner of last month's round in Indianapolis, made quick work of Eriksson with his Joker Lap, and caught Sandell easily in the closing laps. The drivers traded the lead multiple times with two to go, with Speed getting past in the dirt and Sandell reclaiming the spot briefly with a massive jump. But when the white flag fell, the Swede was no match for the American on top of the podium. Loenbro Motorsports' Steve Arpin rounded out the top three.

In GRC Lites, Cyril Raymond reaffirmed his dominance of both the class as a whole and doubleheaders by taking his fifth win of the season. Each of his victories so far has come in a doubleheader event, as the Frenchman swept all four June rounds in New England and Ottawa. Memphis winner Conner Martell and defending Atlantic City winner Alex Keyes completed the podium.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Atlantic City continues with another full race program on Sunday. The second Supercar final can be seen live on NBC at 4:30 p.m. ET. 

RESULTS:

Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
Patrik Sandell, #18 Subaru Rally Team USA
Steve Arpin, #00 Loenbro Motorsports
Sebastian Eriksson, #93 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
Mitchell deJong, #24 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
Oliver Eriksson, #16 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
Austin Dyne, #14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Cabot Bigham, #2 Bryan Herta Rallysport
Chris Atkinson, #55 Subaru Rally Team USA
Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross