Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust scored another Global Rallycross podium this weekend in Indianapolis, finishing second overall to retain his hold on the championship points lead.
"It was an uphill climb all day and I'm glad we were able to come out of it with a podium," said Foust. "Every point matters as we dig into the second half of the season. It's flat-out for all the drivers and crews, which makes for fantastic racing for the fans."
The two-time series champion battled onto the podium in an up-and-down weekend. Despite a pair of penalties in early racing, a heat win and semifinal victory were enough for Foust to earn a front row starting position for the 10-car final, where he and Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate Scott Speed dominated the field for all 10 laps. The two Volkswagens claimed the top spots, while Ford rival Steve Arpin finished third.
Host to the Indy 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Indianapolis is known as "The Racing Capital of the World." It was the first time the rallycross championship has stopped in the city and the event drew a solid crowd to its purpose-built course at the Lucas Oil Raceway complex.
Among the fans were many familiar faces for the hometown Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team, including owner Michael Andretti who missed the Iowa Corn 300 IndyCar race to take in the rallycross action. Until this weekend, Andretti had not missed an IndyCar race since 1993.
"Indianapolis lives and breathes racing and having so many family and friends in the grandstands was a lot of fun for the whole team," said Foust. "We had a fantastic crowd."
Foust's result was hard-fought. In his opening heat, the driver was pushing for the race lead when miscommunication with his spotter saw him forced into the mandatory Joker lap at the last possible opportunity. Officials ruled he cut across the track too late and issued a penalty -- making him one of several drivers similarly penalized over the course of the weekend. In his second heat, he took the checkered flag in first place but was demoted to third when officials deemed him at-fault for multi-car contact through the crowded first corner as five cars jostled for the best line on the banked oval turn.
Although a regular visitor to team headquarters in Indy, it was Foust's first competition appearance in the city. In 2011, he set a ramp-to-ramp distance jump world record with a spectacular live stunt at the start of the Indy 500. He sped down a larger-than-life Hot Wheels V-Drop track set -- a 90 ft. ramp, suspended on an enormous 10-story high door (100 feet tall) -- in a modified truck, and flew 332 feet across the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The record stood for five years.
Next month, the team travels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for doubleheader action. Full coverage airs Saturday, August 12 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, August 13 at 4:30 p.m. on NBC.