DAYTONA, Florida (June 21, 2016) — Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust
extended his points lead in the 2016 Global Rallycross Championship with a win this
weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
“We’re sitting in the best place in this championship right now and that has everything
to do with the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team,” said Foust. “They worked
unbelievably hard to get us through a grueling doubleheader
weekend.”
The fast and wide course, built mostly within the International Horseshoe of Daytona’s
famed road course, offered some of the closest racing of the year as drivers pushed
three-wide through corners. Foust said he was looking for passing opportunities at
virtually every turn.
“Even sitting on pole, I never came through the first corner in the lead on Day 1,” said
Foust. “It was so aggressive in one heat that I ended up last and had to fight back to
first: choosing the proper rain tires in sloppy conditions was key.”
Foust started strong in Daytona, fast-tracking into pole position for Saturday’s race by
winning both opening heats and the semifinal in the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink
Volkswagen Beetle.
In the main event, he surged to the front of the field and was holding a confident lead in
wet conditions when disaster struck. He caught a rut on the edge of the track and tore
apart his right-front suspension linkage. “I caught it at just the wrong angle and ripped
the suspension off the car,” said Foust, who scored a ninth-place result in Round 4. “It
was obviously disappointing.”
In Sunday racing, the two-time series champion clawed his way to wins in heat and
semifinal racing. On the pole again for the final, he fended off aggressive hits as the
pack battled off the line and established a solid lead to
the checkered flag.
It was a second career GRC victory for Foust at Daytona International Speedway, and
his third win of the year. He won the first doubleheader at the famed track last year and
swept the season opening rounds in Phoenix in May. The result extends Foust’s
championship lead to 32 points over closest challenger Steve
Arpin.
The two-time series champion Foust is the most winning driver in Global Rallycross
Championship history with a record of 10 wins and 21 podium
finishes.
Next on the calendar, the series travels to MCAS New River July 2-3 for a
doubleheader Fourth of July weekend. Racing at the military installation for the second
year in a row is an emotional experience for Foust, who spent his own childhood
moving from place to place with his family as a so-called
“Navy brat.”
“Most of the kids we meet and sign autographs for — one of their parents will be
deployed, and may have been for months. When you meet these families it really
strikes home how much they sacrifice to fight for our freedom,” said Foust. “It makes
you so proud to be an American, to be on the base with so many people who are
serving the country.”
Full coverage of Global Rallycross Championship action airs live on NBC and is
available online live and on-demand.
ABOUT TANNER FOUST
Tanner Foust is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control
and a proven track record of podium placements, national championships and world
records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also
won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift
championships (2008, 2007).
He has held multiple world records including for the astonishing Hot Wheels Double
Loop Dare, which saw Foust drive a car through a 66-foot loop-the-loop. He scored the
indoor speed record for TV’s Top Gear USA, and set a distance jump record with Hot
Wheels when he made a 332′ ramp-to-ramp leap in a truck at
the Indy 500.
His varied race experience also includes multiple years of open wheel competition, the
Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, various types of sports car racing and the SCORE
Baja. He has represented the USA in the annual Race of Champions three times,
teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008, Travis Pastrana in 2009, and Mick
Doohan in 2010.
When he isn’t racing, the professional driver also performs in films and on television.
He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear,
produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel.
Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and
commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in Need 4 Speed, as well as other major
releases including the Bourne Legacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious: Tokyo
Drift, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2.
ABOUT VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group
of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of
Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA’s operations in the
United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts
distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and
its state -of-the- art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The
Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and
Europe’s largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, Eos, e-
Golf, Golf, Golf GTI, Golf R, Golf SportWagen, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan and Touareg
vehicles through approximately 652 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of
America online atwww.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
ABOUT ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport
boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success. Together
with Andretti Formula E and Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross, Andretti Autosport fields
multiple entries in the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights, along with entries in the FIA
Formula E Championship and Global Rallycross. The company boasts four IndyCar
Series championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012), two Indy Lights titles (2008, 2009),
one Pro Mazda championship (2013) and one USF2000 championship (2010) and has
captured victory at the famed Indianapolis 500 three times (2005, 2007, 2014).
Additionally the team holds two X Games Gold Medals and one Global Rallycross
championship (2015). To share in the Andretti story, please visit online at
AndrettiAutosport.com and
follow along on Twitter via @FollowAndretti.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR
Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from athletes
to rockstars. Available in over 25 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in more
than 30 countries, Rockstar supports the rockstar lifestyle
across the globe through
action sports, motor sports, and live music.
More at www.RockstarEnergy.com
