NASCAR Cup Series

Speed to return to Cup series

Published Jul. 25, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Scott Speed will return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as he attempts to make the field for Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Speed will drive the Max Q Motorsports No. 37 Ford Fusion, an entry that is not locked into the field. Therefore, he will have to make the field based on qualifying speed.

Speed, 28, previously drove for Red Bull Racing in the Cup series. He will attempt to make his first start since 2010. He has 76 Cup starts, one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

“I am excited to get back to the track,” Speed said. “Max Q Motorsports (seems) to have a good operation and a great group of guys working on the 37. Ford has a great engine package so I’m hopeful that we can get the ball rolling quickly and be competitive out the gate.”

Speed is scheduled to attempt the next three races for the team - Indy, Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International. According to a news release, he hopes to continue with more 2011 races, pending sponsorship.

“We are excited to have Scott Speed join us,” team owner Larry Gunselman said. “He has shown great talent in a small period of time in stock cars and with the right operation I think things can really take off. We will start by focusing on qualifying and go from there.”