Tanner Foust believes he can still win the championship despite losing the championship lead to team mate Scott Speed in Atlantic City.
Foust, who won twice in Phoenix and again at Daytona, has led the championship from day one, but slipped down the order after Speed’s recent winning streak and his poor luck. He was all set to win and get his championship charge back on track in Atlantic City until his tyre de-beaded with two laps to go in the final.
“I don’t know where it leaves us, honestly. This weekend was pretty tough, as they all seem to be, even for so little driving,” said Foust, who holds the record for number of series wins. “I started in second position next to Scott in the final; really it worked out so well. I went around the outside with him in the first corner, the second corner there was just enough room behind him to slot in and follow him and then the plan was if we do get one-two, nose down, and just clean racing, let’s go.”
“He went a little bit wide coming off the jump, I found some grip on the inside and ended up passing him in the jump,” he continued. “So we did that, reversed the order, and I led the race and started to actually gain [time] on him, pulling away a little bit until the second-to-last lap for whatever reason the hole in the dirt just got too big I think from other cars that were driving on the rim that dug them out and I got a puncture and that was that.”
Foust eventually finished fourth behind Speed, Patrik Sandell and Brian Deegan, but despite slipping back ever so slightly in the title race, the two-time champion maintains that he can still win this year’s championship.
“For sure I think that I can win it and I think either car here [at Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross] can,” Foust insisted. “Every track throws its own little recipe of challenges which is what’s really the great thing about this sport.”
“In this case some teams had double digits in the number of punctures they had. I just had one, it just was at the very possibly the worst time,” he added. “The track was very rough, very difficult for the cars, it was difficult for the engines, and I think our team has proven that we can get through just as consistently or more consistently than the other guys and so that’s really I think what gives me the confidence to say that both of our cars in the stable can get it done this year.”
