Scott Speed kicked off his Sprnt Cup debut in the TUMS QuikPak 500 in the 35th position. Battling with brake problems throughout the entire race, Speed was able to keep the No. 84 Toyota off of the wall and bring home a 30th place finish.

With his finish the No. 84 team moved up to 34th in the point standings, making a safe passage into next weeks Pep Boys Auto 500.

“After practice we thought we would be able to come through the field. We really struggled today — we had brake issues all day long. This is a really long day when you have 500 laps to complete. The good thing is that we picked up a spot in the points and we completed all 500 laps.”

In comparision to Jimmie Johnson’s and Kyle Busch’s debut events, the first time competitor has a lot to look forward to in his career. Johnson placed a finish of 39th at his very first Sprint Cup race, and Busch made his first appearance in the series at Las Vegas and collected a 41st place effort.