Speed seventh on ARCA debut

The American had started from seventh place and ran well in the draft to stay in the top fifteen for most of the race, sometimes running behind fellow rookie Dario Franchitti, but in the end managed to position himself well in the pack to finish the race in the top ten.

"It was great, the opening laps were amazing," Speed said. "Looking back in the race I did a lot better when kind of chaos happened. Whenever [that happened] I seemed to pick my way up, but when we were in lines it didn't work out near as well.

"I was just trying to stay on those lines and trying to use that draft. It was an incredible race, super exciting. To come back in seventh and bring the first top ten for these guys is really great. I don't think it could've gone any better for me."

The race for the 24-year-old was a bit more eventful than Franchitti's as he was involved in two incidents. The first one was on lap 88 when he hit the back of the No. 47 car of Phillip McGilton and sent him spinning. He later got hit from behind and his car got unsettled but he managed to control it.

Speed said that despite the high speed the ARCA cars run in the Talladega banking, he felt like he had a lot more time to react relative to when he used to drive a Formula One car. He compared racing in the draft with playing a chess game, while in Formula One he said he was more reliant on his instincts while racing.

"It's totally different," Speed added. "The thinking and the reaction are a mile slower, you have a lot more time to think about things and it's much more of a chess game, figuring out what cars you draft with, figuring out how to position yourselves with those cars for the end of the race.

"It's interesting, you're much more playing like a chess game, while in Formula One what you're doing all the time is just reacting, instinct. It's really the complete opposite."

The Red Bull driver has already confirmed that he will compete in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series, but he has not ruled out competing in Busch or Truck Series races if his bosses feel he is ready to make the switch.

"At the moment, Red Bull and I have a goal to make it to the top in Nextel Cup," he said. "This championship with this team was the best option that we had in front of us. We took our time making sure we had the best opportunities for me to both perform and learn the most.

"If an opportunity comes up in Busch or Trucks like these, I'm sure Red Bull wouldn't have a problem to put me in there if I'm ready."