Speed to make truck debut at Atlanta

The Red Bull driver will race a limited number of events in the No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports entry, while he continues to participate in the ARCA RE/MAX Series for Eddie Sharp Racing.

The 25 year-old has taken a different path compared to other former open-wheel racers doing the switch to NASCAR, trying to get more mileage and especially race experience in the lower divisions before moving up to the Sprint Cup Series.

"Every time I'm in the car I'm learning something," Speed said. "It's a lot more helpful for me to drive the races because for me to get into a truck or Cup car and go fast by myself has been really easy. It's been easier than I thought, to be honest.

"What's difficult and what I'm learning a lot about is how the other cars around you affect your car.

"The reason we went this route is because the truck is the most similar to the (Cup car) and it is very sensitive to how the other cars around you, where they are and what they're doing to your car. This is kind of the method behind our madness here."

Speed will be testing a truck at Martinsville next week as well, in preparation for what will be his second race in the series at the half-mile oval on March 28. No further participations have been announced yet but they will be evaluated later in the season.

The former Scuderia Toro Rosso driver started from the front row at Daytona in the ARCA season opener and led some laps before being involved in a crash. His next race in the series will be at Salem Speedway on April 13.