Scott Speed, the former Formula 1 driver from the good ol' US of A, will make his first career Sprint Cup Series start Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.

It's an interesting way to start for Speed -- at the circuit's smallest track that has roots deeper in NASCAR than ugly driver t-shirts -- but he'll do so anyway in the No. 84 Toyota from Red Bull Racing.

Speed is apparently ready for NASCAR, but the real question lies not in his awareness or readiness.

Rather, is NASCAR ready for Scott Speed?

He's brash, he's outspoken, and he's talented. He'll tell you how he feels, and doesn't mind who's feathers get ruffled along the way. Simply, he wants to win, and truly thinks he can be a champion rather quickly in stock car racing.

Ultimately, he's pretty darn close to being the open-wheel crossover driver version of the always oh-so-well-received Kyle Busch.
Want proof? Let's look back to a week ago when Speed all but had the ARCA series championship locked up during the season's final race in Toledo, Oh.

The 25-year-old was on the cusp of an ARCA series championship last weekend in Toledo, needing a decent finish to wrap up the points title.

Things were going smoothly until Ricky Stenhouse Jr., second to Speed in the season standings, repeatedly hit Speed in the rear fender as they ran near the front.

The banging eventually sent Speed into the wall, crippling his car. Speed pitted briefly and limped back onto the track. Rather than try to grind it out and win the title, Speed decided to get even, intentionally turning his car into Stenhouse's and totaling both cars, opening the door for Justin Allgaier to take the season crown.

Even so, Speed doesn't regret his decision.

"You can't fix stupid," Speed said. "(Stenhouse) obviously wanted the championship very badly. He was not going to win it like that. That's just ridiculous. I did my best to make sure he didn't win it. It's as simple as that."

Scott Speed -- witness, judge, and jury?

It's a bold move to acknowledge that he threw away a season championship in an effort to get even, but if nothing else, it signifies what Speed truly is about -- winning.

I'm certainly not expecting Scott Speed to rock the world Sunday at Martinsville and pick up an incredible finish, but I am expecting Speed to come into this sport and get on the nerves of a driver or two via running hard every lap and competing with the no-holds-barred approach.

Speed's a character, and that's exactly what NASCAR needs.