NASCAR: Rookie Braun Making His Way Through The Ranks

Apr 24, 2008

Colin Braun found himself in an unusual position last weekend: He was viewed as a veteran.

Braun, 19, is one of NASCAR’s up-and-coming drivers. A member of the Roush Fenway Racing arsenal, he’s competing for Raybestos rookie honors in the Craftsman Truck Series, but is also running a handful of Nationwide Series races in the organization’s No. 16 Ford. Sunday, he made his second start in that series — but his latest in a lengthy string of road-course events.

He was part of the Team 16 squad and drove in the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona in a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car. At 17 years, nine months and seven days, he won the Brumos 250 at Daytona International Speedway driving for Krohn Racing in the Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototype series to become the youngest winner in the series.

He then moved over into the NASCAR realm, where he landed his current ride with Roush Fenway Racing. Braun is driving the No. 6 Roush Fenway truck entry and currently sits 20th in the standings after some early setbacks. He has also run a pair of Nationwide Series races for the organization, finishing 15th at Nashville and qualifying on the pole in Mexico City. He ran in the top five for much of the event before a penalty for a stray tire on a pit stop eventually a cut tire left him 33rd.

“It’s cool having Carl (Edwards) and David (Ragan) actually be in the same race so I can learn a lot more from those guys,” he says. “They’ve been real helpful with my truck series stuff, but it’s neat to be driving the same weekend in the same series and the same car as those guys.”

“Both of my crew chiefs are really experienced, so I think they’re really good at stepping away from that and looking at more teaching me how to drive the race car and what I need in the race car,” he says. “That’s what really helps me. I feel like I can tell him what the race car or truck does pretty well, but I don’t know what it needs to do. So that’s where they help big time for me.”

“I’m just focused on driving my truck in the Craftsman Truck Series, and we’re trying to as good of a job there as we can and win as many races as we can, and gain as much experience as we can. I’m just focused 100 percent on that. Then going to Nashville a couple of weeks ago in the Nationwide car and coming here this weekend in the Nationwide car, those have been my big focuses, and whatever else happens, happens.”

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