10-9-2005 - Colin Braun has great run at VIR in Daytona Prototype

Colin Braun has great run at VIR in Essex Daytona Prototype

10-9-2005 - Colin was in the Essex run Crawford/Ford Daytona Prototype this weekend at VIR.  After practice times that put him 6th in 2 sessions, Colin had a great stint in the race.  Brad Coleman did a fantastic job in the first hour of the race, staying out of trouble in the very crowded, narrow track.  He turned the car over to Colin with 1.5 hours to go.  With about 40 laps to go Colin was in 2nd due to pit strategy the team employed to take advantage of track position.  On the restart he held off Scott Pruett for a few laps eventually letting the series champion go and slotting in behind.  Colin played it smart and with Andy Wallace and Max Angelli behind at various times pressuring him hard, he played it smart securing a solid 5th place, running ahead of Cort Wagner and Max Pappis for the last 15 laps of the race.  On the last lap Colin was 3.8 seconds behind the leader, but got held up by a GT car entering the track from the pits.  Wagner gained ground and after Colin cleared the GT car he felt a bump from the rear and crashed hard into the guard rail.  Wagner had serious damage to the nose of his car, but Colin's car was out with suspension damage.  He ended up 9th.  The TV coverage on Speed was good for the Team 16 drivers, with Brad getting interviewed and Colin receiving much air time as he battled with the top drivers in the Grand Am series.  See the Team 16 web site for more information on the weekend at VIR.