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Ron
Levanduski
Teen sensation Colin Braun seems to always make
headlines when the Grand Am Rolex Series rolls into Watkins Glen
International for the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.
Just days before last year's Rolex Series endurance race, Braun made
news when his Krohn Racing team fought a ban that would have kept
him out of the race because of a tobacco legislation settlement law
that didn't allow anyone under age 18 to participate in an event
with a tobacco sponsor.
The IndyCar Series, which ran as a co-feature event with the Grand
Am Rolex Sports Car series last year, had two Team Penske cars
sponsored by Marlboro. Braun's team went to court to get the then
17-year-old driver in the race. State Supreme Court Justice Judith
F. O'Shea ruled in their favor, but the team eventually withdrew his
name.
On the eve of this weekend's 27th running of the Sahlen's Six Hours
of the Glen, Braun is once again making news. The 18-year-old, who
will be one of the favorites in Saturday's race at the Glen, signed
a contract with NASCAR's largest team -- Roush Fenway Racing -- as a
development driver. Braun will begin racing the No. 99 Roush Fenway
car in the ARCA/REMAX Series in August and compete full time in that
series in 2008.
"Driving for Roush Fenway is a great opportunity for me to grow as a
driver," Braun said Wednesday. "It's something I'm excited about.
We've been working hard to get to this point, so it's kind of nice
to see it work out."
If Braun's talent with sports cars continues in stock cars, you can
be sure Roush Fenway will find room for him to jump to one of the
its NASCAR Busch Series teams and eventually to Nextel Cup.
"The plan is to be in Nextel Cup in the near future," Braun said.
"We're going to start off in the ARCA Series to teach me how to
drive on the ovals."
Braun has developed into one America's best young road-racing
talents.
In 2005, at 16, he was the youngest driver to run a Daytona
Prototype. Last year, he became the youngest driver to win a
professional road race in the United States, taking two victories in
Grand Am's top Daytona Prototype class. He is currently third in the
Rolex Series drivers point standings with two second-place finishes.
Ganassi Racing driver Scott Pruett is the leader.
Braun said he won't abandon his road-racing roots yet and will
continue to do some Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series races next year
while competing full time in the ARCA/REMAX Series.
"My goal has always been to be a professional racing driver," Braun
said. "And, whether that is driving in NASCAR, in the Grand Am
Series, IRL or Champ Car, it doesn't really matter to me. I just
want to keep driving race cars."
He heads into this weekend's Glen sports-car race with a lot of
confidence, even though this will be his first time on the full
3.4-mile long course. His Krohn Racing team is the two-time
defending race winner of the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.
"The Krohn Racing team has been great here, so it should be a really
good race for us," Braun said. "I expect the track to be
challenging, and at this point in the championship everybody is
working really hard to be competitive, so the racing will be close
and tight. It should be fun. Hopefully we can make it
three-for-three."
The competition will be tough. Five different teams have won during
the first five races heading into the Glen event, a series record
for the start of a season.
Braun relishes the extra publicity he's come to attract when he
comes to the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.
"It's a good thing for me and my team, it's good for Grand Am, and
it's good for everybody," Braun said. "The more fans that come out
to see us race, the better."
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