1-29-2008 - Colin leads Rolex and fastest in practice

Daytona, FL - Roush Fenway Racing rookie Colin Braun had a great run going with his AIM Autosport teammates in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway until a blown right-rear tire ended their race about eight hours short of the finish while Andrew Ranger was driving.

After having each of its four drivers lead for a combined total of 40 laps, the No. 61 Ford Riley retired from competition on lap 502 early Sunday morning.

"I think that the AIM Autosport team did a good job as a whole," Braun said. "I think the first six or seven hours really showed how much effort was put into the whole deal and how good our car was. We were really strong, and even in the rain we were super strong. I credit a lot of that to the Roush Yates Ford engine that we had. Having all that certainly makes the car a lot of fun to drive for me, and I felt like we had one of the quickest cars out there. We were just pacing ourselves and unfortunately just got caught up in some problems.

"The AIM guys certainly have the right thing going this year and we had a great run going even though our luck didn't last all the way through the morning," Braun continued. "I loved being back in these Daytona Prototypes and of course anytime you are running up front, its good no matter what you are driving. This was a great way to start the season off, in a Ford-powered car that ran up front, and now I'm looking to put my Con-way Freight Ford F-150 up front the rest of the year!"

A stint in the rain at night was the highlight for Colin.  He started the stint in 7th place and quickly passed Kurt Busch, Dario Franchitti, Jimmy Vasser, and other world class road racers to put the car in first place.  A fuel pump problem required Colin to go to the garage while the AIM Aytosport crew made repairs.

Thursday before the race, Colin was in Charlotte attending the Lowes Motor Speedway Media event.  He traveled from Charlotte to Daytona in the afternoon in time to jump in the #61 Ford/Riley and set the fastest time of the night practice session.

Braun will return to Daytona International Speedway to kick off the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season in a few weeks. He will be behind the wheel of the No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford F-150 for the season-opening race on Friday, February 15.

QUOTES FROM SCENEDAILY

One of the guys Kurt Busch was chasing was Colin Braun, the Roush Fenway Racing Craftsman Truck Series driver. Braun, who has two career wins in the series, led 24 laps during his nearly three-hour drive.

"Anytime you're in the lead, it's exciting," Braun said after exiting the car. "There's 17 or something hours left. It's certainly a good thing. I wish it probably was a six-hour race and we could be done by now.

"But that's what makes this race so cool. Out in the lead is a good feeling, but there are so many things going on and so many laps left, I was just focused on trying to make it through traffic, trying to stay on the race track."

Braun's time in the rain came in his AIM Motorsports Ford, which is using Roush-Yates engines. The team's car is having a fuel-pump pickup problem that could be a problem on restarts.

"The car is running really good," Braun said. "I haven't hit anybody - which is probably a first for me in a long time."