2-15-2008 - Good run spoiled by others wreck at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– Colin Braun and the No. 6 Con-way Freight team came to Daytona International Speedway with high expectations and a fast Ford F-150. After two strong practice sessions earlier in the week, and a ninth-place qualifying effort, Braun was ready to take on the challenge of his first oval race on the high banks of Daytona. Unfortunately, his race ended after only 24 laps when he was an innocent victim in a multi-truck accident.
Braun started the Chevy Silverado 250 in ninth place after taking a lap of 174.628mph during qualifying on Thursday evening. As with any drafting race, track position can change drastically every lap. By lap six, Braun was shuffled back into 18th place. Only two laps later, he was back in 10th.
The first caution of the race came on lap 12 and Braun told the team his truck was a little tight running by himself, but a little loose in traffic. Crew chief Mike Beam brought him down pit road for four new tires and a slight air pressure adjustment to help the handling.
The race resumed on lap 15 with Braun in 17th place. While he was working his way toward the front an accident involving 10 trucks occurred directly in front of him. With a lot of skill and help from his spotter, Braun drove right through the melee without a scratch. The race was stopped for 17 minutes while safety crews cleaned up the debris.
Once the trucks started under caution again, several teams pitted for fuel. Braun stayed out which put him in seventh place for the restart on lap 24. On the next lap while coming into turn four, several trucks got together in front of him. He tried everything he could to avoid it, but there was nowhere for him to go. The damage sustained to the front end of the truck was too severe to continue, and Braun’s night was over with a 31st-place finish.

“It’s so disappointing to have the race end that way,” Braun said. “Our Con-way Freight Ford F-150 was fast and the team was doing a great job. The changes we made on our pit stop really helped the handling, but we never got the chance to really show it.
“I don’t understand why some guys have to race that way so early in the race. We had a long way to go and there was no reason to be running three-wide when we were only a quarter of the way into the race. It’s a shame for everyone on this team who worked so hard to make this truck as fast as it was. We’ll just go to California next week and run our best out there.”
The No. 6 Con-way Freight team is 31st in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. The next race will be on Saturday, February 23 at California Speedway. It will be televised live on FOX at 3:00 p.m. (EST).

From Ford Racing

COLIN BRAUN - No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford F-150 - (finished 31st, qualified 9th) - "Well, it was just one of those deals there where we were running up there at the front and we were just trying to stay out of trouble. We had a great truck. Mike Beam [crew chief] and Bobby Hudson did a great job. They worked so hard back in the shop. I really feel bummed out for them because we've got to bring back another tore-up truck. I guess that's what happens when you have a couple of team trucks running up front that's what happens. Odds are that you are going to wreck and unfortunately it happened twice in a row."