7-3-2009 - Colin has 2 weeks off, reflects on month of June

(CONCORD, N.C.) -- June was a very good month for Colin Braun and the Con-way Freight True LTL team. Not only did Braun score his first-career Camping World Truck Series win, but with four consecutive top-10 finishes he gained 10 positions in the driver point standings to crack the top 10.

After two disappointing races in May when Braun fell out of both Lowe's and Dover while leading the races, he sat 20th in the points, 141 points out of 10th place. The team knew that despite the bad luck and frustration, they had to rally in the next four races to climb back up in the points. The month of June would be pivotal, and the team rose to the challenge.

Returning to his home state of Texas, Braun finished third which tied his best truck finish at Kansas in 2008. The podium finish moved him up to 18th place, and he gained 39 points on 10th. Braun's win at Michigan proved to be the biggest catalyst in his jump in points, gaining six positions and 72 points on 10th place. With Milwaukee and Memphis left on the schedule, Braun knew he had to dig deep to improve his past performance at those two tracks.

After waiting out the rain for a day, Braun finished eighth at Milwaukee. It was his best finish at the one-mile track, which moved him up to 11th in points and within 18 points of 10th. Memphis had always been a difficult track for Braun whose experience on short tracks is limited due to his road racing background. This time around he used patience and strategy to finish ninth, and move into 10th place in the point standings.

"You start to get greedy and you start becoming less happy with top 10's once you win a race, but what we need to do is keep getting top 10's the rest of the season to put ourselves back up in this points deal," Braun said. "At the same time we know we have trucks capable of winning races. We just need to figure out how to get them set-up the best way and I need to drive them well enough to win these races.

"Our 1.5-mile program is really strong and I feel really comfortable racing on those big tracks, but I have a lot to learn on the short tracks to improve our results there. Luckily there are a lot more intermediate tracks on the schedule than short tracks. If we could add a few road courses in the truck series that would really be cool for me."

7-2-2009 - Colin Driving Skills for Life PSA

7-1-2009 - Get the New "Colin 1st win" shirt now!

Concord NC - Share in Colin's first NASCAR Truck Series win and Roush Fenway Racing's 50th win with this new shirt now available at the Roush Fenway Racing gift shop in Concord NC, or by clicking on the picture here and ordering from the NASCAR web site.  $15.99 each.

6-30-2009 - Speed TV feature on Colin with Jack Roush

6-27-2009 - Colin 9th at Memphis moves to 10th in points

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The only thing hotter than the racing in Memphis Saturday was the temperature. A heat index of 110 degrees at race time proved to be tough on the drivers, crew members and fans. Colin Braun was ready for the challenge with plenty of fluid and a truck that brought him another top-10 finish.
Braun qualified fifth but fell back to 13th early in the race as he told the team his Con-way Freight True LTL Ford F-150 was very tight through the center of the turns. He was not able to pit for adjustments until a quarter of the way through the race on lap 53. He took four tires, fuel, track bar and wedge adjustments during his two stops, but lost three positions in the pits when he pitted short during the tire stop.

After the adjustments the truck was better but still tight in the center. By the halfway point at lap 100, Braun was up to 11th and holding his own. A caution on lap 111 brought him to the pits for the final time of the race for four tires and more adjustments. This time the Con-way Freight team gained one position in the pits.

The green flag flew on lap 117 with Braun in 11th place but he moved up to ninth on the restart. The leaders stayed single file for much of the rest of the race until Dennis Setzer brought out the caution with three laps to go. All the leaders elected to stay on track and not pit, including Braun. He was still in ninth place for the two-lap shootout with Johnny Sauter in front of him and Todd Bodine behind him. Braun held his own to finish the race in ninth place, his fourth consecutive top-10 finish and sixth of the season. Ron Hornaday won the race after leading 175 of 201 laps.

Colin Braun
“I’ve really struggled at Memphis in the past so I’m pretty happy to leave here with a top-10 finish,” Braun said. “Our truck was really tight in the center early in the run, but the guys kept working on it to make it better on both stops. It was incredibly hot in the truck, especially during that last caution. I really didn’t want to see that caution, but everybody raced clean in those last couple of laps and we were able to maintain ninth. I’m happy to have this one over with and move on to our next race at Kentucky in a few weeks. That is more our kind of track where I think we can contend for another win.”
The No. 6 Con-way Freight team gained one position and is now 10th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings. The next race will be on Saturday, July 18 at Kentucky Speedway. It will be live on SPEED at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

6-21-2009 - Carl Edwards wins Milwaukee in car set up by Colin

West Allis, Wis. – Carl Edwards and the No. 60 Save-A-Lot team were on a mission from the start of the Northern Tool.com 250 at The Milwaukee Mile on Saturday night. Edwards flew to Milwaukee to compete in Saturday’s race after taking part in NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California. Edwards started the race at the back of the field because he was not able to qualify the car. Colin Braun filled in for Edwards during practice and qualifying and did an admirable job setting up the Save-A-Lot Ford Fusion. Edwards bullied his way to the front on lap 204 and never relinquished the lead. Edwards captured his first victory of the season and the 21st of his career in Nationwide competition.

6-21-2009 - Watch Colin on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain

6-20-2009 - 8th place for Colin in Milwaukee

WEST ALLIS, Wisc. – After losing the race against Mother Nature Friday night the Copart 200 rolled off Saturday afternoon under warm, sunny skies. Coming off a big win at Michigan last weekend, Colin Braun and the No. 6 Con-way Freight True LTL team were hoping to keep the momentum going. Although they were not able to capture another win, Braun did get his fifth top-10 finish of the season.
Braun started 13th based on owners’ points since qualifying was cancelled due to the rain on Friday. The truck was tight early in the race and he fell back to 17th, but then worked his way up to 10th place by lap 30. When the first caution of the race flew on lap 39 crew chief Mike Beam brought Braun down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The team had two fast stops, but a traffic jam leaving pit road only allowed Braun to gain one position in the pits.
He was ninth when the race resumed on lap 44. The truck was better with the adjustment and he was up to fifth by the halfway point at lap 100. Without a caution, many of the teams began to cycle through the pits for green-flag fuel stops around lap 120. Braun pitted for fuel on lap 122, but a caution six laps later put him a lap down. Once everyone pitted under caution, Braun restarted the race 10th, but at the tail end of the lead lap in front of the leaders. He was able to stay in front of the leaders until the next caution came on lap 144 which put him behind the leaders on the lead lap.
Braun lined up eighth when the race resumed on lap 146. With 25 laps to go he was up to fifth place and closing in on fourth. A final caution on lap 189 bunched up the field and Braun made his charge on the restart with eight laps to go. In the final laps Braun was battling Todd Bodine for fourth place. With two to go, Braun got loose inside of Bodine which forced him to fall back to 10th place. Never one to give up, Braun fought for as much track position as he could in the last two laps and finished the race in eighth place. Ron Hornaday took the win and the point lead.
“We had a pretty fast truck there at the end,” Braun said. “I just got loose under Bodine and lost some spots trying to save it. We didn’t have enough at the end of the race to challenge for the win since I think I used up a lot of our tires trying to stay ahead of the leaders when we got a lap down after the green-flag pit stop. All in all it was a good day since we came out of here with a top-10 finish. We gained a few more points and are getting closer to cracking the top 10 really soon.”
The No. 6 Con-way Freight team gained one position and is now 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings, only 18 points out of 10th place. The next race will be on Saturday, June 27 at Memphis Motorsports Park. It will be live on SPEED at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

6-16-2009 - Colin interview with Ford Racing

Colin Braun, driver of the No. 6 Con-way Ford F-150, made his first appearance in the winner’s circle this weekend after 35 starts in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, giving Jack Roush his 50th win in the series. This weekend also marked the launch of Braun’s new partnership with the teen safe driving program, Ford Driving Skills for Life.

HOW DID IT FEEL TO WIN ON SATURDAY? “Well, it was great. To get my first win in the series, and Jack Roush’s 50th win, and to continue the streak of Roush Fenway trucks winning at Michigan, I think it’s three straight races for Roush Fenway and Ford, was pretty special. Not to mention the fact that Con-way Freight, my sponsor, it was right in their backyard as well, so I really couldn’t ask for more than that. That was about the perfect story-book ending right there.”

WHAT WAS THE KEY TO WINNING ON SATURDAY? “For me, it was just having a fast truck. My guys at the shop worked really hard to give me just a super fast truck. It didn’t seem to matter where we started if we had a fast enough truck we could drive up to the front, we had great pit stops all day, got us some track position in the pits and it just shows how fast of a truck we had and how much power we had from our Roush Yates Ford Engine.”

YOU HAD A GREAT RACE IN TEXAS WHERE YOU FINISHED THIRD AND AN EVEN BETTER RACE FROM THIS WEEKEND. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PUT THOSE TWO RACES TOGETHER? “It’s important, I think. I think we’re starting to build up some momentum here going forward. I feel even though we didn’t have great finishes at Charlotte or Dover, we showed we were fast, we were running up to the front. We were leading both of those races when we had problems, so I feel like we’ve proven that in the last few races that we’ve got the performance and certainly have got the pit crew on pit road to be able to win these races, and hopefully we can keep that momentum going.”

YOU TALK ABOUT MOMENTUM. HOW IS THAT MOMENTUM FROM THIS WEEKEND GOING TO AFFECT THE RACE THIS WEEKEND IN MILWAUKEE? “We’re going to have a good truck in Milwaukee. We seemed to run there good last year, just, you know, we didn’t have a lot of experience at that track. I think that’s one of the more unique tracks we go to on the circuit, so I’m looking forward to having a year of experience under my belt having raced both the truck race and the Nationwide race there last year. I feel like, hopefully, I’ll have a little bit of a better understanding of what it’s going to be like to race there, what kind of a setup I’m going to need to have under my truck, what to do in practice to win the race.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING A YEAR UNDER YOUR BELT. HOW HAS THIS YEAR BEEN DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR’S ROOKIE SEASON? “Well, for me it’s just having the experience and having the confidence that these races will come to you during the course of a race. You don’t have to be running at the front all of the time and you know you have to trust your pit crew guys and know that they’re going to get you some spots on pit road and you just have to be confident you don’t have to lead every lap. If you’re good enough you’ll find yourself at the end of the race in the top 10 or the top five and then you’ve got to capitalize on it.”

YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FORD DRIVING SKILLS FOR LIFE PROGRAM LAUNCHED THIS PAST WEEKEND. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING AS PART OF THAT PARTNERSHIP? “Well I’m excited to be a part of the Driving Skills for Life program. So far I know that I’m going to be going to three or four different events where I’ll get to talk to the students at the events and just do a little bit of one on one speaking to them and try to get across, I guess kind of the safe driving points and things that Driving Skills for Life has to offer. Also I’m going to be doing some blogs for their website DrivingSkillsforLife.com and some more things like that.”

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN FORD’S DRIVING SKILLS FOR LIFE PROGRAM? “I guess I got involved at the middle of last year, probably. I got involved with it because I was driving a Ford vehicle, obviously, in the racing series, in the Truck series and some of the people from Ford asked me if I wanted to be involved with it, and of course I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO TEACH TEENS ABOUT SAFE DRIVING? “I think its important just because car crashes are the number one killer of teenagers and I think its something that’s important not only for teenagers, but the other people on the road. I think it’s a great thing that Driving Skills for Life is trying to do by making people aware of that, by educating the kids, parents and educators about that.”

WHAT IN YOUR OPINION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DRIVING SKILL ANYONE CAN HAVE? “Well, in my opinion, the biggest thing is having the focus on simply driving the vehicle. You know I think there’s so many distractions in this day and age that kids can get involved with, whether it’s the cell phone or playing with the radio, or talking with their friends. There’s so many different distractions involved in life now. I think if you’re just focused 100 percent on driving the vehicle I think you’re going to be okay. I think everyone out there focused on that one single task is going to be a great driver.”

6-13-2009 - Colin wins Michigan!

Highlights of Michigan race

Colin in victory lane

Michigan Practice video

BROOKLYN, Mich. – After 35 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Colin Braun finally found Victory Lane Saturday in the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway. The win will go down in the history books as his first, and Roush Fenway Racing’s 50th. The win was even more special for Braun since it came at MIS which is the home track for Jack Roush, Con-way Freight and Ford Motor Company.
With over 250 Con-way Freight guests in the grandstands and a truck sporting a new “True LTL” logo, Braun started the 100-lap race in 12th place. It did not take him long to work his way through the field as he moved into sixth place in the first three laps. An early caution on lap 10 brought the leaders to pit road for fuel. Braun pitted also and returned to the track in fourth place on lap 14.
   

Within a few laps he moved into second place behind Kyle Busch and told the team the Con-way Freight Ford was a little free in and tight through the center of the corners. The crew planned its next set of adjustments and was able to pit under caution for tires and fuel on laps 29 and 30. With a fast pit stop Braun beat his competitors off pit road, but did not have the lead since two trucks only took fuel. He restarted third on lap 33.
Halfway through the race on lap 50 Braun had settled into third place and needed a few more minor adjustments to his truck for the end. A caution on lap 60 for debris was just what he needed as he was able to pit for the last time for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment on laps 60 and 61. The 14-second stop for tires helped Braun take the lead on pit road, but his lead was short-lived as Busch passed him on the restart on lap 64.
This time Busch did not pull away from Braun. He was able to stay close to Busch and when the opportunity came on lap 77, with some help from a lapped truck, Braun seized it. For the next 24 laps he led the field and maintained a good distance from Busch. As the checkered flag fell Braun claimed his first NASCAR victory and the 50th Camping World Truck Series win for Roush Fenway Racing with a 1.79-second margin of victory over Busch.
“I cannot think of a better place for this to happen,” Braun said. “There are so many people to thank who have stood by me and supported me through a lot of ups and downs in the past year and a half. To win in Michigan, the backyard of Con-way Freight, Ford and Jack Roush, is a pretty special place to get your first win. I have to thank my family and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing, especially the body shop. Those guys have put a lot of trucks back together for me, including this one we won with today that got torn up at Lowe’s last month. I knew we were getting close to this first win. We’ve been so close the last few races. We put ourselves in a position to win at Lowe’s and Dover, but it finally paid off today.”
"Great job, Colin," the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing said, giving the youngster a hug in Victory Lane. "It's just great to be in front of the home crowd. This is my turf."
Later, Roush said: "Colin is a good driver now. He's going to be a great driver after he's learned some of the things he needs to know on the racetrack. He's well on his way to being as good in this business as anybody has been."

Kyle Busch

What is your opinion of Colin Braun? "He's done well - he's done well in the Nationwide Series too. Last year, he ran at ORP (O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis), qualified second, ran second to me much of the race. I don't know if he ended up second or third or something like that. He's been impressive. He's had some tough ways though - it was my fault at Charlotte he crashed out and then two weeks ago he had a tire problem at Dover - same as us. He's shown some speed, he's shown some potential. It hasn't been week in and week out, but it seems to be getting better more with experience."

With the win the No. 6 Con-way Freight team gained six positions and is now 12th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings, only 30 points out of 10th place. The next race will be on Friday, June 19 at The Milwaukee Mile. It will be live on SPEED at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

More 2009 news stories, pictures, and videos

News Archives from past years