Colin Braun canned by Roush Fenway Racing
The 22-year-old Braun won a Truck Series race at Michigan on his way to a fifth-place finish in the series standings in 2009 but then had a rough year in the Nationwide Series in 2010. He made 24 starts with five top-10s but seven races which he didn’t finish.
“Roush Fenway has been looking, trying to put a program together but … couldn’t find a sponsor and allowed me to go look elsewhere and try to put together a program somewhere else," Braun said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I had a really good time over there at Roush Fenway. I enjoyed working with them. It’s a sad day for sure, but hopefully we can work some other deal out here."
Braun is hoping that his diverse background, which includes a base in sports-car racing, will help him land another ride. Braun also did some testing in Roush Cup cars.
“It’s definitely been a tough year, not the year I envisioned having, obviously," Braun said. “Certainly it was a year where I learned a lot and got to work with different crew chiefs and learn things from different people. It’s been good in that respect. It’s really broadened me out as a driver. I had to learn how to work with different people and race in a whole new series and to try to do that all at the same time definitely was a challenge."
Having watched Aric Almirola resurrect his career this past season in the Truck Series, Braun is keeping all options open for any series that will allow him to develop as a racer.
“I’m only 22 years old right now, so I feel like there are a lot of years ahead," Braun said. “For me to have two years of truck experience, a partial season in Nationwide and a bunch of Cup tests under my belt, I feel I’m in a pretty good position."