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3-26-2010
As I am sure everyone has seen Colin was on most of the highlight reels and even on a 2-page spread of Sports Illustrated this week. The only problem it was not for the reasons we all hoped for. What is it they say, “any publicity is good publicity?” Not sure that applies any more, just ask Tiger Woods. At least Colin was ok in the accident when Brian Scott spun and Colin slowed to avoid him and got plowed my Steven Wallace. I was in Sebring, Florida engineering a car in the famous 12 hours of Sebring and had a hard time knowing how Colin was doing. On Saturday morning I was doing the warm up practice before my race at the same time Colin was qualifying in Bristol. Diane (my wife/Colin’s Mom) kept firing off text messages to me:
-4th after 6 cars
-10 with 25 cars gone
-18 final positions
My car is running on track and I am talking to my drivers and crew doing final prep for one of the biggest sports car races of the year. I sneak a look at the phone and think, darn 18th is not a very good spot to start Bristol. Our practice ends and we are 2nd fastest…wish I could trade positions with Colin, I got 12 hours to make up the spots, he has 300, 15 second laps. A quick call to Colin from the pits in Sebring before our race starts, to the pits in Bristol….”Good luck bud, just be smooth and have fun, take what it will give you”, I say. Thanks Dad, go get them there, Colin replies. My race starts at 10:30am and we are leading the race when Colin’s race starts.
Diane texts:
-Car better than practice, but not great, moving up but being careful, lap 30
-Yellow staying out Eddie says to early to stop, will fix him up at first stop.
All I can do is picture him hanging on and trying to get to the first stop. I call my car to the pits for a stop and we get a penalty for a pit infraction and loose the lead with 8 hours still to go. I wish I could see the Bristol race but I need to focus and get the lead back some how with pit strategy. My phone buzzes:
-Up to 14th lap 78, car looks like a handful but doing ok gaining spots
I am happy Colin is being smart and hanging cool until Eddie and the guys can make some adjustments. My mind is back to my race and we make a pit stop to change drivers, tires and fuel. The second place car makes a mistake and we are back in the lead.
Colin...text comes in:
-Up to 12th
Man, he is doing great with a car they have not adjusted on. Another pit stop for us and I feel the phone buzz, can’t look at it we got way too much going on. Stop goes good and we keep the lead. Me and the guys are talking about the oil consumption and when we will have to add oil, and thinking about the radiator tape based on the temps we are seeing. Lots going on when one of the team hospitality girls cones into the stand and says “glad Colin is ok?” I say what happened and she says she saw him in a big crash with fire on the TV in the hospitality area. I whip the phone out and see:
-Darn, crashed
-He is ok but he was up in the air and there was fire
-Guys trying to fix it
-Nope too bad it is done
-Going to motor home to see if he needs anything
I am glad he is ok. No time for all the questions I have like, what happened, did some one hit him, did he screw up, did some one else, what could he have done different, what will that do to the rookie points? no I still have 6 hours of racing to go. Man I wish I were in Bristol. Over the next 6 hours I get time to sneak a glance at the phone as Diane sends updates:
-Colin said he was trying to avoid the 11 and slowed hard
-It happened so fast Lorin could only say watch it ahead
-Wallace was really going fast when he hit Colin
-The car looks like junk
-Guys tried to fix it but could not
-In the car with Colin headed home 10:30 pm
At that point, we cross the line in Sebring the winner of the 12 hours of Sebring. The phone rings and I hear Colin and Diane yelling and screaming congratulations in the phone as they watch from Colin’s living room and I am running to victory lane. My thought…wish it were me calling Bristol yelling to them with joy. Now driving to motel at 1:30am after our car clears tech and we are the official winner. Phone lights up in the dark car:
-Happy 29th anniversary today honey, wish we could have spent it together.
Jeff Braun |
