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Colin up to 5th in points with 9th place at Loudon

LOUDON, N.H. – Colin Braun did not have the best truck Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but he did exactly what he needed to do with it. He drove a smart, patient race and brought home a top-10 finish which moved the team up to fifth in the driver point standings.

Braun started the No. 6 Con-way Freight True LTL Ford from ninth place on a chilly, but sunny afternoon in New Hampshire. He lost a few positions early in the race as he told crew chief Mike Beam the truck was tight in the center of the corners, which also made it free off the turns. When the first caution of the race came on lap 39 Braun used the opportunity to pit for fresh tires and a wedge adjustment. The team had two quick stops which helped him gain five positions in the pits to restart in sixth place on lap 43.

The handling still was not what Braun wanted it to be and he settled into ninth place for the next stretch of green-flag racing. The next caution came on lap 93 which allowed him to pit again for tires and fuel, but this time the team also raised the track bar and reversed the previous wedge adjustment. The Con-way Freight team had another great series of stops which gave Braun two positions in the pits. After a brief red flag to repair the outside wall, he was seventh when the race resumed.

Just past halfway Braun was in 10th and said the truck still needed to turn better through the corners. He raced side-by-side with T.J. Bell for several laps battling for ninth, but eventually settled back into 10th.
By lap 170 the leaders began to cycle through the pits for green-flag fuel stops. Braun assumed the lead for one lap, and gained five bonus points, before pitting on lap 174 for his fuel stop. The crew also made another track bar adjustment while waiting on fuel. With 19 laps to go Braun was back in 10th and moved up to ninth with 14 to go.

One final caution for debris slowed the race on lap 190. Braun stayed out on the track and moved into eighth place. The truck was turning better after the track bar adjustment and adding the weight of fuel to the rear. The race resumed with seven laps to go, and Braun was passed by Johnny Sauter on the restart. He held on to ninth place to finish the race, while Kyle Busch was the first to cross the finish line. Teammates Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top three.

“It was disappointing that we didn’t have a better truck today, but we did the best we could with it,” Braun said. “Todd Bodine had problems early in the race and lost several laps so we knew if we were smart it would be a good day in the points for us. The guys did a great job in the pits today and we gained a lot of track position there, we just weren’t always able to maintain it when the race started again. Sometimes you just have those races where you do what you have to do to make the best of it, and that is what we did today. It wasn’t the run we wanted, but it worked out alright in the end since we gained a spot in the points.”

The No. 6 Con-way Freight True LTL team gained one position and is now fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings. The next race will be on Saturday, September 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be live on SPEED at 9:00 p.m. (ET).