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21-year-old Truck Series driver learning patience
By CARLOS MENDEZ / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Two seasons in the Camping World Truck Series have taught Colin Braun something.

Be patient.

It's what NASCAR is all about, no matter what it may seem like from the stands.

"The first 75 percent of the race is just an opportunity to get your truck driving well and running well for the end of the race," Braun said. "That's the biggest thing I've learned."

It's a good thing to understand for anyone trying to climb the NASCAR ladder like the 21-year-old from the tiny town of Ovalo, Texas, near Abilene.

He is climbing that ladder fast. Braun was one of the truck series' top rookies last year, and this year he ranks fifth in the points standings. He has won four poles, including last week at Talladega, and has a victory among seven top-5s.

Thursday night, he qualified 19th for the Winstar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway, and he might be a favorite in tonight's race. He has finished fifth and third in his past two truck races at TMS, his unofficial home track.

Matt Crafton won the pole with a speed of 179.354 mph.

Braun knows what it feels like to be fast at TMS.

"When we raced here in June, we started out the race being really free," he said. "We've been working on trying to find something that has good speed but is also tight enough to race well. This is a challenging place with the way the race track flattens off after Turn 2. It's a really unique track."

That information ought to remain useful next year, when Braun moves to the Nationwide Series full-time. It's all part of the plan.

"Once I signed up to drive for Roush Fenway Racing, the goal became to get in the Sprint Cup series," Braun said. "That's one of the steps to get there."

Winning is also a step, but so is taking care of the equipment. Braun has failed to finish six races this season because of accidents. That's why he talks about patience.

"Coming from the road-racing stuff that I used to do, that was certainly all about getting after it – making moves, making things happen fast," he said. "Things get spread out so fast there, you really have to capitalize on it when you can. It's so different here."

Braun said his crew chief, Mike Beam, and his spotter, Lorin Ranier, help keep him grounded during the race. Beam is going with him to the Nationwide Series next year.

"Those two guys are really good at keeping me in check and reminding me what the ultimate goal is," Braun said.

The ultimate goal remains to land in a Cup car.

The immediate goal is to race competitively tonight.

"I'm certainly trying to get as much learning and experience in the truck series as I can," Braun said. "I'm trying to focus on learning as much as I can from these veteran guys and my teammates."