Catchfence

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (June 27, 2009) – 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 team 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.

“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).

- Roush Fenway Racing Press Release