Photo Courtesy Rolex Grand American Road Racing Series

Roush Fenway Racing rookie Colin Braun had a great run going with his AIM Autosport teammates in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway until a blown right-rear tire ended their race about eight hours short of the finish. 

After having each of its four drivers lead for a combined total of 40 laps, the No. 61 Ford Riley retired from competition on lap 502 early Sunday morning after issues with the right-rear tire caused heavy damage to the car. Braun was not driving at the time of the incident.

"I think that the AIM Autosport team did a good job as a whole," Braun said. "I think the first six or seven hours really showed how much effort was put into the whole deal and how good our car was. We were really strong, and even in the rain we were super strong. I credit a lot of that to the Roush Yates Ford engine that we had. Having all that certainly makes the car a lot of fun to drive for me, and I felt like we had one of the quickest cars out there. We were just pacing ourselves and unfortunately just got caught up in some problems.

"The AIM guys certainly have the right thing going this year and we had a great run going even though our luck didn't last all the way through the morning," Braun continued. "I loved being back in these Daytona Prototypes and of course anytime you are running up front, its good no matter what you are driving. This was a great way to start the season off, in a Ford-powered car that ran up front, and now I'm looking to put my Con-way Freight Ford F-150 up front the rest of the year!"

Braun will return to Daytona International Speedway to kick off the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season in a few weeks. He will be behind the wheel of the No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford F-150 for the season-opening race on Friday, February 15.