Colin Braun taken out of 16 ride for most remaining races

[TeamBlueOval]

Colin Braun is taking a time out after this weekend's Nationwide Series race at Talladega, according to team sources.

The 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has crashed out of four of the first seven races — and wrecked teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this past Monday at Texas Motor Speedway — leading Roush Fenway Racing to put him on warning, sources told FOXSports.com.

RFR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth is expected to take over the No. 16 Nationwide Series ride after Talladega for two races in an effort to get the team back up to speed before Braun gets back in the car at Dover.

A Roush Fenway insider said this is part of the development process for the rookie and that the decision was made to give him time to regroup.

Despite having limited sponsorship with Con-Way Freight, Braun was set to run the full Nationwide Series schedule this season before this hiatus. He will be in the car for the remaining 14 races sponsored by Con-way. The rest of the season has yet to be determined. One name mentioned as a possible sub is Erik Darnell.

Braun made a name for himself in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series competition, winning the July 250-mile race at Daytona and finishing fourth in the Daytona Prototype division at age 17 — all while missing four races due to age restrictions at certain events..

He ran two full seasons in the Camping World Truck Series, winning top rookie honors in 2008 and the finishing fifth in the championship last year.
~FOX Sports

This isn't surprising after all the wrecks he's been in. Kind of thought it was just a matter of time before they took him out. Glad he'll still get to run all of the Conway sponsored races at least.

I missed the Nationwide race this week, but this is the first I've heard of him wrecking Stenhouse at Texas? That's too bad...

[DeeDee]

Braun parked for 2 races? UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing will bench rookie #16-Colin Braun for two races in the aftermath of a crash with teammate #6-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in Monday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a high-level source within the team told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that RFR initially considered removing Braun from the ride permanently, but relented after sponsor ConWay Freight advocated a more lenient sanction. Braun will be in the ConWay-backed car this weekend at Talledega Superspeedway, before being replaced by former Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth in an unsponsored #16 Ford at both Richmond and Darlington. Braun has struggled in his rookie season of Nationwide Series competition, with a quartet of crash-related DNFs at Daytona, Las Vegas, Bristol and Phoenix. He has posted an average finish of 29.3 in his seven starts this season, with a best finish of 13th at Texas last week. He currently ranks 25th in Nationwide Series championship points.(Sirius Speedway)(4-22-2010)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing announced that Matt Kenseth has been selected to drive the unsponsored #16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at both the Richmond and Darlington races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Roush Fenway Racing further confirms that Colin Braun will continue to drive the #16 in the races to which he has been previously assigned, namely those Nationwide Series races where Con-way Freight and 3M are primary sponsors (16 more races). "Matt Kenseth is our first selection to drive the #16 in the unsponsored races to promote Matt and this team's availability for Nationwide Series sponsorship," said team owner Jack Roush. "We also believe Matt's participation will strengthen the capabilities of our Nationwide Series programs. We are committed to campaign the #16 in all the Nationwide Series races, and we may select drivers other than Matt, and including Colin, to drive in the other unsponsored races. In making those driver decisions we will be balancing our competitive, sponsorship and development needs." Crew chief Eddie Pardue and the rest of the #16 team members will remain with the car no matter the driver.(Roush Fenway PR)(4-23-2010)~jayski

[mattemmy99]

I can understand why Jack is sitting him,but I hope it isn't permanent~ HE needs seat time~I think Jack gave a Carl a "warning" too,when he kept wrecking trucks,wasn't it???? I

[TeamBlueOval]

It's not permanent for sure--Conway is behind Colin, so he will definitely be in the car for the 16 additional races that they are sponsoring.

[roosterrage]

Braun has some talent. He'll end up being fine.

[Dog]

:/ Well this isn't a good side to this....

[RacingDude]

Might I add, Stenhouse wrecked Carl at Talladega and didn't get benched?

[mattemmy99]

I also think Carl said he too has done a "bonehead" move,or he used some other word,so I think that might be why..Carl wasn't MAD....

[TeamBlueOval]

Might I add, Stenhouse wrecked Carl at Talladega and didn't get benched?

Geoff Smith said that they were already planning to put Matt in either the 6 or 16 car, but hadn't decided which one. When Colin wrecked Ricky, it just gave them a "good reason" to put Matt in the 16. He said it was a sponsorship related move and has nothing to do with their confidence in either driver.

That being said, I was pretty angry at Ricky Stenhouse when he wrecked Carl like that.... I don't care if Carl has done it before, Stenhouse is a rookie and Carl is his teammate. He shouldn't have been running that hard so early in the year.

[yatesracing]

What in the world is wrong with Carl and Matt???????????????????????? Look at Gilliland

[yatesracing]

and David Stremme #26 car

[mattemmy99]

Alot of good it did to put Matt in the 16...LOL~ He did the same thing as Braun....LOL