This weekend’s 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona represents an opportunity for many drivers to add a prestigious timepiece to their trophy case — or perhaps their wrist.
For Colin Braun, a win in the twice-around-the-clock race at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway on Sunday would be his fifth.
Surprisingly, the 35-year-old Texan will be making his 20th Rolex start.
His first, at the tender age of 16, came in the GT class aboard a Porsche 996 GT3. As Braun reflected, he emphasized how testing was the key to a successful first run.
“Wow, it was such a cool experience for me – it was really neat to be a part of that program and launch my professional career,” Braun told SPEED SPORT. “It was daunting and intimidating, for sure, but man, it was fun.
“I was glad to be so well prepared in a program like that. We did a lot of testing before the event and practiced a lot of race scenarios so I think coming in feeling confident was a huge help to a successful and fun first 24 hour.”
One year later, Braun began a path toward NASCAR after inking a development deal with Roush Fenway Racing. After two years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Braun found himself back on the sports car scene.
While a long-term career in stock cars didn’t pan out, Braun reflected with fond memories.
“It certainly has been a fun ride with my career trajectory,” Braun explained. “Starting out in sports cars (Daytona Prototype era), then moving over to NASCAR, and then back to sports cars with a bit of everything sprinkled in between.”
Candidly, Braun would consider a move back to NASCAR if the stars aligned.
“I certainly enjoyed my five years or so in NASCAR and would take a serious look at going back to that if the opportunity presented itself with the right situation, but sports cars has really been my bread and butter for most of my career,” Braun said.
“I think NASCAR taught me a lot about race craft, media, working in a big team, working for an OEM, and the level of professionalism that it demands.”
For now, however, Braun is focused on the Rolex, where he’s transitioning from a GTP ride with Meyer Shank Racing last season to CrowdStrike Racing in LMP2 competition.
Notably, Braun scored last season’s overall victory with MSR, alongside teammates Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud aboard an Acura ARX-06.
Switching classes can be a challenge, however, it’s been a smooth transition for Braun as he’s raced for CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz for numerous years, including last season where the duo scored the GT World Challenge team and drivers’ championship as co-drivers.
“Racing and working alongside George and CrowdStrike for over 10 years has made it easy from that side,” Braun said. “On the team side, I raced with APR at both LeMans and the first round of Asian LeMans competition in 2023.
“The team did a really nice job and we were able to win both races, so it’s nice to have some history together — especially going into our second 24-hour race as a team. I certainly miss all the people from MSR.
“I really felt comfortable there and we achieved a lot of great things; they welcomed me into the team and made me feel like family, that is for sure.”
As far as major differences between an LMP2 and GTP machine, it’s complicated.
While Oreca builds the chassis for both classes, weight differential and the hybrid aspect of the second-year GTP race car is where the two cars differ the most.
“I would say the biggest thing is probably the weight of the GTP car,” Braun explained. “You can certainly feel the time it takes for the car to take a set, while the LMP2 is a bit sharper with the lower weight.
“Also, the hybrid system adds some complexity and driver tuning that needs to be done. I enjoyed the hybrid aspect and working with the team engineers and HPD to tune the car to suit my style, tire degradation, etc.
“But in a few laps, a race car is a race car, and you are focusing on the limit right away.”
Braun and co-drivers Kurtz, Toby Sowery and Malthe Jakobsen will be looking to hit the limit from third starting position in the LMP2 class on Saturday.
As far as keys to winning, there are plenty of areas needed to succeed.
“A bit of luck — ha ha — kidding, but maybe only a bit,” Braun said. “You certainly need all the things you always hear people talk about great preparation and reliability, being there at the end, staying out of trouble, and knowing when to push and when to be smart.”
But when the sun rises on Sunday, however, speed is the name of the game.
“But oddly, in the end, you need a really fast car to get the job done. The racing is so competitive now,” Braun said.
“The last few hours are flat out, and you need the speed to win at the end. That’s why it’s important to have a good team around you.”