19-year-old NASCAR rising star Colin Braun to offer safe driving tips for teenagers
Top-ranked rookie racing sensation Colin Braun, who pilots his famed No. 6 pickup riding on Goodyear rubber in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will be conducting hands-on-the-wheel precision driving lessons for teenagers as part of the June 25-26 Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) California Summer Camp in Indio, Calif.
Throughout a season-long series of teen driving clinics he’ll be giving demonstrations in a specially-equipped Mustang skid car to promote safe driving skills. Braun, who runs for the Ford and Roush Fenway Racing team, is to be available for nationwide media interviews June 24 at the Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, Calif. in advance of debuting the 2008 teen driving instructional series.
The personable 19-year-old racer, who addresses his elders as “sir,” holds the distinction of being “the youngest driver in history to win a Grand Am Car Race.”
DSFL is a collaborative effort between the Ford Motor Co. Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The free-of-charge program strives to lower the number of teen crash fatalities and helps newly licensed drivers develop skills beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs.
Studies demonstrate that teenage crash rates decline considerably as young drivers gain experience behind the wheel. DSFL helps them improve their skills in four key areas that are critical factors in more than 60 percent of teen vehicle crashes: Hazard Recognition, Vehicle Handling, Space Management, and Speed Management.
Braun started racing at age 6 in Quarter Midgets and then went on to go kart racing at 8. He competed in Italy, Monaco, France and Japan for factory kart teams -- all before he was 14. At 14 he graduated to full-sized vehicles racking up a number of significant finishes.
For more information, visit www.drivingskillsforlife.com or www.tracc5.com/colin.