Video upload from YouTube / Photos for Headline Surfer courtesy DIS / Colin Braun took to the highbnks of Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday to set a new lap record 222.971 in a Ford Eco-Boost-powered Daytona Prototype.
DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR legend and two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott's lap speed record in qualifying that stood for 26 years has finally been broken by a hot shot driver in a flashy sports car.
Meet Colin Braun who blazed the fastest lap in Daytona International Speedway’s storied history on Wednesday afternoon, turning a lap of 222.971 mph (40.364 seconds) in a Ford Eco-Boost-powered Daytona Prototype for Michael Shank Racing.
Braun's lap around the 2.5-mile Daytona high-banks easily eclipsed the former record of 210.364 mph set by former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Elliott while qualifying for the 1987 Daytona 500, which he won.
Colin Braun checks out the cockpit in his sports car before hit the high banks of the 2.5-mile super track and establishing a new lap record.
"This is hallowed ground here at Daytona, so it's really special to hold the record at this place," said Braun, a former NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series competitor before running sports cars full time. "To get to do it with a group of guys like Mike Shank and with the new EcoBoost Ford motor, it’s a special day, for sure."
The 25-year-old Texan also established new record marks -- subject to homologation from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) -- in 10 kilometers from a standing start (202.438 mph) and 10 miles from a standing start (210.018 mph).
The historic day comes just a week after the 2012 Rolex 24-winning Michael Shank Racing team announced it would field Ford's new 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine in the inaugural 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship -- a much-anticipated merger between the GRAND-AM and American LeMans Series sports car circuits.
"I can't believe, in my whole racing career, that I'd have an opportunity to do something like this," Shank said. "I never thought we could. If you think about how fast we went around here in a Daytona Prototype car is a little bit surreal.
"This thing is extremely fast and I'm extremely proud of it," Shank continued. "I think it bodes well for the future of sports car racing in the U.S. "Daytona Prototypes are not slow cars. They are very, very capable cars and I think we proved that here today."
"This thing is extremely fast and I'm extremely proud of it," Shank continued. "I think it bodes well for the future of sports car racing in the U.S. "Daytona Prototypes are not slow cars. They are very, very capable cars and I think we proved that here today."
Jim France, a founder of the GRAND-AM Series and chairman of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) which will sanction the United SportsCar Championship, was on hand for the historic achievement Tuesday.
The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship opens its inaugural season on these very high banks with the Jan. 25-26 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Editor's Note: For a sixth year, Headline Surfer will be at the Rolex as well as Speedweeks and the signature Daytona 500.
FAST FACTS: Ford's twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost-powered Daytona Prototype
In addition to the top speed record with Ford’s new twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost-powered Daytona Prototype, Colin Braun set new world speed records for 10 miles from a standing start with an average speed of 210.018 mph and 10 km from a standing start at 202.438 mph.Did You Know?
Multimedia:
YouTube upload/NASCARHistory / Headline Surfer could not find video showing Bill Elliott's record lap, but it is mentioned in this video highlight of his 1987 Daytona 500 victory.
Bonus: Fast Car Songs
Take your pick: Sammy Hagar's fast charging, 'Ican't Drive 55' or Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car.' Both are about escape and the search for something better. Headline Surfer loves Chapman's 'Fast Car.'