BUSCH

• Braun surprises with pole in Mexico City

  
  

  Mexico City, Mexico (Sports Network) - Nineteen-year-old Colin Braun won the pole for Sunday afternoon's Corona Mexico 200 Nationwide Series race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The No.16 Roush Racing Ford driver circled the road course in one minute, 28.217 seconds (102.756 m.p.h.).

  The pole was the first of Braun's three-race Nationwide career. He started one race last year finishing 30th at Memphis Motorsports Park and earlier this year started ninth and finished 15th at Nashville.

  Despite the young age Braun has already won two championships - Formula Renault 1600 at the age of 14 and then in a Formula 2000 in the Formula TR Series. At only 17 years nine months, and seven days old, he became the youngest driver in North America to win a major league motor race when he won the Brumos 250 at Daytona International Speedway in the Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototype Series.

  In the final practice he was second quickest to veteran road racer Scott Pruett.

  "The driver didn't do much this time, these guys did a heck of a job," said Braun. "The Ford is really quick and hopefully we can keep it up there all day on Sunday."

  Starting alongside Braun will be Pruett who posted a second-best time of 1:28.307.

  Carl Edwards (1:28.432) and Marcos Ambrose (1:28.600) will start in row two. Boris Said will start fifth. Ford power took four of the top-five spots on the grid.

  Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez opened in 1962 with a non-points Formula 1 race. Fifteen F1 Championship races were held during the periods 1963 - 1970 and 1986 - 1992. Rick Mears won the 1980 and 1981 CART races driving for Roger Penske. Then CART returned to Mexico City in 2002 where Kenny Brack, Paul Tracy and current F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais were all victorious.

  This will be the fourth time that the Nationwide Series has run on the 2.518- mile road course in Mexico City. Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural event, Denny Hamlin took the prize in 2006 and last year fan favorite Juan Pablo Montoya sent everyone home happy after he collected his first official NASCAR victory.

  The race is schedule to drop the green flag on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (et).

  04/19 13:35:04 ET