Aaron Fike Mansfield Preview

Posted 05-21-2007

Aaron Fike – No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 Race Preview

Mansfield Motorsports Park - Race 7 of 25 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series;  Racetrack:  Mansfield Motorsports Park;  Race:  NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250;  Location:  Mansfield, Ohio;  Track Length:  0.5-Mile Paved Oval;  Race Distance:  250 Laps / 125 Miles;  Broadcast Coverage:  FOX;  Radio Coverage:  MRN;  Date:  Saturday, May 26, 2007;  Time:  1 p.m. ET.

Aaron Fike on Racing at Mansfield Motorsports Park:

“I’m really looking forward to racing at Mansfield.  This team has two short track wins to their credit (Memphis in 2005 and Martinsville in the Spring of 2006), so I’ve got a lot of confidence going in to the race at Mansfield.  They also ran third at Mansfield last year, so hopefully can contend for a top-five, or maybe even the win!”

Make No Mistake; Aaron Fike is No Rookie:

Even though Aaron Fike wears rookie stripes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he’s certainly no novice when it comes to open-wheel racing.  Fike has back-to-back titles as National Midget Driver of the Year (2002 and 2003) and was the first driver in Series’ history to accomplish that feat.  When it comes to being a rookie, Fike seems to excel.  He currently has two Rookie of the Year titles to his name and hopes to add a third at the end of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.  Fike’s previous titles include the 2001 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year and the 2000 USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year awards.

Aaron Fike’s Racing Roots Run to “The 500”:

Before Fike made the move to NASCAR, he captured the National Midget Driver of the Year title two years in a row (2002 and 2003), becoming the first back-to-back winner of the award.  He also won four times in the USAC Midget Series in 2003, including the 58th renewal of the prestigious “Night Before The 500”.  This year, the 62nd Annual “Night Before The 500” will be held at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana on Saturday.  Saturday night’s feature event is a 50-lapper on the .686-mile paved oval.  On Sunday, Fike can most likely be found in front of a television, watching the celebrated “Indianapolis 500”.

Notables:

Aaron Fike will make his seventh career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) at the drop of the green flag for the start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 on Saturday, May 26^th, 2007.  In his six previous NCTS starts, Fike has never finished outside of the top-20 and by virtue of his solid performances, he holds down 9^th place in the 2007 NCTS Championship Point Standings.

Aaron Fike’s Performance at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:

Raybestos Rookie of the Year leader Aaron Fike drove the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra to a 14th place finish in the Quaker Steak and Lube 200 presented by Circle K last Friday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, grabbing the Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the third consecutive race of the year.  Fike, who has been the top rookie in four of the six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races this season, overcame radio trouble over the last forty laps to grab his fourth top-15 finish of the year.  “I think we were better than that,” explained Fike after the race.  “I mean, we were a top-10 truck and I lost my radio about halfway through the race. That didn’t help. Jamie Jones (Crew Chief) and everybody at Red Horse Racing gave me a good truck to drive. We were just a little bit off there at the end.”

Aaron Fike Leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Race:

Aaron Fike continues to lead the 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings with 70 points.  He holds the lead over Tyler Walker (51), Willie Allen (49), Blake Bjorklund (44), and Tim Sauter (44).