Aaron Fike – No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra
O’Reilly 200 Race Preview

Memphis Motorsports Park - Race 12 of 25 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; Racetrack:  Memphis Motorsports Park; Race:  O’Reilly 200; Location:  Millington, Tenn.; Track Length:  .75-mile Paved Oval; Race Distance:  200 Laps / 150 Miles; Broadcast Coverage:  SPEED; Radio Coverage:  MRN; Date:  Saturday, June 30, 2007; Time:  9 p.m. ET.

Aaron Fike on Memphis Motorsports Park:

“I don’t have very much experience at Memphis, but it’s a track I’m fairly comfortable with. It’s a pretty unique place from one corner to the next. It’s really tight through the turns and is especially tight coming off of the corners. The track’s two very distinct corners really make you choose your setup carefully. There’s no way you are going to be perfect on both ends, so the key is to find a balance. You’ve got to be patient and plan every move carefully, because the bumps in the track can really throw your truck around.”

Aaron’s Past Performance at Memphis:

Saturday’s O’Reilly 200 will mark Aaron Fike’s first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Memphis Motorsports Park. Fike does, however, have two NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) starts at the ¾-mile short track.  Fike started 29th and finished 35th after electrical problems sent him behind the wall in the Sam’s Town 250 in 2004.  In 2005 Fike had a solid run going after qualifying 5th but he was caught up in someone else’s mess which resulted in a 35th place finish.  In addition to his two NBS starts at Memphis, Fike competed in a USAC Silver Crown Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park in 2004, finishing 9th.

Red Horse Racing Pulled Off Blistering Win at Memphis:

While driving the No. 38 Toyota for Red Horse Racing in 2005, Brandon Whitt started from the pole in the O’Reilly 200 and led three times for a total of 54 laps -- including the final circuit around Memphis Motorsports Park, giving Red Horse Racing their first win since their inception into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  Whitt was only the second driver to win from the pole at Memphis and the second NCTS driver in 2005 to win from the pole.  It was the first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) victory for the 22-year-old California native and the first victory for the newly established team.

“JJ” Pulls Chassis 43 from the Stable:

Red Horse Racing’s Crew Chief, Jamie “JJ” Jones, has selected Chassis No. 43 for Saturday’s event at Memphis Motorsports Park.  This is the same truck that Fike raced last weekend at The Milwaukee Mile.  It’s the lone short-track truck in the Red Horse stable and is a trusted favorite amongst the Red Horse Racing team.  It was raced nine times last year, and brought the team a victory at Martinsville Speedway in the Kroger 250 with driver, David Starr on April 1st, 2006.  Prior to being raced in last weekend’s Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200, this truck ran at Mansfield Motorsports Park in May where Fike ran in the top-five before running out of fuel with two laps to go.

Notables:

Aaron Fike will make his 12^th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the drop of the green flag for the start of the O’Reilly 200 on Saturday, June 30^th, 2007.

Aaron Fike’s Performance in Milwaukee:

The Official State Motto of Wisconsin is “Forward”, adopted in 1851 to reflect Wisconsin’s continuous drive, and Aaron Fike and the Red Horse Racing team were hoping to make the most of the State Motto last Friday night as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entered the “America’s Dairyland” for the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 at The Milwaukee Mile, but handling issues kept Fike from driving to the front in his first appearance at The Milwaukee Mile driving a Toyota Tundra.  Despite showing great drive and determination after laying down a lap in qualifying that was nearly a half-second faster than their final practice speeds, Fike fought to finish 21st in his Truck Series debut at the one-mile oval.  “Our No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra could have been a little better tonight,” said Fike. “Handling is really important at a track like this and we fought handling issues tonight. I think we learned a lot though and I know that I learned a lot about the track and what it takes to race here. We’ll just put this race behind us and move onto Memphis next week.”

Aaron Fike Leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Race:

Aaron Fike continues to have a strong lead the 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings with 122 points.  He holds the lead over Tim Sauter (90), Willie Allen (86), Blake Bjorklund (83), and Joey Clanton (59).