Aaron Fike Texas Preview

Posted 06-05-2007

Aaron Fike – No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra

Sam’s Town 400 Race Preview

Texas Motor Speedway - Race 9 of 25 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; Racetrack:  Texas Motor Speedway; Race:  Sam’s Town 400; Location:  Fort Worth, Texas; Track Length:  1.5-Mile Paved Oval; Race Distance:  167 Laps / 400 Kilometers; Broadcast Coverage:  SPEED; Radio Coverage:  MRN; Date:  Friday, June 8^th, 2007; Time:  9 p.m. ET.

Aaron Fike on Racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“I’m looking forward to racing at Texas,” said Fike.  “Texas is a mile-and-a-half track and I always like racing on the bigger, faster race tracks.  I’ve raced there in a NASCAR Busch Series car and an Infiniti Pro car, so I’ve got some laps there under my belt and it shouldn’t take too long to adjust to running there in my No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra.”

Aaron Fike’s Near Win at Texas:

Aaron Fike nearly won the IRL Infiniti Pro Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003.  Fike was leading on the final lap, but without drafting help from his teammate, fell to third at the drop of the checkered flag.

Aaron Fike’s Indy Racing Experience at Texas:

Aaron Fike tested at Texas Motor Speedway in an IRL (Indy Racing League) car when he was 18.  The team that Fike tested with, which was owned by Ron Hemelgarn, went on to win the 2000 IRL Championship and nearly matched that feat in 2001 with driver Buddy Lazier. 

Aaron Fike to be Featured on SPEED:

Aaron Fike and the Red Horse Racing team will be featured in a segment on the SPEED Channel that will air prior to the Sam’s Town 400 on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. 

 Chassis No. 103:  

Crew Chief Jamie Jones has selected Red Horse Racing’s Chassis No. 103 as the primary choice for Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.  This is the same truck that the Red Horse Racing team ran in five events this year, including California, Atlanta, Kansas, Charlotte, and last week’s event at Dover where the team qualified 6th and finished 10th. 

Fike to Sign Autographs for Fans:

Aaron Fike will sign autographs for race fans at Craftsman’s Mobile Marketing Unit located in the hospitality area at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, June 8th from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. local.

 Notables:

Aaron Fike will make his ninth career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) at the drop of the green flag for the start of the Sam’s Town 400 on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.  In his eight previous NCTS starts, Fike has only finished outside of the top-20 once.  He has accumulated three top-10 finishes and has led six laps this year.

 Aaron Fike’s Performance at “The Monster Mile”:

Aaron Fike was looking forward to returning to action at Dover International Speedway where he had hoped to conquer “The Monster Mile” in his first truck race at the one-mile oval.  After qualifying sixth and running fourth, it appeared that Fike may have had a shot at his first win, but the No.1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra was forced to settle for 10th after an inopportune caution fell and cost the team track position in last Friday’s AAA Insurance 200.  By virtue of his 10th place finish, Fike took home the Raybestos’ Rookie of the Race award for the fifth time in eight races this year and moved into ninth in the 2007 Championship Point Standings.

Aaron Fike Leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Race:

Aaron Fike continues to lead the 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings with 90 points.  He holds the lead over Willie Allen (64), Tim Sauter (61), Blake Bjorklund (57), and Tyler Walker (51).