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Fike and Brewco Have Tough Weekend at Gateway

 

MADISON, IL (July 30)- From end to end, corner to corner, Gateway International Raceway is without a doubt one of the trickiest racetracks on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit.  With limited experience at the 1.25-mile facility, Aaron Fike, driver of the #66 Duraflame Ford, started 20^th and finished 31^st in the Wallace Family Tribute 250.  As a result of the finish, Team Brewco #66 fell from seventh to eighth in NASCAR Busch Series owner's standings.

 

22 year old Aaron Fike spent the majority of Friday afternoon's one hour practice session getting acclimated to the difficult racetrack.  "The car is handling great, I've just got to work on getting into the corners a little better.  You've got to drive it in deep, get on the brakes, get the car to rotate, and mash the gas.  There's a lot going on from end to end, and it just takes a little getting used to," Fike added after practice.  Lap after lap, Fike continued to improve and with the help of teammate David Green, he quickly found his rhythm.

 

With Busch Pole qualifying and the 200 lap race both scheduled for Saturday, Team Brewco had more than their fair share of work cut out for them.  With temperatures soaring above 90°, qualifying draw would once again play a major factor in determining the starting lineup.  "That was a pretty good lap, considering we had to go out fairly early in the lineup.  I didn't want to do anything stupid and try to be a hero, so I just made two solid laps.  The car felt great, so we should be in good shape for the race," Fike said after securing the 20^th place starting position.

 

As the sun set and the track temperatures dropped, Team Brewco anxiously awaited the start of the Wallace Family Tribute 250.  At the drop of the green flag in front of an impressive crowd, Aaron Fike quickly showcased what he had learned in practice.  Within ten laps of the start, Fike cracked the top-20 and was charging towards the front of the field.  By lap 16, Fike found himself in an intense battle with NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace for 17^th place.  When asked how the car was handling, Fike radioed, "Everything feels pretty good.  I'm a little tight off- making it hard to get back to the gas early."

 

As the race progressed so did the "tight" condition.  By lap 28, Fike fell back to 22^nd place.  Spotter Ken Christerson encouraged Fike to try a different line to help combat the "push" off of the corners.  On lap 33, Team Brewco made their first pit stop of the day.  After taking on four tires and a minor track bar adjustment, Fike returned to racing action in 25^th place.  While the changes helped to some degree, Fike continued to battle the ill-handling race car.  As the caution flag fell on lap 61, the Galesburg, IL native headed to pit road for a second time.  In order to gain valuable track position, the call was made to take on only two tires.  Fike would restart the race in 12^th place.

 

While the decision to take on two tires proved successful at first, ultimately Fike could not hold off competitors that had taken on four tires.  By lap 78, he had fallen back to 22^nd place.  When asked how his car was handling, Fike said, "This car does not like two tires.  I'm loose in and tight off- we've got to do something."  The turning point of the race came on lap 84.  Suddenly falling off pace, Fike radioed, "I think I have a flat.  This thing is all over the place."  Pulling out the binoculars, spotter Ken Christerson said that everything looked okay and told his driver to stay out until the caution flag fell.  Fortunately, the yellow flag fell sooner than later; however the damage was already done.  After making a four tire stop on lap 93, Fike would restart in 27^th place. 

 

Whether you are up front or towards the rear of the field, Gateway International Raceway is a hard place to get around.  Despite the loss of track position and tight condition, Fike would dig deep and work his way back to 23^rd place by lap 105.  Unfortunately, the car would once again fade on the long green flag run.  As the caution flag fell for the last time on lap 192, Fike headed to pit road for four tires.  As front tire changer Jeff Locke removed the right front wheel, he noticed that one of the wheel studs had broken.  With only a handful of laps remaining, the decision was made to park the #66 Duraflame Ford as there was not enough time to make the lengthy repair.  As a result of the parts failure, Fike would have to settle for a 31^st place finish.

 

"Obviously, this is not the kind of day we were hoping for.  Coming off of a good top-ten finish at Pikes Peak, I think we were all hoping for a strong showing here.  This place is pretty tough to get around- it's also pretty tough on equipment.  Nevertheless, I got a lot of seat time, and at this point that's the most important thing," Fike said.

 

Next up, Team Brewco #66 heads to Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Kroger 200 on Saturday, August 6^th.  TNT and MRN will provide live coverage of the event beginning at 8:30pm ET.