Aaron Fike and Brewco
Motorsports Team Up in Nashville
GLADEVILLE, TN
(March 26)- Aaron Fike, driver
of the #66 Duraflame Ford,
started 18th and
finished 35th in the
Pepsi 300 at Nashville
Superspeedway. Fike, who was
making his first career start
for Brewco Motorsports, Inc.,
was working his way through the
field when a late race accident
forced the twenty-two year old
driver to go behind the wall.
Under leadership from veteran
crew chief Newt Moore, Team
Brewco made timely repairs on
the #66 Duraflame Ford and were
able to return to racing action,
salvaging valuable points.
While his
experience in the NASCAR Busch
Series might be limited, racer
Aaron Fike is no rookie when it
comes to competitive racing.
Over the past few years, Fike
has established himself as one
of the most diverse drivers in
the country by racing in all
three USAC divisions, the
Infiniti Pro Series, the ARCA
RE/MAX series, and now the
NASCAR Busch Series. Picked in
the off-season to drive the #66
Team Brewco Ford, Fike headed
into this weekend's three
hundred mile event anxious to
show the racing community what
he is all about.
Having competed
in both NASCAR Busch Series
events at Nashville
Superspeedway in 2004, Fike felt
confident upon entering
Saturday's Pepsi 300.
"Unfortunately, due to some bad
weather we did not get a chance
to test here, but it shouldn't
matter too much. I ran both
races here last year, and feel
pretty comfortable at the
track. We are bringing the same
car I helped test at Vegas a few
weeks ago, so I have a pretty
good idea what to expect. This
is a huge opportunity for me,
and I can't wait to get
started," Fike added before
making his first NBS start with
Brewco Motorsports Inc.
No one ever said
working with a new team would be
easy, but with crew chief Newt
Moore in charge, Aaron Fike had
no trouble adjusting. Team
Brewco spent Friday afternoon
preparing the #66 Duraflame Ford
for Busch Pole qualifying and
the Pepsi 300, both scheduled
for Saturday. "Aaron has done a
great job so far. We have had
some really successful tests
this season, and that is in
large part due to Aaron. I've
seen him drive before, and he
should fit right in with what we
are trying to accomplish," crew
chief Newt Moore added.
Continuing the
trend of bad qualifying draws,
Aaron Fike was forced to make
his qualifying lap late in the
line-up. As the track
temperature rose, lap times
consequently fell off. Despite
the bad draw, Fike managed to
qualify the #66 Duraflame Ford
in the eighteenth spot.
With qualifying
behind them, Team Brewco
anxiously awaited the start of
the Pepsi 300. At the drop of
the green flag, Fike wasted
little time proving that he
belonged in NASCAR's top ranks.
Holding his own amongst NASCAR's
elite, the twenty-two year old
driver remained in the
top-twenty for most of the
race. When asked how his car
was handling, Fike radioed, "The
car is starting to develop a
push. It's really hard to pass
anyone." Crew chief Newt Moore
encouraged his young driver to
keep digging until they could
make their first stop. Fike
would get the break he needed on
lap thirty-two. After a series
of aggressive adjustments to
help free up the #66 Ford, Fike
would return to racing action in
twenty-second place.
While the
adjustments proved successful,
Fike would soon feel pressure
from eventual race winner Reed
Sorenson. Despite being a lap
down, Fike continued to dig deep
and battle several cars for
position. On lap one hundred
and seven, Fike would find
himself in a close battle with
David Stremme. As he exited
turn four, the #66 Duraflame
Ford broke loose making contact
with the #14 Dodge. While the
damage was not terminal, it did
require several stops to
repair. Disappointed but not
discouraged, Fike continued to
dig deep and fight for
position. Unfortunately a
transmission failure on lap one
hundred and forty-six would send
the young driver behind pit
wall. In an impressive display
of determination and skill, Team
Brewco worked hard to repair the
transmission and get their
driver back on track a few laps
later. Ultimately, Fike would
limp across the line in 35th
place.
"Obviously this
is not the kind of finish we
were looking for. This was a
really strong car, and we were
making the right adjustments.
This track is always a very hard
place to pass at, and that often
times leads to contact. I'm
really excited for the rest of
the season, and I know our day
will come," Fike added after the
race.
Next up, Team
Brewco heads to Bristol Motor
Speedway for the Sharpie
Professional 250 on Saturday,
April 2nd. Fox and
MRN will provide live coverage
of the event beginning at 2:00pm
ET.
