RFMS Racing owner, Don Fike, recently announced that he will not continue to race in the ARCA Menards Series in the 2020 season.
01/22/2020
RFMS Racing owner, Don Fike, recently announced that he will not continue to race in the ARCA Menards Series in the 2020 season. Fike has decided to sell his race team and step away from ownership.
Fike, who has been involved in racing for over 50 years, says that it has been a very difficult decision for him. “I almost sold the team after the 2017 season. I had a bicycle accident that year, which ultimately made my Parkinson’s symptoms worsen. My doctor and I talked about reducing my stress, so I decided to stop racing. My wife and some of my closest friends could tell how miserable I was with my decision to sell, so they talked me into doing it another year or two. But it’s time now. As much as I love racing, I just don’t need the extra responsibility anymore.”
Fike made a great run of his racing career. For 52 years, he has either raced, worked on, sponsored or owned race cars. He developed his life-long passion during his college years, when he put together his first stock car. He competed in a six cylinder at local tracks in Illinois such as the Mazon Speedbowl, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. Fike continued with his late model driving career for many years, and then he developed RFMS Racing in 1996. RFMS Racing was one of the elite open-wheel operators in the United States Auto Club (USAC Racing) - racing Midgets and Silver Crown cars throughout the country. RFMS racing has enjoyed considerable success with over 60 wins across the following series: NAMARS, UMARA, USAC Silver Crown, USAC National Midget, BADGER, Infiniti Pro, World Midget Championship, POWRi, and the ARCA RACING SERIES.
When asked what some of his biggest accomplishments were, Fike stated, “I am very proud of finishing 4th in driver points and 7th in owner points in the ARCA Menards Series in 2019. ARCA was such a competitive series, we learned a lot, and it was a fun change of pace from the open wheel stuff. One of the things I am most proud of in my career though is our USAC National Midget Championship in 2012 against some very tough competition. I will also always remember our Springfield wins in the USAC Silver Crown Car and the ARCA car with my son, AJ. We were proud to win at that home track in both series. The most important thing though is all the friends I have made doing this. I really have some of my closest friends and best memories from being involved in racing.”
Don also plans to continue his Racing for Others Program, where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are able to attend a race. “We take them to the track, give them t-shirts, a meal, have drivers stop by and sign autographs. They have a great time, and it is something that they wouldn’t normally be able to do. We cover all the expenses, and put them up in a suite and everything. It has become one of things I look forward to the most.”
RFMS Racing and Don Fike would like thank all of the fans, sponsors, crew members, vendors, competitors and friends for their support over the years, as none of his career would have been possible without each and every one of them.
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Rare Home Track Race Up Next for Travis Braden at Lucas Oil Raceway
10/01/2019
Everyone loves a home game.
The ARCA Menards Series doesn't race in Wheeling, West Virginia, hometown of Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford), but it does have a race in suburban Indianapolis, not that far from the RFMS Racing shop.
So Saturday's Herr's Potato Chips 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway is the best version of a home game Braden will get in 2019.
"Having a home track race is really a foreign concept to me, and I have had a lot of fun being able to call Lucas Oil Raceway my home track for the past few years," Braden said. "RFMS Racing's shop is just a few minutes drive from the track. Growing up in West Virginia, I was used to at least a two-hour drive to even the nearest track. Typically much further yet. While the short drive is extremely convenient, probably my favorite part about this home track race is that I get to race in front of a lot of my peers from my daily life here in Indiana. That's something I've never experienced before, and it's adrenaline-filling. I now know why they call it the home field advantage."
Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway doesn't just mean racing close to home for Braden, it means returning to the site of his first career ARCA Menards Series win, which came in his series debut in 2015.
Driving for his own family-owned team, and with a budget that only guaranteed them just that race, Braden used well-timed pit strategy to have fresher tires at the end of the race and he passed William Byron, at the time an ARCA rookie driving for Venturini Motorsports but now an established Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver for Hendrick Motorsports, with 21 laps to go.
It was perhaps one of the most surprising wins in recent ARCA Menards Series memory, and no one was more surprised at the time than Braden.
"To be honest, even now, years later, at times people will randomly bring up that race and I kind of forget that it was an actual thing that really happened," Braden said. "It didn't seem real then, and it doesn't seem real today. First-time winners are not extremely uncommon in the ARCA Menards Series, but it was nearly unheard-of that a first time winner wasn't driving for one of the big powerhouse teams, let alone a family-owned-and-operated team that had zero experience.
"When I tell you that we had no idea what we were doing, we had no idea what we were doing. HI had to buy a new HANS device at the track because I didn't know that they went out-of-date. The whole process of preparing for the race, and the entire raceday, were just a total cluster. Oh, and not to mention, we put basically our entire budget for the entire season into running just this one race. I think it was really these realities of the backstory that made it so surprising for everyone. It just wasn't supposed to happen. I'm so thankful for the steps ARCA had just recently taken to bring the spec Ilmor engine into competition, which really was the puzzle piece that made it feasible for us. And I can never forget to mention Matt Weber, who was our crew chief and made the perfect call at the perfect time and truly made the magic happen."
Braden, a graduate of West Virginia University with dual degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering, now drives for long-time ARCA team owner Don Fike. The team, located in Brownsburg just outside of Indianapolis, has just two full-time employees: Braden and Casey Swift. Crew chief Jim Long is in regular communication with Braden throughout the week and joins the team at the track.
Despite the long odds, the small RFMS Racing team has stood toe-to-toe with the series powerhouse teams and has acquitted themselves very well. Braden currently sits fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, just 110 points out of third.
As a two-time ARCA/CRA Super Series late model champion, Braden knows how to get around short tracks. He's finished second five times in ARCA/CRA competition this season, and is a former winner in late model competition at Lucas Oil Raceway as well. That gives him a lot of added confidence heading back to one of his favorite tracks.
"I have a lot of confidence at LOR," he said. "It's been a great track for me. There seems to be a very select few guys that ever find success here, and I feel blessed to have been one of those few over the past five years. It's probably the single most tactically challenging tracks on the schedule, and that gives really anyone a great chance to make things happen. Back in the 2015 race, we actually went a lap down briefly during that race before making the comeback and winning."
The Herr's Potato Chips 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway is set for Saturday October 5. Practice starts the day's activities at 2 pm ET, with General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5 pm ET. The 200-lap main event, scheduled for live broadcast MAVTV, will go green shortly after 8 pm ET. ARCA for Me members can access live timing & scoring, live chat, and live track updates at ARCARacing.com. New users can register for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login. For more information, please visit TrackEnterprises.com.
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Rough night in Elko
07/14/2019
Travis Braden is at Elko Speedway.
Rough night in Elko but we fought hard. Thankful our car is coming home in, like, 6 or 7 pieces and not more. Made some mistakes and had some positives, though in the end we were still looking for just a little bit more speed. Thankful for the great group of MatrixCare folks st the track to root us on! Also Thankful for a great effort by RFMS Racing and it was a pleasure to compete in my first short track race with Jim Long. Better days to come! Now it's back to Indiana, and off to the Redbud 400 with Team Platinum tomorrow night!
Consistency the Key for Travis Braden's 2019 ARCA Menards Series Season
07/02/2019
In some respects, it’s been a season of firsts for Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford) and the RFMS Racing team. But what they hope to accomplish is finding their seconds, that is their second career ARCA Menards Series victories.
The notable first they accomplished this year is indeed impressive. Despite having only three full-time employees – including Braden – they combined to lead the series’ championship standings twice so far in 2019. And despite some ups and downs, Braden is still just sixty points out of the lead with eight races remaining in the season.
Braden, a two-time ARCA/CRA Super Series champion, made waves when he won at Lucas Oil Raceway in his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2015. RFMS racing had won at Springfield with driver A.J. Fike at the wheel, also in 2015. Braden joined the team on a part-time basis in 2017 and then for a full-season run in 2018. His first season was solid in his debut season as he scored four top-five finishes, including a season-best third at Berlin, and eleven top-ten finishes on his way to fifth in the final series standings.
Although he led the standings early in the season, Braden isn’t satisfied. He’s scored ten top-ten finishes in the first twelve races of the season, and he’s been in the top five in two of the last three races at Madison and Chicagoland. But the outright speed to go compete for victories hasn’t been there just yet. In order to take that next step, Braden and RFMS Racing made a change, adding Jim Long to the team as crew chief.
“We have been alright,” Braden said of his 2019 season to this point. “We’ve been consistent. It’s been up and down but we’ve been more consistent than 2018. We are still looking for the speed to go compete with the top six or eight cars.”
That consistency has been the biggest strength of the team’s season so far.
“The consistency is definitely our strong point right now,” he said. “We don’t have failures. We don’t have things falling off the cars. We don’t have the speed but we are consistently right there. Last year there were times we would be right there, but there would also be some times we were pretty far off. We haven’t been that far off at any time this year, but we’re still looking for that speed.”
If he’s going to go out and knock Michael Self off the top of the series championship standings, Braden knows he and the team will need to make some strides in performance. It’s not just one little thing, or even one big thing, the team needs to improve upon, but rather an accumulation of several very small things that add up to that missing tenth of a second on the speedway.
“Honestly we need a little bit of everything,” he said. “If you compare where we would struggle the most with in 2018 to this year, we would be really tight or really loose or very insecure at all times. Now we are secure, we’re just looking for little things that pick you up. Like rotation in the corner. Mechanical grip. Aero. They all add up to the tenths you are looking for. We don’t have any glaring issues, but it’s all just the little things.”
RFMS Racing, owned by long-time ARCA owner Don Fike, doesn’t have a technical alliance with a major NASCAR team so access to data can often be hard to come by. But Braden, a college grad with degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering, is as hands-on as any driver can possibly be. He knows what the car is doing because he’s involved in building them and setting them up. But he also knows that, being an independent team, there are places they will struggle. But, at the same time, he also knows there are places where his ability behind the wheel and his small team’s work ethic and desire can make up for that lack of access to technology and data.
“The mile and a halfs are the toughest for sure,” he said. “Even when we are at our best it’s the little things when you factor in the aero part on top of it. We are learning about it all the time. There’s always an aero part to it, but on the short tracks it always a chassis and tires deal. Places like Elko, Lucas Oil Raceway, and Salem. And if we can’t win one of those dirt races we are going to be pretty mad.”
Braden started his racing career in a go-kart on dirt but had never raced a full-sized car on dirt until last year. He took to it like a duck takes to water.
“I started on a dirt go-kart track but it was like racing on pavement,” he said. “There wasn’t any sliding. I always said I would be a lot better dirt driver than asphalt but I couldn’t ever tell anyone why. It worked out that we were pretty good at Springfield last year. We got like ten laps of practice but the track is totally different than that in the race. It changes all day long. We would have been in contention for that one if we had a little more experience. Then we went to DuQuoin and felt like we had a chance to win. We were leading on a restart at DuQuoin and got taken out. But we’re really excited to get back to the dirt this season.”
Braden and the rest of the ARCA Menards Series returns to action on Saturday July 13 in the Menards 250 at Elko Speedway. Practice is set for 2:15 pm ET/1:15 pm CT, General Tire Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 6:15 pm ET/5:15 pm CT, and the 250-lap feature event will go green shortly after 10 pm ET/9 pm CT. The race will be televised live on MAVTV, and ARCA for Me members can follow every lap made my every car entered throughout every on-track session with free live timing & scoring at ARCARacing.com. Discounted tickets to the Menards 250 are available at nearly 40 Minneapolis-St. Paul Menards locations for just $20. For more information, please visit ElkoSpeedway.com or call (952) 461-7223.
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Overnight Rains Force Delays at Pocono; Practice Postponed, Qualifying for General Tire 200 Canceled
05/31/2019
Practice for the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 has been postponed due to damp track conditions after heavy overnight rains at Pocono Raceway. Track officials started track drying efforts at 6:30 this morning but water coming up through the track surface at the entrance to turn one and a brief shower that slowed drying efforts earlier in the morning forced ARCA Menards Series officials to postpone the session.
With little time remaining as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series teams are waiting to begin their on-track activity for the weekend, General Tire Pole Qualifying, originally scheduled for 12 noon, has now been canceled. Series officials still hope to have a one-hour practice this afternoon. If so, times from that session would be used to set the field.
Check back in an hour for updates!
The General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 is scheduled for a 5:30 pm ET start and will be televised live on FS2. There will be an immediate rebroadcast on FS1 at 8:30 pm ET. ARCA for Me members can access free live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live chat at ARCARacing.com; new users can register for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login.
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Pocono a Challenge for Driver - and Engineer - Travis Braden
05/29/2019
Racecar drivers love a challenge. They want to beat the best head-to-head, not because there was a crash or someone had a mechanical problem and failed to finish. Bragging rights are just as important as the trophy.
So it should come as no surprise that drivers want to excel at the most demanding and challenging tracks they race at.
For the ARCA Menards Series, its diverse schedule includes twenty races at eighteen different venues. None is more challenging for drivers and teams than Pocono Raceway.
The triangular 2.5-mile layout nestled in the Pocono Mountains has three completely different corners. Turn one is a high-banked, high-speed hairpin, modeled after turns one and two at the long-defunct Trenton Speedway. Turn two is a nearly-flat ninety degree bend that is modeled after the corners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Turn three, a flat sweeping corner that seems to go on forever, is patterned after the corners of the Milwaukee Mile. The different radii and the different banking in each corner, not to mention the different lengths of the three straightaways that connect them all, offer drivers and teams one of their biggest challenges of the season.
For the series’ championship contenders, Pocono presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge, of course, is beating the other contenders and the track itself. The opportunity comes from taking finding the right combination and strengthening your position in the points championship.
For Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford) the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 presents a challenge for him as a driver and as an engineer. The 25-year-old West Virginia University graduate has two degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering, and he will be putting that knowledge to use as he helps crew chief Dan Glauz find the right setup on their RFMS Racing entry.
“As a driver, you need to hit all three corners just right,” Braden said. “if you miss one corner it messes up all three of them. Everyone looks at the long straightaways and you think you want to reduce drag, but the corners are where the speed is at.”
Braden’s team has just three full-time employees. Despite some ups and downs in the first half of the season, they’ve found themselves in the midst of the series championship battle. Braden knows his team needs to find some consistency if they are going to stay in the hunt through the heat of the summer stretch and into the fall.
“We want to win races,” Braden said. “If you win the points will come with it. Everyone has issues at some point. We had ours at Toledo. We need to avoid any more problems and that should keep us near the front.”
While other teams have more employees and more access to resources, Braden and his small band of warriors enjoy the challenge and the camaraderie of taking on the big teams.
“It’s hard,” Braden said. “We’re going to work hard and do our best. When we have a bad day it sticks out. We don’t want to say us not being a bigger team is an excuse. Not at all. We want to come out and beat them.”
The battle for the ARCA Menards Series championship continues in the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono Raceway on Friday, May 31. Practice starts at 9 am ET, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 12 noon. The race is scheduled to start at 5:45 pm ET and will be televised live on FS2 with a same day replay on FS1 at 8 pm ET. ARCA for Me members can access live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live chat for free at ARCARacing.com. New users may join for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login. For tickets, log on to PoconoRaceway.com or call 800-RACEWAY.
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Travis Braden- "This Place Is Pretty Tricky"
05/15/2019
Championship Contender, Travis Braden, tells us what all is going through his head as he goes into Toledo as the current ARCA points leader. - video
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Travis Braden Retakes Points Lead After Nashville
05/08/2019
For the fifth time this season, the ARCA Menards Series championship points lead has changed hands.
Travis Braden- Current Points Leader After Nashville Race
Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford) retook the top spot in the standings following his eighth-place finish in the General Tire Music City 200 presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. It was fourth top-ten finish in the five races run so far this year.
Braden was in a car his RFMS team had recently acquired and was racing for the first time in 2019. Plans call for it to be their primary short track car for the rest of 2019.
“We just got this car and we’ve spent a lot of time working on it,” Braden said. “It’s a great car with a lot of potential. We were a lot better than we were here last year. We were five laps down here last year with no issues or reason for it, and we got lapped today right there at the end. We had a lot more speed here than we did last year. As bad as we were here last year, I am really confident this car will help us even more at some of the short tracks coming up where we were good last year.”
Braden now has a thirty-point advantage over Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota) in the standings. The two have traded the lead in each of the last three weeks. Harrison Burton led after the Daytona race, Christian Eckes took command after round two at Five Flags, and Braden took the lead for the first time after the race at Salem. Self assumed the lead after the Talladega event, but he was swept into a crash at lap 73 while running among the top five at Nashville and finished 15th, dropping him back to second.
“It was a great run for us,” Braden said of his day. “We started off really tight and burned off the first set of tires. We got a set of rights at the first caution and I burned them off trying to keep up. We just had to work on managing that tight condition. I have a lot of confidence in the direction we’re going. At one point we were making some moves through the field then I’d burn up my stuff at the end of a run. It was a good day but we want a little bit more.”
Practice for the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 at Toledo Speedway is scheduled for 12:30 pm ET on Saturday, May 18, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 4 pm ET. A 35-lap late model sportsman feature event will close Saturday night’s activities at the track. The Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 will go green shortly after 2 m ET on Sunday, May 19. The race will be televised live on MAVTV. ARCA for Me members can access live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live user chat throughout all on-track sessions at ARCARacing.com. New users can register for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login.
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ARCA Menards Series Standings Shaken Up Again After Nashville
05/06/2019
For the fifth consecutive race, the lead in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings has changed hands.
On the strength of two wins at Five Flags and Salem, Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota) entered the General Tire Music City 200 presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions with a five-point lead in the standings. Self ran strong in the early stages of the race at Nashville, but was eliminated in lap 73 when Tommy Vigh, Jr. lost control after contact from Ty Gibbs entering turn one. Vigh made contact with the right side of Self’s car sending it up the banking and hard into the turn two retaining wall. Crew chief Shannon Rursch and the team evaluated the damage but quickly determined the car to be too damaged to continue.
Self was frustrated to be eliminated in a crash for the second time in 2019. He finished 31st in the season-opener at Daytona after contact with another driver on lap three.
“Ty is a good driver but he has to have more patience,” Self said. “Tommy was five laps down. I know he was in the way but just pass him in the next corner. His granddad isn’t Joe Gibbs and can’t fix that. And because of that two cars got trashed because he couldn’t be patient.”
With Self sidelined, Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford) was able to retake the top spot with an eighth-place finish. It was Braden’s fourth top-ten finish of the season and unofficially gives him a thirty-point advantage heading into the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 at Toledo Speedway on May 19.
“We had a good solid day,” Braden said. “This was a new car for us, and we’re just working the bugs out and getting used to it. It’s a good car and it’ll be our primary for the rest of the season. It’s a shame Michael had problems again but we’re focused on getting our cars better and getting our first win together as a team. We’ve put in a lot of hard work and we like the direction we’re headed.”
Bret Holmes finished fifth at Nashville and moved to third in the series standings, 60 points out of the lead.
“It’s never too early to start counting points but we’re working to get a win,” Holmes said. “We had a little bad luck here at Nashville but we still came out of here with a top five. I locked up the brakes trying to get by the 25 (Self) and couldn’t steer and we got into it a little bit. There was some damage to the left side but it’s just bodywork. We should have had a better run at Talladega than we did so it’s good to come out of here with some momentum. I am ready to get to Toledo.”
Joe Graf, Jr. (No. 77 EAT SLEEP RACE Ford) and Nashville winner Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota) round out the top five in the ARCA Menards Series standings heading into the next series event at Toledo Speedway, the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 on May 19. Practice is scheduled for 12:30 pm ET on Saturday May 18, with General Tire Pole Qualifying to follow at 4 pm ET. Round six of the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season will go green at 2 pm ET on Sunday, May 19. The race will be televised live on MAVTV. ARCA for Me members can follow live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live chat throughout all on-track sessions at ARCARacing.com. New users can register for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login.
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The ARCA Menards Series standings were shaken up in a big way following Sunday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway.
04/16/2019
The championship leader going in to the first of two clashes on Salem’s high banks, Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota), did not race on Sunday due to illness. Although he did not race on Sunday, Eckes did receive 25 points for entering and participating in the event, and he remains eligible for the 250-point bonus for participating in each race in the first of four five-race segments in the 2019 season. Eckes is now fifth, eighty points behind new leader Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford). Braden finished a disappointing 12th at Salem after scrubbing the wall just past the 80 lap mark. It’s the first time in his ARCA Menards Series career that he has led the series championship standings. Braden, who won in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2015, is a two-time ARCA/CRA Super Series late model champion.
Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota), the winner on Sunday, jumped to second in the standings. After a 31st-place finish at Daytona, Self has won the last two ARCA Menards Series race and has closed to within five points of the series lead. Bret Holmes (No. 23 Holmes II Excavating/Southern States Bank Chevrolet) is third, 20 points out of the lead. Holmes finished tenth at Salem, his second consecutive top-ten run after being involved in a late-race crash at Daytona.
Self has scored 15 bonus points so far in 2019, ten bonus points for leading at least one lap at both Five Flags and Salem, and five bonus points for leading the most laps at Salem. Braden has yet to earn any bonus points so far in 2019.
Joe Graf, Jr (No. 77 EAT SLEEP RACE Ford) sits fourth in the standings, 55 points out of the lead, followed by Eckes in fifth.
Bounty Rookie of the Year contender Tommy Vigh, Jr. (No. 10 Extreme Kleaner/Menards Ford) is sixth, Daytona winner Harrison Burton (No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota) is seventh tied his car-mate Chandler Smith (No. 20 Craftsman/828 Logistics Toyota). Burton was not scheduled to race at Salem but substituted for Eckes at Salem and drove to an eighth-place finish. Ty Gibbs (No. 18 Monster Energy/ORCA Coolers/Terrible Herbst/Advance Auto Parts Toyota) is ninth, and Brad Smith (No. 48 HIE Publishing Ford) is tenth.
The battle for the ARCA Menards Series championship resumes Friday April 26 in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway. The day starts with practice at 9:30 am ET/8:30 pm CT, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 3:35 pm ET/2:35 pm CT, and concludes with the General Tire 200 at 6 pm ET/5 pm CT. The race will be televised live on FS1 while ARCA for Me members can follow with live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live chat at ARCARacing.com. New users can register for free with a valid e-mail address at ARCARacing.com/login.
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After Two Top Tens to Start 2019, Travis Braden Sitting Second in ARCA Menards Series Standings
04/03/2019
Former ARCA/CRA Super Series champion Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Health Care/Liberty Village Ford) has had a solid, in unspectacular, start to the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season. And that’s been the way the Wheeling, West Virginia driver wants it. For now.
Braden was involved in a late-race crash while battling for the win in the 2018 season opener at Daytona that resulted in writing off a race car. The crash not only hurt him in the points, but it put the team behind for much of the season as the close-knit Don Fike-owned RFMS team struggled to rebuild a racecar while getting prepared for other races as well.
Braden’s approach to this season’s Daytona event was drastically different. He stayed out of trouble and came home with his racecar in one piece, and just as important, an eighth-place finish. The team also didn’t have to rebuild a racecar and could therefore give 100 percent focus to the next race on the schedule at Five Flags Speedway.
Braden and team came out of Five Flags with their second consecutive top ten finish, and they head to the next race on the schedule at Salem Speedway on April 14 second in the series standings.
“I think we are getting so close to getting up there with those guys,” Braden said. “If you compare to last season, this was still a relatively strong run for us on a short track. Especially when you consider that it was a new track, we only got one round of practice to get it right, and a lot of the other top ten teams had tested there numerous times. I was proud of the effort, and I felt like we just needed to catch a break to get a caution before going a lap down. After the first caution and our pit stop, we were able to make some adjustments that had us well into the top ten in terms of speed. We just couldn't ever get our lap back.”
Heading into the second short track race of the season second in the championship standings is a big change from where Braden was last season, a welcome change that has instilled a lot of confidence.
“I'm ecstatic about where we are,” he said. “These first two races were on my mind all off-season as "the two" that could make or break us. I really felt like the first two races of 2018 doomed our chances at a top three in the championship right from the start. Now that we are focused on race number three and the stretch of races during the Summer in such good position, I have a ton of confidence that we will pick away at that points lead and start to really put pressure on in this championship.”
Despite a trying night at Five Flags, Braden’s Dan Glausz-led team came away with some hard-earned information and data that will help going forward, starting at Salem.
“We've worked tirelessly on our cars this winter to make gains,” Braden said, with specific emphasis on the word tirelessly. “We were able to finally truly test those changes for the first time, and the results were very positive. Now we can just settle in, tweak our stuff every race, and get in a rhythm. At this point in 2018 we were sort of scratching our heads. Now we're sort of chomping at the bit. That is going to be key. Confidence is everything in this game!”
Braden returns to action in the ARCA Menards Series in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 at Salem Speedway. Practice is set for 11 am ET on Saturday, April 13, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 3 pm ET. The 200-lap race is slated for Sunday, April 14 and will go green shortly after 2 pm ET. It will be televised live on MAVTV. ARCA for Me members can follow live timing & scoring throughout all on-track sessions at ARCARacing.com. New members can register for free by providing a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login.
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MatrixCare Named Official Title Sponsor of RFMS Racing
02/04/2019
LTPAC Technology Company Increases Support with Expanded Relationship in 2019
February 4, 2019 – RFMS Racing and their driver, Travis Braden, are pleased to announce an expanded partnership with MatrixCare, a leading out-of-hospital technology provider in the United States. Having finished in 5th place in 2018, Braden is a notable competitor in the ARCA Racing Series and a third-year driver for RFMS Racing. As a two-time ARCA CRA Super Series champion, Braden made headlines in 2015 when he won his first ARCA Racing Series start at Lucas Oil Raceway. Braden, who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from West Virginia University, also won the Winchester 400 in 2016.
The ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards is a professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national touring series of NASCAR. In this newly expanded relationship, the MatrixCare brand will be prominent on everything from the #27 Ford Fusion, to the driver’s suit, pit crew uniforms, pit stall signage and more. In addition, MatrixCare will be hosting a number of VIP events for LTPAC providers at key locations throughout the 2019 ARCA racing season—with the first one taking place at Daytona International Speedway this Saturday, February 9th. At-track attendees and Fox Sports 1 viewers will get the first look at the enhanced MatrixCare branding during the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona Driven by General Tire before a nationally televised audience.
“Everyone at RFMS Racing is very excited to announce that we are back with Travis and running the full ARCA season in 2019! MatrixCare has decided to make an even stronger commitment with us, and we are making some professional improvements to our team in response. All our additional sponsors are coming back with us again this year too, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said Don Fike, Founder and President of RFMS Racing. “We finished the 2018 ARCA Racing Series with a strong 5th place finish, and we are confident that we have the experience, momentum, and support to do even better this coming season,”
“We are thrilled to support RFMS Racing once again and look forward to playing a part in the success they’re working toward in 2019. The folks at RFMS are making significant updates to their race team and equipment on the heels of our increased commitment, and after last year’s exciting season, our confidence level in both the RFMS team and Travis is very high.” said John Damgaard, MatrixCare President and CEO. “At MatrixCare, speed matters and outcomes matter, and we know that Travis and team will do everything in their power to achieve both.”
Tune in to FS1 at 4:45 PM EST to watch all the action live from Daytona with a special inside look from the “MatrixCare On-Board” camera. Learn more about MatrixCare’s sponsorship of RFMS Racing and see the complete season schedule at www.matrixcare.com/speedmatters.
About RFMS Racing
Based in Brownsburg, Indiana, RFMS Racing was created by Don Fike, founder of RFMS, Inc., an operator of skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living facilities in 4 states. RFMS Racing started in 1996 and was one of the elite open-wheel operators in the United States Auto Club – racing Midgets and Silver Crown cars throughout the country. RFMS racing has enjoyed considerable success with over 60 wins across the following series: NAMARS, UMARA, USAC Silver Crown, USAC National Midget, BADGER, Infiniti Pro, World Midget Championship, POWRi, and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
RFMS Racing would like thank all of our fans and 2019 sponsors for their support.
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
Liberty Village
RSM
Office Specialists
R.D. McMillen Enterprises
Assurance Agency
HealthCap
Holt Supply
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
RFMS Racing and Travis Braden Off to a Great Start
02/11/2018
Travis Braden did an amazing job back behind the wheel of the MatrixCare, Consonus Healthcare, Liberty Village Ford at Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway. Braden started in 7th position and kept the #27 in the top-five for most of the race. In the last turn of the last lap, he got caught up in a wreck with the other lead cars, and was scored in the 22nd position.
Braden said after the race, “I'm very thankful for the effort put in by the RFMS team and Don Fike’s commitment to us which allowed us to do what we do. As a smaller team compared to the 3-4 "big teams," we took a lot of pride in the competitiveness of our car against theirs. After struggling some at the test last month, we brought a much better car back to Daytona and that is a great feeling for us, our sponsors, and fans.”
Braden added, “The race was very exciting and challenging. The draft in these new composite bodies was much different than the old bodies, and I felt like I was able to pick up on it about as well as any of the drivers in the field. My spotter Justin Withers was a big help in that regard, and he really learned a lot throughout the week as well, which paid off numerous times during the race. Looking at the race as a whole, we honestly accomplished everything that we set out to accomplish. We stayed cautious and kept our car clean for 79/80 laps, which we knew would put us in position for a great finish. It's just so difficult to maintain luck avoiding wrecks when they happen as frequently as they did last night. After we mentally recuperate, we'll just have to shift focus ahead and do what we have to do to get back on track. There are 19 more races, and we are poised for a lot of success.”
Don Fike stated, “I am really proud of Travis. He had very little experience bump drafting, and he prefers the short tracks, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. He drove a great race, and we are excited to see what he can do this season. I’d like to say a special thanks to Dan and Casey for all their hard work in the shop. They really put a great car together.”
RFMS Racing and Braden are excited for the next race on April 7 at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville. Follow the RFMS Racing team (@rfmsracing) on Facebook and Twitter for more news and results.
RFMS Racing would like thank all of our 2018 sponsors and fans for their support.
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R.D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Assurance Agency
Don Fike, President of RFMS Racing, has announced that he has hired Travis Braden to run the full ARCA schedule in 2018.
12/13/2017
Don Fike, President of RFMS Racing, has announced that he has hired Travis Braden to run the full ARCA schedule in 2018.
Founded in 1996, RFMS Racing has enjoyed considerable success with over 60 wins across the following series: NAMARS, UMARA, USAC Silver Crown, USAC National Midget, BADGER, Infiniti Pro, World Midget Championship, POWRi, and the ARCA Racing Series. RFMS Racing has competed off and on in ARCA since 2004, running the series full-time since 2016.
Braden has competed in the ARCA series part-time in family-owned cars since 2015. He won in his first-career start at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, and also posted top 10 finishes in his 4 other starts between 2015 and 2016, at Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, and Chicago. He is well-known in the asphalt super late model community as a NASCAR Whelen All-American series Rookie of the Year and state champion, ARCA/CRA Super Series Rookie of the Year and two-time (back-to-back) champion of the series.
The Brownsburg, Indiana based team will be headed by crew chief Dan Glauz and car chief Casey Swift. Braden will also provide an additional hand in the shop throughout the year.
"After working with these guys for a month or so last season, I feel pretty blessed to get to join Don, Dan and Casey for an entire season and finish what we started in 2017," Travis explained. "After the first few weeks, we started to mesh well as a team and really make progress with these cars and finding speed. There's a lot more we know we can work on and that's going to be our goal. We have a baseline, and we know what seems to work well and where we need to focus some more attention. We're adding some new cars and equipment to the stable as well. Things are looking fantastic, and we are chomping at the bit to get the season started!"
Don Fike stated, “We couldn’t do this 2018 season without our loyal support of our sponsors. We would like to thank all the people that pitch in to make this happen.”
Sponsors include:
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
17th Place Finish at Kansas City Speedway
10/23/2017
After promising runs at Chicago and Kentucky, RFMS Racing and Travis Braden hit the setup even better at Kansas Speedway for the ARCA Racing Series season finale this past Friday. Braden started in 11th position, and was making some good moves to the front of the pack but cut the right front tire around lap 40. He brushed the wall but was able to race the damaged MatrixCare, Consonus Healthcare, Liberty Village Ford to a 17th place finish.
“I was proud and anxious to be behind the wheel again, knowing that I'd have a great chance to pick a first-win on a superspeedway for myself and this deserving race team,” said Braden. “The effort showed right off the bat in practice, where we tied for P5. The field was very tight within the top 15 lap times, but I knew we had a top 10 car for qualifying, and more importantly, a top 3 car in race-trim. In qualifying, I was able to go wide open in turns 1-2, but made a mistake exiting turn 2 by hitting the apron ever so slightly, killing my chances at a top 5 lap in such a competitive field. We qualified 11th.”
“After the first yellow flag during the race we restarted 6th, but a wild restart sent us back outside of the top 10. As the run progressed, we eventually found speed in the high groove and found ourselves getting ready to break into the top 5. As I was making quick passes, I began to feel a slight vibration in the right front wheel. Within only a few laps the vibration suddenly worsened dramatically, and sadly our right front tire went flat, sending me hard into the turn 3 wall. The circumstances were emotionally very hard to overcome given the speed I knew we had and the progress we were making in the race. Nonetheless, we changed our tires and limped to the checkered flag with damage, in the 17th position.”
Braden went on to say, “Given the effort the RFMS Racing team put in for these final 3 races, I'm bummed that I couldn't bring enough luck to at least finish the races as well as we all know we could have. Given the chance to "redo," I would think 3 top 5 finishes would not be hard to imagine. A win would've been within reach without question. Nonetheless, I'm proud to say we gave it our best as a team. I couldn't ask for anything more. Thank you to the Fike family, the RFMS Racing team, and their fantastic sponsors for allowing us to go racing. It has been a great pleasure, and I hope that one day we could have the chance to pick up where we just left off!”
The RFMS Racing Team and Don Fike, Team Owner, would like thank all of our 2017 sponsors and fans for their support. It was a wonderful year full of memories and fun. Thank you to everyone.
Sponsors include:
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
8th Place Finish at Kentucky Speedway
09/25/2017
Travis Braden was back behind the wheel of the MatrixCare, Consonus Healthcare, Liberty Village Ford at yesterday’s Crosley Brands 150 at the Kentucky Speedway. Braden started in 10th position, got the #27 up into the top five toward the end of the race, and crossed the finish line 8th.
Braden said after the race, “This week in Kentucky was up and down. The new surface on the Speedway was very challenging and created a fine line to work with our chassis setup. Unfortunately, I feel that I personally was not able to help my team understand the issues I felt behind the wheel fully, and it hurt us in the race a bit. I've always put huge emphasize on training myself to give highly detailed feedback and having an in depth understanding of the car's setup and how to take advantage of it. It's something that I pride myself in and have mastered in the short track ranks, but this is a different animal. However, the amount of experience I've gained this week has undoubtedly taught me more than any "perfect" race would have. All of the chassis changes the RFMS crew worked on with me this week have given me a better understanding of these cars on these tracks, which is something that is necessary to keep improving. With a long break leading into the next race in Kansas, I'm excited to see how things turn out for us when we get to the season finale!”
Braden went on to say, “In terms of the race itself, it was another story of us fighting hard coming from mid-pack and having a shot at the very end of the race. We ran the early portion of the race in 10th place, making adjustments each pit stop. With 2 to go, we found ourselves restarting 4th after a few wild restarts late in the race. Starting in the outside lane was not the most ideal situation, and I fought hard through turns 1 and 2. One of the cars on the inside lane drifted up into my quarter panel off of turn 2 and it killed all of the momentum I had built up. With only 1 lap remaining, there was no time to recover. We took the checkered flag 8th, solidly in the top 10. I'm extremely appreciative of the warm welcome and support from RFMS Racing, the Fike family, and all of their sponsors.”
RFMS Racing and Travis Braden will be at the Kansas Speedway on October 20 to close out the ARCA season. Practice will begin at 9:30 AM, qualifying will be at 2:30 PM, and the race will start at 7:30 PM CDT. Follow the RFMS race team (@rfmsracing) on Facebook and Twitter for more news and results.
Don Fike, Team Owner, would like thank all of our 2017 sponsors and fans for their support. Sponsors include:
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
RFMS Racing and driver Travis Braden finished 11th at last night’s Scott 150
09/15/2017
RFMS Racing and driver Travis Braden finished 11th at last night’s Scott 150 sponsored by Menards at Chicagoland Speedway, but the results are not a good indicator of how well the team ran. Braden Qualified 13th with a speed of 173.986. During the race, he brought himself to the front and stayed there for most of the night. In fact, Braden was able to lead the race for 12 laps.
Braden said after the race, “Although the stats sheet won’t show it, I am very proud of what these RFMS Racing guys pulled off in Chicagoland. We were up against some cup series caliber teams and drivers, using a short track car, and we managed to race near the front of the pack and even lead laps on older tires. With a little bit of luck at the end of the race, we’d have likely been battling for the win, but knowing that we were at least in the hunt is very promising. I’ve been overwhelmed this morning by the literally hundreds of fans, friends, family and competitors who have reached out to me and expressed how impressed they were by our performance. And I must emphasize how much it was “our” performance, because it took the cooperation and effort of every person on the RFMS Racing team to get us in that position and give me a chance to go for the win. Thank you to the sponsors, the Fike family, and all of our family, friends, and fans for making it possible and making it a blast!”
Dan Glauz, Crew Chief, said, “We pitted out of sequence hoping that we would get a break on a yellow. Being out of sequence, we needed the yellow, but unfortunately it was too late and we did not have a chance on the green-white to get back in the lead. I am very pleased with the effort of the team. We did not win but, believe me, people knew we were there. Travis did a wonderful job driving the RFMS #27 Ford Fusion. It is unfortunate that we did not get the finish we deserved, but our pit stops were flawless.”
The next race on the RFMS Racing schedule will be the Kentucky Speedway at the Crosley Brands 150 on September 22. Practice will begin at 1:00, qualifying is at 5:10, and the race will start at 8:00 PM EDT. Follow the RFMS race team (@rfmsracing) on Facebook and Twitter for more news and results.
Don Fike, Team Owner, would like to pay his compliments to our partners who have sponsored the team during the entire 2017 racing season. “Without them, we would not be able to do what we do,” said Fike. RFMS Racing sponsors include:
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Road America 100:
08/25/2017
The MatrixCare Consonus Healthcare Liberty Village Ford
#27 will be back in action at the motorsports complex in Plymouth, WI. A.J. Fike
will not be behind the wheel this time. Instead, veteran open-wheel and NASCAR
driver PJ Jones will be in the driver seat for the ARCA Racing Series presented by
Menards road course race.
“I’m very happy to be returning and driving for the Fike family again”, said PJ.
“Usually it’s in a midget at the Chili Bowl so I’m excited to drive a stock car at
Road America. It’s one of my favorite circuits. I have raced [both] IndyCars and
sports cars there.”
PJ’s racing career spans 5 decades ranging from go-carts, to Sprint Cars, to
IndyCar, to NASCAR, and more. Jones was the winner of the 1993 24 Hours of
Daytona. He also finished 4th at the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at
Watkins Glen, and second at the 1999 CART race at Nazareth.
“We're delighted to have a veteran road racer in the car, especially PJ”, owner
Don Fike had to say.
Road America is a four-mile, 14-turn road circuit that has challenged drivers for
over 60years. The Road America 100 race weekend starts Saturday with practice
from 8:50am – 9:30am CST. General Tire pole qualifying is set for 5:10 p.m and
the green flag will fly at 12:15pm CST on Sunday. The race will be tape-delayed
on MAVTV, but arcaracing.com will have live time and scoring along with a live
audio call.
A.J. Fike will be back in the seat to for the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Keep up
with A.J. Fike(Fikeaj@) and the RFMS race team(@rfmsracing) on Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram for more news and results.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017
sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
A.J. Fike finishes with a top 10 in Springfield:
08/21/2017
While it wasn’t the magical weekend we were all pulling for, it was still a great time to be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Saturday’s USAC Silver Crown Tony Bettenhausen 100 looked to start the weekend off right. Office Specialist and R.D. McMillen put on a great hospitality tent in the infield for some of A.J.’s biggest fans. DD Homes residents from Beardstown Terrace, Glenwood Terrace, Gaines Mill Place, Taylor House, and Eileen Court were there showing their full support. They were the first ones to purchase the brand new A.J. Fike racing t-shirts.
Practice started at 10am and Fike looked ready for action. He was able to get a couple laps in and was running 3rd quick in practice. Then, the unthinkable happened. There was a problem as he was driving into turn 3 and A.J. had to pull in. As bad luck would have it, there was a problem with the motor and Fike was done for the day.
“[The] car was really fast in practice in the crown”, said Fike. “We ended up in the top 5 and I think we had a really good car. It’s disappointing that we had motor problems, but that’s racing.”
The #3 team was able to bring the silver crown car into the infieldallowing the Racing for Others Program to get some great pictures of the residents with A.J. and his race car. It was definitely the highlight of the weekend for everyone involved.
The team and driver dusted themselves off and prepared for Sunday’s ARCA Racing Series Herr’s Potato Chips 100. A.J. started the race in the 7th position. Fike had a great start, bursting a head into 6th place quickly. Lap 3 brought out the day’s first of seven cautions. A.J. was able to get a strong restart and pushed his way into 4th. Lap 27 brought out another yellow flag and Fike headed into the pits for tires and adjustments. It would be his only pit stop of the day. The 4th caution of the day broight the leaders in to pit, putting the #27 in 1st for the restart. A.J. would go on to lead 15 laps until the 6th caution of the day. There was a major pile up in turn 3 that brought out a red flag stopping the field on the track. Coming to the restart the engine couldn’t propel Fike around as fast as before and he lost a couple of spots. He was still able to bring the Matrixcare Consonus Healthcare Liberty Village Ford #27 to the checkered flag in the top 10 with an 8th place finish.
“The car got really hot during the red. The water gauge was almost pegged on the restart. The motor was loading it up with fuel trying to cool it down and [it] took a couple laps before I had full power. We had a good car; I think we had a car that could have won. But with the motor issue and the car getting looser at the end, it just wasn’t meant to be. Happy to roll the car in the trailer; there were a lot of torn up cars. Looking forward to racing both cars again at DuQuoin”, said A.J.
Keep up with A.J. Fike(Fikeaj@) and the RFMS race team(@rfmsracing) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news and results.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
A.J. Fike hoping to make history in Springfield:
08/15/2017
Not since Al Unser, in 1972, has a driver won both the USAC Silver Crown Tony Bettenhausen 100 and the Menards ARCA Racing Series Herr’s Potato Chips (Allen Crowe) 100 in the same weekend. But A.J. Fike is looking forward to the challenge this Saturday and Sunday.
“This is by far my favorite race weekend each year. It’s great to see my family, friends, fans and sponsors at the track enjoying the races. I think we have a really good chance of sweeping the weekend”, Fike had to say.
In 2012, Fike won the Tony Bettenhausen 100 ending the 29 year drought for Illinois drivers. Before A.J., the last Illinois driver to win this race was Gary Bettenhausen, Tony’s son, in 1983. And in 2013, Fike was able to bring RFMS Racing back into victory lane for the second year in a row. A.J. was your pole winner and led the first 7 laps of the race. Lap 93, he was able to take back the lead and finish the last 7 laps all the way to the checkered.
A.J. also led his first three ARCA races on the Springfield Mile including his debut in 2004 where he won the pole position and led for 60 laps. In 2015, qualifying was canceled and A.J. had to start at the back of the pack in 25th. He was able to work his way up quickly and led 60 laps before the day’s 7th and final caution. In overtime, lap 103, the field went green and Fike was able to hold his lead all the way to the victory. That win put Fike and RFMS Racing in the record books alongside A.J. Foyt, Rodger Ward, Al Unser, Len Sutton and Roger McCluskey as one of only six drivers to win both races on the mile.
We look forward to seeing all of you that RSVP’d to the Race Day Tailgate on Saturday August 19th.
Keep up with A.J. Fike(Fikeaj@) and the RFMS race team(@rfmsracing) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news and results.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
RFMS Racing brings home a top 5 from Winchester:
08/07/2017
It’s been almost a year since Travis Braden has been in an ARCA car. Though he hasn’t run many races in the ARCA Racing Series, he’s no stranger to Winchester or to winning. In 2015, Travis won his debut ARCA race at the Lucas Oil Raceway and in 2016; he won the CRA Winchester 400. The RFMS Racing team put in a lot of work over the weekend to get the car set up for Sunday’s Winchester ARCA 200.
“The RFMS Racing guys did a fantastic job with the little time that we had to adjust the car in practice Saturday. The majority of our competitors tested here prior to the race. By the end of the race I felt that we were one setup change from being able to contend with the leaders, but it was a change that we couldn't make during a pit stop”, Travis had to say.
Even with that little amount of time, Braden was able to move into 7th before the final restart of the day. That final restart was intense to say the least. Coming up on 20 laps to go, debris caused the caution flag to fly one last time. With the field about to go back to green, the #55 car of Zane Smith just didn’t go falling out of the race with transmission problems. Braden was able to take advantage and move into 4th place where he held his position and got the MatrixCare Consonus Healthcare Liberty Village Ford #27 a top 5 finish.
“Since I knew we didn't quite have a shot at the front runners, I tried to lay in the weeds for most of the day and save as much as possible for the finish. We were still able to work our way up to 7th before the final restart, at which point I was able to catch some luck and jump up to 4th and ride there for the final 20 laps to the finish. I actually thought we might have a shot at 3rd place but I couldn't quite get to the #52's bumper. Nonetheless, it was very exciting grinding it to the finish in the top 5!” said Travis.
A.J. Fike finished 12th in the Fast Track Toyota #10 on Sunday.
“We were a little too loose in the beginning of the race. When the first caution came out we were able to make some good adjustments, but we had already gone a couple laps down. Either way, it was still great to be working with Andy [Hillenburg] again”, A.J. had to say.
A.J. and the RFMS Racing Team are looking forward to racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds the weekend of August 19th and 20th. Fike had back-to-back wins in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 in 2012 and 2013. And in 2015, he won his first ARCA series race in the Allen Crowe Memorial 100.
Keep up with A.J. Fike(Fikeaj@) and the RFMS race team(@rfmsracing) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news and results.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017
sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Winchester ARCA 200 Suprise
08/03/2017
Although you will still see the MatrixCare Consonus Healthcare Liberty Villiage Ford #27 on the track, you may be surprised by who is behind the wheel. Instead of A.J. Fike, Travis Braden will be driving for RFMS Racing on Sunday at the Winchester Speedway. Andy Hillenburg and Fike have been in talks for weeks about Hillenburg needing a driver for his #10 FastTrack High Performance Driving Toyota this weekend.
"I started my ARCA career with Andy…we ran a full season together in 2004. He didn't have anyone to drive the car and we wanted to help him out. Travis had already tested the 27 at Lucas Oil and Winchester is one of his best tracks, so it made sense to put him in the 27 this weekend...at the same time, we had the opportunity to help Andy. He gave me my start here years ago,” said Fike.
He went on to say, "It's probably a one-off deal…I'm trying to help him out and at the same time, hopefully Travis can give the 27 a good run at Winchester. It's a really a situation where everyone's trying to help everyone out, to keep both programs going…hopefully it works out for all of us.
Both teams are looking forward to what this weekend will bring. You can catch the race on MAVTV Sunday at 2pm EST or follow live timing and scoring at arcaracing.com. Keep up with A.J. Fike(Fikeaj@) and the RFMS race team(@rfmsracing) on Facebook and Twitter for more news and results.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
AJ Fike finished 16th in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus Healthcare-Liberty Village Ford at the Toledo Speedway during the Menards 200 on May 21.
05/22/2017
Brownsburg, IN – May 22, 2017 –
“There was no qualifying, due to weather, so we started 18th. We got up to 12th at one point, and we were running really good, but I got a flat right front tire on a restart about halfway through the race. We had to pit under green to get new tires, and that put us four laps down,” said driver, AJ Fike.
Although he will not be in the ARCA car again until June 3rd for the Shore Lunch 250 at Elko Speedway, Fike is looking forward to getting back into the #3 USAC Silver Crown car this Thursday, May 25th for the Hoosier 100. Thursday’s 100-mile race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds continues a tradition started in 1953, and is one of Fike’s three Silver Crown events this season.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Fike Finishes 11th at Talladega
05/12/2017
Brownsburg, IN – May 12, 2017– AJ Fike finished 11th in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus Healthcare-Liberty Village Chevrolet at the Talladega Superspeedway General Tire 200 on May 6th.
Practice was cancelled due to weather, so Fike started 8th based on owner points. “It took me a few laps to get comfortable, as I hadn’t been at Talladega for about 13 years. I was really hoping for a top 10 there, but I am happy with our finish. It is a fun track, and I am really looking forward to coming back next year and doing a bit better,” said driver, AJ Fike.
The RFMS Racing team is off this weekend, but will be at the Toledo Speedway for the Menards 200 on May 21 at 2:00 pm EDT. Practice will be May 20 starting at 12:30 pm EDT. The race will be aired on Fox Sports 1.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Tire Trouble in Salem
05/03/2017
Brownsburg, IN – May 3, 2017– AJ Fike had tire trouble in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus Healthcare-Liberty Village Ford and finished 15th in the ARCA Racing Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 this past Sunday.
“During that long green flag run, the car was very loose and just a battle to drive. I burned the right wheel right down to the chords. Then I got a drive through speeding penalty in the pits. The car was better after our pit stop, but because of the speeding penalty, we were just too many laps down. It just wasn’t our day, and really, I was happy to come away without wrecking the car,” said driver, AJ Fike.
AJ now turns his focus to Talladega Superspeedway – a track he hasn’t driven on for 13 years. “I like Talladega a lot, and I am excited to get back there,” said Fike.
The next race for the RFMS Racing team is Friday, May 5 at 5:00pm EDT at the Talladega Superspeedway General Tire 200. Practice will be that morning starting at 8:30am EDT. The race will be aired on Fox Sports 1.
RFMS Racing wants to give a big thank you to our fans and official 2017 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Fike Races for the Win at Nashville
04/03/2017
Brownsburg, IN – April 3, 2017 – After seven weeks off, AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Saturday April 8 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville for the ARCA Racing Music City 200 presented by Azure Foundation. Fike finished 2nd last year at Nashville and is looking forward to getting back in the #27 MatrixCare-Consonus-Liberty Village Ford for the second ARCA race of the season.
“I feel pretty confident going into this race. Last year we qualified mid-pack and we worked our way to front as the race went on. I thought we had a shot at the win; we needed a yellow to see if we had anything on the winner,” said driver AJ Fike.
After the crash at Daytona the crew has been working hard to put together a fast car for Nashville.
“It’s a different car than we ran last year. I think it’s going to be even better. Dan Glauz (crew chief) and the guys had more time to fine-tune it. I know they will give me a good car and maybe with a little luck we can put it in victory lane,” said Fike.
So far there are 33 driver entries for the Music City 200 at the historic Nashville track.
“It’s a fun track. It’s one of the oldest tracks in the country and has a lot of history. A lot of drivers have come up through there and it would be great to get a win,” said Fike.
This is the second ARCA race of the season for the team and they are thrilled to be running the full schedule for 2017.
“I would just like to thank all the sponsors coming back this year: MatrixCare, Consonus, Office Specialists, RSM, RD McMillen, Liberty Village, Holt Supply, First Mid-IL Bank, and Alton Winnelson. We are really excited about doing the full ARCA schedule and we owe that to them. I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do,” said Fike.
The Music City 200 presented by Azure Foundation will air live on MAVTV.com Saturday at 8pm Central. General Tire Pole Qualifying begins at 4:15pm Saturday afternoon. ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat of all on-track activity.
Father Fike full-ahead with ARCA in '17...Nashville next
03/14/2017
TOLEDO, Ohio (March 12, 2017) -- ARCAracing.com caught up with AJ Fike during his recent trip to Lake Tahoe where the Galesburg, Illinois racer was enjoying a skiing vacation, a family tradition that goes way back.
"As kids, my brother and I would come out with our mom and dad," said Fike. "Then I didn't ski for six or seven years and decided to pick it back up again."
There's something else that Fike decided to pick back up again - that would be another full-time run at the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
"We're planning on doing the whole schedule," said Fike. "We'll be at Nashville. I like that track."
We could tell. Fike started mid-pack in last year's race and worked his way into winning contention, ultimately finishing second behind Josh Williams.
"It would have been nice to get a yellow to see if we could have gotten to Josh. I'm looking forward to going back."
Fike, an open-wheel star from Galesburg, Illinois, is also looking forward to coming back to ARCA fulltime. The last time he raced in a full ARCA season was in 2004, finishing seventh in national championship points.
"Our focus is on ARCA. We're still going to run our Silver Crown car at Springfield and DuQuoin, maybe Indy but that's probably it. ARCA is the main goal this year. We like the composite bodies and the ARCA Ilmor engine allows us the chance to be competitive with the bigger teams."
Unfortunately, he got caught up in a multi-car wreck in the Daytona season-opener, finishing 34th.
"We had to buy a speedway car for Talladega...it's a back-up for the 23 car."
Fike's Dan Glauz led crew is also outfitting newer composite cars for the season ahead.
"We actually updated our dirt car with a new composite body. That's going to be our intermediate car this year. The car we ran at intermediate tracks last year became our dirt car...that's also a composite. Our dirt car needed updated anyway and we made our other composite car a little nicer too.
"Everything's pretty-much updated. We've got new bodies on everything. This is the best we've ever been going into the season. Don't know what we're doing for the road course yet."
Fike also says he's enjoying the chance to race on some of the tour's bigger tracks, something he hasn't done much over the last 13 seasons.
"It's been a long time since we've raced on these bigger tracks. I enjoy going back to Pocono, Michigan, Kentucky and Kansas and we should run better than we did last year. Running the short tracks...the Salems, Winchesters, Toledos, the dirt...it's all exciting. We like the whole schedule."
Fike will also have a healthy mix of sponsors on his No. 27 Ford, including MatrixCare, Consonus Healthcare, Office Specialist, RD McMillen Enterprises, Liberty Village, Holt Supply and RFMS.
In addition to his second-place finish at Nashville, Fike also finished second last year on the Springfield (Ill.) mile dirt. Fike won at Springfield in 2015, which proved popular with his strong Illinois fan base. Fike is also a two-time Tony Bettenhausen 100 winner at Springfield in the USAC Silver Crown Series.
When Fike isn't working in his father's Liberty Village family business, he's busy raising his daughter Kylie, who just turned 16. While racing cars is always associated with an element of danger, Fike says it's nothing as scary as seeing his daughter drive away for the first time.
"She just turned 16 and just started driving. That's scarier than anything I've ever done. She's a good driver but seeing your girl drive off for the first time is scary. I wanted to go with her but she has to learn. She's a good kid...I can't complain. She plays volleyball, does track and plays clarinet in the band. She's a really good kid."
Don Radebaugh
dradebaugh@arcaracing.com
Original Article: http://www.arcaracing.com/articles/2005530-fike-full-ahead-with-full-arca-schedule-in-17-nashville-next
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Fike Takes a Hard Hit at Daytona
02/23/2017
Brownsburg, IN – February 23, 2017 – It was an unfortunate start to the season for the RFMS Racing team. AJ Fike took a hard hit in the #27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Chevy Impala on lap 50 of the ARCA Racing Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Saturday February 18.
“We started in the back. We got screwed in qualifying because not all the cars went out. We did group qualifying and wound up in a two car group instead of six car group, which makes a big difference drafting,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike started 31st and made his way up to the 20th position.
“We were careful during the first half of the race and slowly moving up. Then the windshield got covered in oil and I couldn’t see anything but the yellow line so I had to pull in. We were fast all day and ran the 7th fastest race,” said Fike.
On lap 50, the #32 spun out in front and t-boned the #80 and Fike into the wall. There was nowhere to go for both cars. This caused Fike to lose his brakes and steering in addition to the rear-end catching on fire.
“I saw the #32 spin and I thought I missed it and the next thing I knew I got hit. It was a pretty scary hit,” said Fike.
AJ wasn’t injured in the wreck but is a little sore this week.
The team will be back on the track for the second race of the season in the ARCA Racing Music City 200 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville on April 8.
Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 1 at Daytona Int’l Speedway
02/15/2017
Brownsburg, IN – February 15, 2017 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Saturday February 18 at Daytona International Speedway for the first ARCA race of the 2017 season. Fike is eager to be back at Daytona; it has been 12 years since he last raced there in the NASCAR Busch car. He will be behind the wheel of the #27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford.
“It’s really great to be back at Daytona. It’s been 12 years since I raced there in the Busch car and 13 years in the ARCA car. I am excited to get out and practice tomorrow and see how the car feels. Dan Glauz and the guys have a put a lot of work into getting the car ready for this weekend,” said driver AJ Fike.
The Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 Driven by General Tire will feature 44 drivers fighting for 40 starting spots.
“Daytona is high banked…you pretty much run wide open all the way around. The average speed is around 185. It definitely is one of the fastest tracks and the biggest race on the ARCA schedule. All the good cars and drivers come out with their best equipment to try to win here,” said Fike.
Daytona is one of five new races added to the RFMS Racing schedule for 2017. The team will be racing the full ARCA schedule and is in the hunt for the championship. Last year, the team finished 9th in driver points and 9th in owner points while racing a partial ARCA schedule.
“I am excited and blessed to be able to run the whole ARCA schedule this year…… Looking forward to having a good year,” said Fike.
The 54th running of the Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 Driven by General Tire will air live on Fox Sports 1 Saturday at 4 pm Eastern. The first on-track activity will be practice Thursday afternoon from 4-6 pm, followed by final practice Friday morning from 9:30-10:30 am. Pole Qualifying, in group format, begins at 3:30 pm Friday afternoon. ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat of all on-track activity Thursday through Saturday.
Fike and Neal Compete in the World’s Largest Midget Racing Event of the Year
01/06/2017
Brownsburg, IN – January 6, 2017 – The RFMS Racing team is back on the track next week for the world’s largest Midget racing event of the year. The Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire runs from January 10-14, 2017 inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, OK. Drivers AJ Fike #69 and Jake Neal #3 (R) will be representing the team in the weeklong event.
The list of entries stands at 358 spread across four nights of qualifying from January 10-13 with only 24 A-Feature spots open for the January 14 finale.
Jake Neal #3 (R) qualifies the first night of racing on Tuesday, January 10. Neal comes to the Chili Bowl as a newcomer; however the 26 year-old Omaha native has years of dirt track racing experience. He started racing from an early age of five and has been behind the wheel of go-karts, dirt bikes, modified and late model stock cars, and quads. In 2008, Neal won a United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) race and finished 10th in the national points. Since then, he has raced modified and late model stock cars and in 2016 he finished with 8 late model wins in 16 starts.
Veteran driver AJ Fike #69 qualifies the second night of racing on Wednesday, January 11. This is Fike’s 19th year of competing at the Chili Bowl Nationals and comes with years of open-wheel racing experience. AJ is a veteran of the ACRA, USAC Silver Crown, USAC Midget, NAMARS, and Badger Midget series; with career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Busch Series. His best career finish at the Chili Bowl was in 2002 when he qualified for the A-Feature event and finished 20th. He has also represented the State of Illinois by carrying the flag during open ceremonies.
The 31st Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals will air live on MAVTV.com and LucasOilRacing.TV on January 14. Please check your local listings for more information.
Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 1 Friday Night
10/13/2016
Brownsburg, IN – October 13, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Friday at Kansas Speedway for the ARCA Racing Kansas 150. Coming off a sold top-ten finish at Kentucky a few weeks ago, Fike is excited to get behind the wheel of the #27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford for the last race of the season.
“I thought we had a good run at Kentucky and I am looking forward to carrying that momentum into the race tomorrow. It would be great to finish on a strong note,” said driver AJ Fike.
Kansas is one of the six additional races that were added to the RFMS Racing schedule this year. It will be Fike’s first ARCA race back on the track since 2004.
“It’s exciting to be back at Kansas again. I am grateful for the opportunity to race there. Again, it is all about the support of our sponsors,” said Fike.
Practice for the Kansas 150 is Friday, October 14 from 9:30 am to 10:25 am with final practice following from 10:35 am to 11:30 am. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is slotted in for 2:25 pm. The 16th Kansas 150 is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm, with live coverage on Fox Sports 1. All times are local, central time. ARCAracing.com will also feature Live Timing and Scoring and Live Chat of all on-track activities.
Solid Top Ten Finish at Kentucky for the Team
09/29/2016
Brownsburg, IN – September 29, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team finished 8th in the ARCA Racing Crosley 150 at Kentucky Speedway on September 23. Fike in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford participated in open testing the Tuesday before the race and qualified 16th for the 150 lapper.
“I thought it was a good race. We kept working our way up as the race went on. It was really difficult to pass because the track was so narrow after being repaved,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike made his first top-ten finish on a 1.5-mile track this season.
“The car was really good the whole day. With 20 laps to go, we started on the high side and lost three or four spots. We ended up 8th but we really had a 5th place car,” said Fike.
The team will be back on the track for the last race of the season in the ARCA Racing Kansas 150 at Kansas Speedway on October 14. It will air on Fox Sports 1 at 7:30pm Central.
Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 2 Friday Night
09/22/2016
Brownsburg, IN – September 22, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Friday at Kentucky Speedway for the ARCA Racing Crosley 150. To prepare for the upcoming race, Fike in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford participated in open testing on Tuesday, September 20 at Kentucky Speedway with 20 other drivers.
“Testing went good. I think we learned a lot. The last time we were here was in 2004 and it has changed some since then. They recently repaved the track, so it’s fast and narrow. Turns one and two are pretty high banked and three and four are pretty flat. It will make it pretty challenging to get around there,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike is making his first debut at the track since 2004, when he competed in the full ARCA schedule. While it has been some time since he has raced here, he is excited for the opportunity.
“I am just excited that we were able to add six more races to the ARCA schedule this year, including this one, and I really owe that all to the extra support of our sponsors,” said Fike.
The Crosley 150 will air live on Fox Sports 2 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Friday night, September 23. The race will follow a busy day of on-track activities beginning with ARCA practice from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is scheduled at 4:40 p.m. ARCAracing.com will provide live timing and scoring and live chat for all on-track activities.
Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 1 Thursday Night
09/13/2016
Brownsburg, IN – September 13, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway for the ARCA Racing Scott 150. Fike in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford is making his first debut at the track since 2004, when he competed in the full ARCA schedule.
“I am excited for the race on Thursday. It is a fun track and it’s been over ten years since I have raced there…. back in 2004,” said driver AJ Fike.
This year’s SCOTT® 150 at Chicagoland will set the stage for an exciting weekend of NASCAR racing action including Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series races. The weekend also kicks off NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, the playoff system used to crown the 2016 Sprint Cup champion.
“There will be a lot of good drivers and cars there. I am really looking forward to having a good run… I also want to thank MatrixCare for supporting us this season and making the trip down for this race,” said Fike.
The SCOTT® 150 is live on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. Central Thursday night, September 15. The race will follow a busy day of on-track activities beginning with ARCA practice from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. local Central time. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is scheduled at 4:10 p.m. ARCAracing.com will provide live timing and scoring and live chat for all on-track activities.
Fike Competes in Historic 100th ARCA Race at Salem
09/09/2016
Brownsburg, IN – September 09, 2016 – Labor Day Weekend proved to be a tough weekend for the race team. In both races the car was fast but car problems halted the finish.
“We were fast all weekend. Saturday’s race we were in the top ten the whole race when I got a flat on the last lap going in to turn three,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike qualified 7th for the Ted Horn 100 and continued to get faster throughout the race, making it up to 4th with 15 laps to go. Sunday night, Fike started 9th in the General Tire GRABBER 100 and had to pull the car in after battling overheating problems.
“The car was really good in the beginning of the race…. But they watered the track right before the race. It made it muddy and everybody started having the same problem with overheating. We came in a few times to try to cool it down. But we decided once we were three or four laps down to park it. We had a car that was capable of winning and it was a disappointment that that happened,” said Fike.
Now AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are looking forward to getting back on the track this Saturday at Salem Speedway for the historic 100th ARCA race at the track. The No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen machine will be driving into history in the Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic 200 presented by Meadow View/Salem Crossing.
“They are bringing a lot of people in for the race this weekend. Salem is always a tough track, it is physically and mentally demanding. Last year during the night race, we led some laps. Hopefully, we can bring some things we learned at that race to this weekend,” said Fike.
This Week’s Schedule: On track action will take place with first practice on September 10 from 12:30 - 1:15 p.m., with final practice between 1:45 and 2:30. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 4 p.m. The Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic 200 begins at 8 p.m. Saturday night.
Watch: The Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic 200 will be tape delayed on American Sports Network on September 28 at 7 p.m. Check AmericanSportsNet.com for your local listings.
Fike Does Double-Duty at DuQuoin
09/02/2016
Brownsburg, IN – September 02, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team are back on the track Labor Day Weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for a double dose of dirt track racing. Saturday is the USAC Silver Crown Ted Horn 100 and Sunday is the ARCA Racing General Tire GRABBER 100.
Fike has had considerable success at the famed DuQuoin “Magic Mile” and considers it one of his favorite tracks. In the ARCA Series, Fike has won three Menards Poles presented by Ansell at DuQuoin in 2007, 2009, and 2010. His best ARCA finishes there include two 4th place finishes in 2007 and in 2009. Last year, Fike had solid weekend at DuQuoin with two top ten finishes both days.
Looking ahead to Saturday, there are 36 drivers entered for the Ted Horn 100 on Saturday night. Practice for the Silver Crown cars is slated for 5 p.m., with qualifying at 6:30p.m. and the 100-mile main event scheduled at 8p.m.
For Sunday’s ARCA race, it’s been almost 20 years since the ARCA Racing Series lined up at night on a dirt track, but that will soon change when the lights shine down on the 63rd running of the General Tire GRABBER 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
Practice for the September 4 General Tire Grabber 100 is scheduled from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at 5:30. The 63rd General Tire Grabber 100 starts at 8:00. All times are local.
The race will be tape-delayed on the American Sports Network. The race will also feature live timing and scoring and live chat for all on-track activity at ARCAracing.com, as well as live flag-to-flag audio race coverage.
Second Place Finish at Home Track for Fike
08/26/2016
Brownsburg, IN - August 26, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 2nd in the ARCA SuperChevyStores.com 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday. It was an especially exciting race day for the team since the Springfield Mile is considered Fike’s home track.
The field was lined up according to practice times after Menards Pole Qualifying was cancelled due to saturated infield conditions that backed up the schedule.
“We didn’t go out for qualifying and lined up based on practice times (started 10th). At the start we were really loose .We just hung on there till the first pit stop. We changed all four tires and made adjustments and the car got better during the race. The team did a great job,” said Fike.
“The track was a lot dustier than I have ever remembered. Not running the Silver Crown race the day before and the extra rain gave everyone for a loop. It wasn’t the normal Springfield track. There were a lot of times I couldn’t see,” said Fike.
Fike, in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen Ford, had eight restarts to choose from as caution after caution bunched up the field throughout the 100-lap/100-mile race, specifically over the back half.
“At the start of the race, I didn’t think we had a chance for a top-five. It was really a war of attrition and I think if we would have been tighter there at the end, we would have had a chance for the win. I just couldn’t get off turn four like we needed,” said Fike.
The next event for the RFMS Racing team is the USAC SC Series Ten Horn 100 at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on September 3, followed by the ARCA Racing General Tire GRABBER 100 on Sunday.
Double or nothing for AJ Fike at Springfield; corn dogs & concerts come later
08/12/2016
TOLEDO, Ohio (August 10, 2016) – And now there's just one. Unless there's an entry out of nowhere, AJ Fike stands alone as the only driver who will attempt the "double" this year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Mile Dirt.
The Galesburg, Illinois local favorite will take a run at both Illinois State Fair championship auto races this year, racing in Saturday's 55th Bettenhausen 100 in the USAC Silver Crown Series and in Sunday's grand finale, the 54th SuperChevyStores.com (Allen Crowe) 100 in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
As it turns out, Fike is pretty good at both, winning the Bettenhausen 100 in 2012 and 2013 and the SuperChevyStores.com ARCA 100 last year. Fike joins A.J. Foyt, Rodger Ward, Al Unser, Len Sutton and Roger McCluskey as one of only six drivers to accomplish the feat. To give it more punch, Foyt, Unser and Ward combine for 10 Indy 500 wins. Only Unser, in 1972, has won both events on the same weekend.
"Now that we've won both, it'd be nice to win both on the same weekend," Fike said. "Now that we've finally won the ARCA race, I'm confident we can do it again."
Certainly no driver these days would understand how to win both more than Fike.
"Depending on track conditions, you run a similar line with the Silver Crown and ARCA cars, at least at Springfield. But the Silver Crown car is way more forgiving. In the ARCA car, you have to keep those straight, not overdrive it, take what the car gives you, take care of the car, take care of tires...be there at the end. Both are fun to drive."
Fike was more than "there at the end" last year. Fike had a seven second lead with 10 laps to go, then survived two late-race restarts, and still won by 10 lengths at the final stripe.
Fike considers Springfield his home track, being from Galesburg, less than a two hour drive away.
"I've always considered Springfield my home track. I don't know what it is, but I wanna win at Springfield more than any other track. It's added pressure for me because I want it that bad."
Fike enjoys the State Fair nearly as much as he does the racing.
"That's a big part of it...I really enjoy the fair. After the race, I take my daughter to the fair, get a lemon shake and a dog definitely. Usually always go to the concert after the race. Last year we saw the Brantley Gilbert concert...great way to celebrate the win. It's usually a corn dog, pork chop on a stick and a ribeye sandwich...I can eat all three after a race.
"There's just something really special about Springfield. I remember going to Springfield for the Silver Crown race every year since I've been eight...I think Chuck Gurney won that first one. Nothing compares to Springfield, not for me anyway."
Don Radebaugh
dradebaugh@arcaracing.com
Looking back on the championship Champ Car/Stock Car Double
By Jay Hardin - Since 1965, stock cars and championship dirt cars have shared the last weekend at the Illinois State Fair. In the last 51 years, just 14 drivers have managed to make the starting lineup for both the Bettenhausen 100 and the Allen Crowe 100 on the last weekend of the fair.
When stock cars joined the Illinois State Fair lineup on Friday, August 20, 1965, young Mario Andretti slid behind the wheel of a Ford for the third running of the Allen Crowe Memorial while his Dean Van Lines Kuzma championship dirt car waited for Saturday’s Tony Bettenhausen 100. Andretti finished 11th in the Zecol Ford, then ran third to A.J. Foyt on Saturday. Six years would pass before another driver would try the “double” and it was none other than Foyt himself. For the first time the stock cars ran Saturday and Foyt finished 14th, and on Sunday he won the Champ dirt car event.
Al Unser and Ralph Ligouri were the next to make both main events in 1972 with Unser becoming the first driver to win both races on the same weekend. Unser tried again in 1973 but was unable to take a checkered flag in either event. Larry Moore (’76), Ken Schrader (’81, ’82, ’83), Gary Bettenhausen (’85, ’87) and Tom Bigelow (’87, ’89) also made both races. In fact, Bigelow became the first to run three races in the same weekend making the feature for the Rex Easton midget race as well.AJ Fike win Springfield 2015
Sixteen years would pass before anyone would make both races again. Young Justin Allgaier put his name in the history books in 2005 and started a newer trend of open wheel racers crossing over into ARCA stock cars for the Sunday show. Fike, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Brian Tyler, Chris Windom and Shane Cockrum all followed Allgaier’s lead.
Fike is the driver with the most starts in both races in the last 51 years, with nine, the last seven consecutive.
A look at some of the Springfield Championship Stock Car Winners: Curtis Turner (’63), Don White (’66, ’67, ’72), Al Unser (’72), Jack Bowsher (’73), Roger McCluskey (’74), Ramo Stott (’76, ’77, ’80), AJ Foyt (’79), Joe Ruttman (’80), Dean Roper (’81, ’82, ’83, ’83, ’85, ’86), Bob Keselowski (’87, ’88, ’89, ’93), Bobby Bowsher (’91, ’92), Tim Steele (‘96, ’97), Ken Schrader (’98), Bill Baird (’99, ’04), Justin Allgaier (’06), Parker Kligerman (’09), Frank Kimmel (’00, ’01, ’02. ’03, ’05, ’07, ’08, ‘12), Kevin Swindell ('14) and AJ Fike ('15).
SuperChevyStores.com 100 Schedule
Practice for the SuperChevyStores.com 100 is scheduled from 9:00-10:00 a.m. with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at 11:15. The 54th annual Central Illinois SuperChevyStores.com 100 starts at 1:30 p.m. All times are local.
Live on American Sports Network
The SuperChevyStores.com 100 will be live on the American Sports Network and will also stream live at AmericanSportsNet.com. ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat of all on-track activity and a live chat box throughout the afternoon.
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Fike Hits Pavement at Berlin Raceway Saturday
08/04/2016
Brownsburg, IN – August 04, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 13th in the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday, July 22.
“We started off 8th and think we got down a lap or two. We were really fast at times but couldn’t make up those laps the rest of the race,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike is looking forward to the upcoming ARCA race this Saturday, August 6. The RFMS Racing team will be running the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen Ford in the Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI.
“I think we can have a good run at Berlin. I raced there a lot over the years in midgets, silver crown, and sprints. It’s a small paved track, a driver’s track for sure,” said Fike.
“It would be awesome if we could get a top five this weekend. I finished 2nd there in 2004. I just want to thank all the sponsors for being so supportive this year and sticking with us,” said Fike.
On-track activities for the Berlin ARCA 200 begin with two practice sessions starting at 2:30pm and final practice at 3:45pm. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is at 6:00pm with the Berlin ARCA 200 scheduled to start at 9:00pm. All times are Eastern.
The 29th running of the Berlin ARCA 200 is live on the American Sports Network at 9:00pm. AmericanSportsNet.com will stream the race live. ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat of all ARCA Racing Series on-track activities. All times are local/Eastern.
Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 1 Friday Night
07/19/2016
Brownsburg, IN – July 19, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 12th in the ABC Supply 150 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 9. It was a frustrating weekend for the No. 27 team.
“We qualified 15th and were just a little bit off the entire race. We didn’t have that many yellows and just couldn’t make it up,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike is looking forward to the upcoming ARCA race this Friday, July 22. The RFMS Racing team will be running the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen Ford in the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 presented by Jive at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
“I am looking forward to IRP…. It’s a fun track and I’ve spent a lot of time there racing sprints, midgets, silver crowns. It’s a tough old half mile track; seems like you’re always in traffic or battling with someone there. Should be an exciting weekend with the NASCAR race in town at the Brickyard,” said Fike.
The RFMS Racing team spent some time testing at Lucas Oil Raceway last week in preparation for the ARCA race.
“We had a great test there last Thursday (July 14). That track seems to change from day to day, so we won’t know what we’ll get until race day,” said Fike.
Friday will consist of two practice sessions starting at 12:35PM CT, followed by a final practice at 2PM. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is at 4:30PM. Pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions begin at 7:30PM with the green flag waving at 8PM. Fans can follow along online at arcaracing.com for live practice and qualifying updates.
Fans will be able to watch the race live Friday evening on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 8PM CT.
Former Iowa winner AJ Fike eyes another in Newton
07/06/2016
TOLEDO, Ohio (June 30, 2016) – Galesburg, Illinois’ AJ Fike, driver of the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus Healthcare-RD McMillen Ford Fusion, will be one of only a short handful of winners in the field who have already experienced the thrill of victory lane at Iowa Speedway when the 10th annual Iowa ARCA 150 presented by Casey’s General Stores rolls off Saturday night July 9 in Newton, Iowa.
Fike is actually in an exclusive category altogether, because his win at Iowa came aboard a USAC Silver Crown Series open wheel machine back in 2010. Despite the big difference between the Silver Crown car and the ARCA car, Fike says the line around Iowa is very similar, if not exactly same.
“You get a little more sensation in speed in the Crown car…you’re more wide open, but I’d say the line around Iowa is no different from the Crown car to the ARCA car.
“The grooves are changing at Iowa because it’s starting to wear out. There’s actually more lines to work with now that the track has got some bumps and wear and tear on it. Now you move around the track to make the car work where it wants to.
“What started out as one groove when it was new has become multiple grooves. The lines are getting wider…you’re definitely running a lot higher on the track than you used to.”
Fike finished 12th on the lead lap in the ARCA race at Iowa last year. But he’s coming back for a lot more this year. Fike, in fact, is on a bit of roll, winning the ARCA race on the Springfield (Ill.) dirt mile last year, and finishing second at Nashville this year. Fike will be campaigning the new ARCA composite body car at Iowa. Fike most recently finished seventh at Michigan Int’l Speedway in a composite car, eighth at Madison and seventh at Winchester.
“We’re definitely starting to figure them out. We’ve got two composite cars now, one for our short track program and one for the speedways. We still have our steel car for the dirt. We’ve been convinced that the composite cars are the way to go…it’s definitely the future of the series.”
The composite bodies, made by Five Star Race Car Bodies, are a lightweight, state-of-the-art laminate blend, less than 135 pounds. Designed without compromising rigidity, the 12 separate flame retardant panels are flange-fitted together for easy installation in the shop or at track.
“If you damage the fender, or whatever, you can just pop a new one on or fix the one you have. It’s a lot better than it used to be when you had to send the whole car to North Carolina to put a whole new body on it. We love the composite…it was the right move. That, and they look really sharp. I think the fans love ‘em too.”
Don Radebaugh
dradebaugh@arcaracing.com
No Repeat ARCA Winners at Iowa
In nine previous ARCA races at Iowa since the inaugural event in 2006, there have been no repeat winners. Steve Wallace won the first ARCA race at Iowa, and hometown hero Mason Mitchell won the most recent in 2015. Other ARCA winners at Iowa include Frank Kimmel (2007), Matt Hawkins (2008), Parker Kligerman (2009), Tom Hessert (2010), Ty Dillon (2011), Alex Bowman (2012), and Grant Enfinger (2013). Dillon is the only repeat Menards Pole winner at Iowa, having done it in 2010 and 2011.
ARCA Iowa Schedule/Media
Practice for the Iowa ARCA 150 is from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Saturday with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at 3:15. The Iowa ARCA 150 is live on FS2 at 8 p.m. local Central time. Live Timing and Scoring and live Chat will also be available at arcaracing.com.
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Solid Top-Ten Finish at Michigan; Fike Hits Pavement at Madison International Sunday
06/16/2016
Brownsburg, IN - June 16, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 7th in the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, June 10. It was a solid finish for the No. 27 team, who hasn’t run there in 12 years.
“Qualifying got cancelled due to time constraints and we started 9th based on practice times. I fell back in the start to get a feel for what the car felt like in the draft…back to 15th. Then we had a yellow around lap 30; we pitted for fuel only, restarted up front and stayed there the rest of the day,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike made it up to 5th on lap 50 and stuck in the top-ten the rest of the race.
“We did a green flag pit stop towards end of the race. It was the first time we have done one; this is the longest track we have raced on this year… We took two tires, but possibly could have taken four. Overall, I feel like we had a really solid run,” said Fike. Michigan is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped speedway.
Fike and the RFMS Racing team will be running the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen Ford in Sunday’s ARCA Racing Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 at Madison International Speedway.
“We are going to be good at Madison. It’s a pavement half-mile track made of old worn out pavement,” said Fike. The last time the team raced at Madison was in 2014 and the car was wrecked.
The ARCA Racing Series composite body car will be making its Madison debut on Sunday, and the RFMS Racing No. 27 will be one of the composite bodies out on the track. The composite body cars debuted on short tracks in 2015; however, it’s been since 2014 that the ARCA tour has raced at Madison. The composite bodies, which greatly reduce the possibility of debris, are a lightweight, state-of-the-art laminate blend, less than 135 pounds. Designed without compromising rigidity, the 12 separate flame retardant panels are flange-fitted together for easy installation in the shop or at track.
Practice for the ARCA Racing Series at Madison is scheduled for Saturday, June 18 from 12:30-1:15 p.m., followed by final practice from 1:45-2:30. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is at 4:00.
Raceday Sunday gets started with an on-track autograph session from Noon – 1 p.m., followed by pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions at 1:30. The 200-lap Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 at Madison begins at 2:00 p.m. Central Sunday afternoon, June 19. The race will also feature live timing and scoring and live chat at ARCAracing.com.
The Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 will be broadcast live on the American Sports Network (ASN). Race fans can also see the live broadcast at AmericanSportsNet.com. Coverage on ASN at Madison begins at 2:00 p.m. local Central time.
Brake Failure Halts Fike in Hoosier Hundred; Fike Races Live on Fox Sports 1 in Corrigan Oil 200
06/08/2016
Brownsburg, IN - June 8, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 27th in the “Hoosier Hundred” USAC Silver Crown race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Thursday May, 26. It was a tough night for Fike who had to pull off early in the race due to brake failure.
“We had a top three car. We qualified 10th and within the first ten laps of the race I lost my brakes and had to pull in. Luckily, I was able to keep the car in one piece,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike and the RFMS Racing team will be running the No. 27 MatrixCare- RSM-Office Specialists Ford in Friday night’s ARCA Racing Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
“I think we are going to have a good car this weekend. We had a great test there a few weeks ago and learned a lot about the setup and have been able to take that back to the shop and make some positive changes,” said Fike.
This is the first time the team has been back to Michigan International Speedway since 2004. “The track has changed a lot since I last raced there 12 years ago. It has been repaved and has a lot of grip now,” said Fike.
Two practice sessions get things going for this year’s Corrigan Oil 200 Thursday afternoon, June 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 1:55 p.m., followed by final practice from 2:05 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Friday morning at 1:40 p.m. Fans will be able to watch the Corrigan Oil 200 live on Fox Sports 1 Friday at approximately 5:45 p.m.
Broken Rear-end Pump Forces Fike to Pull in for Menards 200; Fike Starts Tonight in Historic Hoosier Hundred
05/26/2016
Brownsburg, IN - May 26, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 21st in the ARCA Racing Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care this past Sunday due to mechanical problems.
“Overall we have good car; we started 15
th and were running between 6
th and 8
th for most of the race. Then we started oiling around lap 130 and had to pull the car in around lap 145 because we had a broken rear-end pump. We had a top-ten car,” said driver AJ Fike.
Fike and the RFMS Racing team will be running the No. 3 Office Specialists- RSM Beast/Foxco in tonight’s “Hoosier Hundred” USAC Silver Crown race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The 100-mile race at the Fairgrounds has tradition dating back to 1953, and it is considered one of the richest and most prestigious open wheel races in the United States. Seven winners of the Hoosier Hundred have also won the Indianapolis 500, including A.J. Foyt, who has won it six times. The event takes place at the one-mile dirt oval at the fairgrounds complex, known as the "Track of Champions”.
“I am excited for tonight’s race. There is a lot of history here going back to the 50’s. Last year we led over half of the race and ended up fourth. Should be a fun night, if the weather holds up,” said Fike.
The pit gates will open at noon today, grandstands at 3:00, with hot laps set to begin at 5:00. Racing begins with the UMP Modifieds at 7:00 with the Hoosier 100 scheduled for an 8:00 green flag.
Fike Hits Pavement at Toledo after Week of Testing
05/20/2016
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team hit the pavement at Toledo Speedway this weekend in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus-RD McMillen Ford for the ARCA Racing Series Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, after testing there earlier this week.
“We tested at Toledo all day on Monday and had a good test. The new car felt great. We tried a couple things on the setup and I think we got a good car for this weekend,” said driver AJ Fike.
“We had a solid finish there last year with fourth and are looking to move up a few spots on Sunday,” said car owner Don Fike.
“I am looking forward to the race on Sunday. I love this track and I have a lot of experience there. I raced a number of different types of cars there over the years,” said AJ Fike.
ARCA Racing Series on-track activities begin Saturday, May 21 with two practice sessions from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 3:30pm. Raceday Sunday gets underway with an on-track driver autograph session from 12 noon to 1:00pm. Pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions follow. The Menards 200 is scheduled to start at 2:00pm Eastern.
The race will be televised live on American Sports Network. Fans seeking to find local ASN affiliates can do so by visiting AmericanSportsNet.com and clicking on the schedule button at the top of the home page. Click on the ARCA Racing Series Menards 200 in the schedule, insert your zip code under “Find your station,” and submit. Visitors receiving a message stating that the program is not available in their area can watch the stream live on ASN’s website.
Big thanks to our fans and official 2016 sponsors for your continued support!
Fike Struggled to Make Up Ground after Broken Alternator Belt at Salem
04/29/2016
Brownsburg, IN - April 29, 2016 – AJ Fike in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford finished 14th in the ARCA Racing Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 this past Sunday. It was a tough day for the team. Fike broke an alternator belt during Menards Pole Qualifying, which put him at the end of the field for the start of the race.
“We had to go to the tale because we broke the alternator belt. We never seemed to make up ground. The car was tight all day. It just wasn’t our day,” said driver, AJ Fike.
“Early in the race we got caught up with another car, and got a hole in the front nose piece. Had we not got tangled, we might have had a top ten finish, but we did the best that we could considering the circumstances. All we can do now is look forward to our next race at Toledo,” said car owner, Don Fike.
“We really appreciate the support of our 2016 season sponsors,” said AJ Fike.
The next race for the RFMS Racing team is Sunday, May 22. Fike will suit up for the ARCA Racing Menards 200 Presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.
Fike Hits Pavement at Salem Speedway this Weekend
04/20/2016
Brownsburg, IN - April 20, 2016 – AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team hit the pavement at Salem Speedway this weekend in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford in the ARCA Racing Series Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200. It should prove to be another great race for the team.
“I am looking forward to Salem this weekend. We led laps and finished seventh there last year, and we are using the same car as Nashville. I think we have a top three car a and a good chance to get a win,” said AJ Fike.
The Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 will spread out over two days, Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24. Practice for the race will include two sessions Saturday afternoon from 12:00 noon to 12:45 and final practice from 1:15 to 2:00, with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at 3:30. Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 raceday festivities get underway with an on-track driver autograph session from 11:30 to 12:30 followed by the Great American Stock feature event at 1:00. Pre-race ceremonies, ARCA driver introductions and the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 follow. The race will be recorded and broadcast at a later date on American Sports Network.
Big thanks to our fans and official 2016 sponsors for your continued support!
Liberty Village
MatrixCare
Consonus Healthcare
RSM
Office Specialists
R. D. McMillen Enterprises
First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust
Holt Supply
Alton Winnelson
Hot Start to the Season with 2nd Place Finish at Nashville
04/12/2016
Brownsburg, IN - April 12, 2016 – AJ Fike finished 2nd in his first ARCA Race Series start of the 2016 season at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in the Music City 200, proving to be a hot start to the season for the team.
“We didn’t qualify like we wanted (14th) but we knew the car had good long run speed,” AJ Fike said.
“We got bottled up in the start and fell back to 17th. We had our work cut out for us. We came in for the only pit stop of the night and changed all four tires and battled back one car at a time,” said car owner, Don Fike.
Fike, in the No. 27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford, gambled on pit strategy, taking four fresh tires under caution on lap 84 when several of the front-runners took only two. Those that opted for the two tire stop were hoping for a late-race caution…a caution that never came.
“We took all four tires, which was an excellent call by Crew Chief, Dan Glauz. We made our way up to second, and with so much lap traffic, I just wanted to ride it out, take care of the car and make it to the finish,” said AJ Fike.
“Besides the start, we never got passed all night. It was a great way to start the season on a high note,” said car owner, Don Fike.
The Music City 200 will broadcast on June 2, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. EST on American Sports Network.
The next event for the RFMS Racing team is the ARCA Racing Series Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway on April 24.
Fike Gears Up for First Race of the Season at Nashville
04/07/2016
The RFMS Racing season starts with a bang this Saturday April 9 at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, TN. Driver, AJ Fike, will be behind the wheel of the #27 MatrixCare-RSM-Office Specialists Ford in the ARCA Racing Series Music City 200.
“I am excited to start the season off at Nashville. We are going to have a great car and a great crew. The car we are using led laps at Salem last year and finished 7th. I think we have a good chance of finishing with a top five at Nashville,” said AJ Fike.
“We wouldn’t be here, racing 15 ARCA races this season, without the support of our sponsors. I would like to thank MartixCare, Consonus, Office Specialists, RSM, RD McMillen, First Mid-IL Bank, Holt Supply, and Alton Winnelson,” said car owner, Don Fike.
The Nashville race will be televised on the American Sports Network. ARCA officials announced March 29th that they entered into a multi-year agreement with American Sports Network (ASN) to broadcast the ARCA Racing Series, beginning in 2016. ASN’s coverage of the ARCA Racing Series will kick off with the April 9 race from Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. In all, ASN will broadcast nine ARCA events in 2016, including five live broadcasts.
Catching up with AJ, expanding ARCA schedule for '16, starts at Nashville
03/05/2016
TOLEDO, Ohio (March 5, 2016) – It won’t be long before AJ Fike will be climbing back into his ARCA car for his 2016 show opener at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, coming April 8-9.
In the meantime, Fike’s doing all those things he should be doing.
“Most of my weekends, I’m taking my daughter Kylie to her next volleyball game,” Fike said.
“She’s a freshman in high school and she plays in a traveling volleyball tournament…been doing that for the last two months, but we’re about to wrap that up for the year.”
When he’s not doing that, Fike works for his father through the week and getting prepared for his race season ahead, which is going to include a lot more ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards racing in 2016.
“Right now, if we don’t tear up a bunch of equipment, we’re planning to run everything except Talladega, the road course and both Poconos. But everything else is on the schedule.”
Fike’s 2016 campaign will also include some USAC Silver Crown Series racing. We’ll probably run Toledo, IRP (Lucas Oil Raceway) and the dirt miles, and that may be all on the Silver Crown side. We’re going to focus more on the ARCA schedule this year. Dan Glauz will be the crew chief on the ARCA side. We only have three full-time guys for both ARCA and Silver Crown, so it’s a lot to manage.”
Fike, a two-time winner of the USAC Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, added his career-first ARCA win last year at Springfield, a very popular victory for the Galesburg, Illinois driver.
But for now, it’s back to the other fairgrounds to start the season.
“Yep, we’ll be at Nashville…looking forward to it.”
Fike got caught up in a skirmish last year at Nashville that resulted in a wall-banger that put him out of competition with just 67 laps complete.
“Nashville is its own animal. It took me a while to figure it out…all the bumps. There isn’t a lot of grip…it’s definitely a driver’s track. Last year we struggled early on, but we changed our line and got going pretty good. I think we have a good chance for a top-five this year. If we don’t come out with at least a top-10, I’ll be disappointed.”
Fike works with a variety of spotters on the ARCA side throughout the year, basically whoever he can get based on where he’s racing.
“(Andy) Hillenburg spotted for me last year…he does a great job. Dan (Glauz) spotted a few times, but it’s kind of hard to spot and be the crew chief at the same time.”
Liberty Village and McGladrey Ford will be returning as sponsors on Fike’s ARCA car in ’16, along with MatrixCare, which debuted on Fike’s No. 27 Ford Fusion in ‘15.
“We had MatrixCare in a suite at Iowa Speedway last year. They loved it, and are very excited about coming back this year, and we’re certainly looking forward to having them back.”
Original Article Written by Don Radebaugh,
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Fike's Springfield win highlights his 2015 season
12/18/2015
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Fike Ends ARCA Season on a High Note; Leading 22 Laps at Salem
09/22/2015
Brownsburg, IN - September 22, 2015 – A.J. Fike finished 7th in the Federated Car Care Fall Classic ARCA race at Salem Speedway this past Saturday. While 7th was a solid finish, it doesn’t reflect how impressive the RFMS Racing team’s performance was. Owner, Don Fike, stated, “It was a tremendous run for AJ on a high bank track. The entire team was pumped.”
Fike qualified 12th for the 200-lap race set at the historic track in southern Indiana. The team had limited practice on the track going into the race; it had been 11 years since Fike and the team had raced at Salem.
The first 97 laps Fike ran in the top-ten and stayed on the lead lap. A yellow came out on lap 97, and Crew Chief, Dan Glauz, brought Fike in to the pits for a four tire pit stop and he came out in 12th.
When the race went green on lap 101, Fike marched his way to the front and took the lead at lap 144. He led the race from lap 144 to 165, for a total of 22 laps. Up until lap 190, Fike was holding a solid 2nd position, but his tires were used up for the last 10 laps and he fell back to 7th position.
Normally teams get 10 tires per car, 4 tires to start the race and 6 tires for pit stops. However, on Saturday, there was a shortage of tires and each team received 8 tires instead. “We looked really good out there. If we wouldn’t have used up all our tires, AJ was fast enough to win,” said Don Fike.
“We finished 7th, but the car was better than that. We learned a lot at Salem. It had been 11 years since we ran there. I think it was a great way to end our ARCA season and I am really looking forward to an even better season next year,” said driver, AJ Fike.
A.J. will be driving the RFMS Racing Liberty Village-McGladrey #3 car this Saturday at Eldora Speedway for the second to last USAC Silver Crown race of the season. He currently is third in points.
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track tomorrow at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana
09/18/2015
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track tomorrow at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana for the Federated Car Care ARCA Classic 200. The race will not be televised but will be available live online for pay-per-viewing at $9.98 on arcaracing.com. The broadcast will start at 6:30PM Eastern with the pre-race show and the race with go-green at 7:15PM.
The team is coming off a solid weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, where Fike finished 7th in the Silver Crown race and 6th in the ARCA race. We would like to thank all of our fans in southern Illinois for making it out to the races and supporting our team!
Currently, Fike is 3rd in USAC Silver Crown points going into the last two SC races of the season.
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track Labor Day Weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
09/04/2015
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track Labor Day Weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for a double dose of dirt track racing. Sunday is the USAC Silver Crown Ted Horn 100 and Monday is the ARCA Racing Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care. The 100-lap USAC race will take place at 8:00PM on Sunday night and the 100-lap ARCA race will be Monday afternoon at 1:30PM.
The team is coming off a big ARCA win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds a few weekends ago. We would like to thank all the supporters who came out to the track on Saturday and Sunday. We would especially like to thank Office Specialists for cohosting a wonderful event on Saturday. Attached are some pictures from the weekend.
A.J. Fike won his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race Sunday
08/23/2015
A.J. Fike won his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race Sunday, becoming the 10th driver of the season to pick up their first victory. And, the Galesburg, Ill. native did it in his home state.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words right now,” Fike said in victory lane, surrounded by a throng of supporters.
Fike actually dominated the SuperChevyStores.com 100 at the mile dirt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. He led 60 of the 104 laps and had a lead of nearly seven seconds with 10 laps to go. He survived a late restart to win over Kyle Weatherman by 0.759-seconds. Fike’s previous career best was second at Berlin Raceway in 2004.
“The car was perfect off the trailer,” Fike said. “I can’t say enough about everyone on the team, my pit crew, my dad. This is a great win for us. It’s very exciting.”
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AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track this Saturday
08/06/2015
AJ Fike and the RFMS Racing team is back on the track this Saturday in the ARCA Racing Federated Auto Parts 200 at Berlin Raceway. The 200-lap race will take place at 8:50pm Eastern in Marne, MI. This race will not be televised, but the next ARCA race on Sunday August 23rd at the Illinois State Fairgrounds will be televised on CBS Sports at 1:30pm Central.
The team is coming off a weekend in Belleville, KS, where Fike finished 11th in the “Hustle on the High Banks” USAC Silver Crown race. Fike currently is 4th in USAC Silver Crown Series points.
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Schedule of events for the Federated Auto Parts 200 at Berlin Raceway
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Sat, August 8
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2:30-3:15 PM
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ARCA Racing Series Practice
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3:45-4:30 PM
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ARCA Racing Series Final Practice
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5:45 PM
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Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell (all positions / 2 laps)
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8:00 PM
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ARCA Racing Series On-Track Autograph Session
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8:30 PM
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ARCA Racing Series Pre-Race Ceremonies Begin
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8:50 PM
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Start of the Federated Auto Parts 200 (200 laps / 88 miles)
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