A. J. Fike
Encyclopedia
A.J. Fike is an American
racecar driver. He was born on December 29, 1980 and resides in Galesburg, Illinois
. He is the older brother of NASCAR
driver Aaron Fike
. Fike won the 1999 United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget Car
rookie of the year title and his younger brother Aaron Fike
won the award the following season making them the first brothers to win the award in back to back season. He later drove in several NASCAR races.
s and Pontiac
s fielded by former ARCA RE/MAX Series driving champion Andy Hillenburg
, he finished 7th in ARCA RE/MAX Series points in his first season on tour . In 22 career RE/MAX Series starts, he has 3 top-5 finishes and 9 top-10s with a career-best finish of second at Berlin, Illinois
. He also finished third at Gateway
, fifth at Nashville
, sixth at Toledo
& Lake Erie
, eighth at Chicagoland
, eighth at Salem
, ninth at South Boston
& tenth at Speedway.
in Kansas
and at the Belleville Midget Nationals, also in Kansas. He finished runner-up in USAC Midget Copper World Classic at Phoenix
in 2001. He also finished sixth in USAC Midget national points in 2002; posting a win at Limaland Motorsports Park in Ohio
. His career-best Silver Crown finish was a third in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway
in 2002. Fike also posted three top-10 Silver Crown finishes in 5 starts in 2002. He finished 11th in USAC Sprint national points in 2002 with two runner-up finishes.
He was the Pork Pole winner at the Springfield mile-dirt track. Fike also qualified second at DuQuoin & Berlin. His best superspeedway qualifying effort was tenth at Gateway. Fike led for 48 laps in two races. A veteran of USAC Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown Series competition, NAMARS, Badger
and ARCA Midgets and go-kart
s.
After racing in NASCAR, he resumed racing in ARCA and Open Wheel. In 2009, he finished second in the USAC Silver Crown points.
starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
. In 2003, Fike drove the #82 Ninetynine Racing Chevy
at Phoenix. He started last in his debut, 36th in the field and finished 27th in the race, 6 laps off the pace. The next year, Fike would compete again for one race. He drove the #08 1-800-For-A-Phone Chevy at Bristol Motor Speedway
for Green Light Racing
. He once again started 36th and finished 33rd.
, 30th at Pikes Peak International Raceway
and 33rd at IRP. A.J. started his last race of the season at Memphis Motorsports Park
, finishing on the lead lap for the second time that season and finished 21st in his Liberty Village
Dodge
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
racecar driver. He was born on December 29, 1980 and resides in Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
. He is the older brother of NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver Aaron Fike
Aaron Fike
Aaron Fike is a former NASCAR and USAC driver from Galesburg, Illinois. Prior to a drug arrest, he was the driver of the #1 Toyota Tundra Craftsman Truck Series truck.He is the younger brother of former NASCAR driver A. J...
. Fike won the 1999 United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget Car
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
rookie of the year title and his younger brother Aaron Fike
Aaron Fike
Aaron Fike is a former NASCAR and USAC driver from Galesburg, Illinois. Prior to a drug arrest, he was the driver of the #1 Toyota Tundra Craftsman Truck Series truck.He is the younger brother of former NASCAR driver A. J...
won the award the following season making them the first brothers to win the award in back to back season. He later drove in several NASCAR races.
ARCA
In ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
s and Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
s fielded by former ARCA RE/MAX Series driving champion Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg is an American race car driver, team owner and track owner. He began his racing career at age 11, when he competed in the Indianapolis soap box derby. He currently owns Fast Track Racing Enterprises, a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA...
, he finished 7th in ARCA RE/MAX Series points in his first season on tour . In 22 career RE/MAX Series starts, he has 3 top-5 finishes and 9 top-10s with a career-best finish of second at Berlin, Illinois
Berlin, Illinois
Berlin is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 140 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He also finished third at Gateway
Gateway International Raceway
Gateway Motorsports Park is a race track in Madison, Illinois, USA, just east of St. Louis, Missouri. After being shuttered by former owner Dover Motorsports Inc., on Nov. 3, 2010, it was announced Sept. 8, 2011, that the facility would re-open and host an NHRA Full Throttle Series event Oct. 5-7,...
, fifth at Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, sixth at Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
& Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, eighth at Chicagoland
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
, eighth at Salem
Salem Speedway
Salem Speedway is a .555 mile long paved oval motor racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, approximately south of Indianapolis. It opened in 1947. Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA, USAR and the USAC...
, ninth at South Boston
South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway or "SoBo" is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.. SoBo is located approximately sixty miles east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc, the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with...
& tenth at Speedway.
Open Wheel
He finished tenth in the Indianapolis Speedrome midget points in 1997. In 1998 he finished second in NAMARS Midgets points with three feature event victories. He joined the USAC National Midget Tour in 1999 and was the Rookie of the Year. Fike finished a career-best second in USAC Midget points in 2001 with two victories at Lakeside SpeedwayLakeside Speedway
Lakeside Speedway is a dirt auto racing track located in Kansas City, Kansas. It features racing in Factory Stock, Grand National, and Modified categories. Racing at the track was the focus of the Discovery Channel series Heartland Thunder in 2010....
in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and at the Belleville Midget Nationals, also in Kansas. He finished runner-up in USAC Midget Copper World Classic at Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in 2001. He also finished sixth in USAC Midget national points in 2002; posting a win at Limaland Motorsports Park in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. His career-best Silver Crown finish was a third in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
in 2002. Fike also posted three top-10 Silver Crown finishes in 5 starts in 2002. He finished 11th in USAC Sprint national points in 2002 with two runner-up finishes.
He was the Pork Pole winner at the Springfield mile-dirt track. Fike also qualified second at DuQuoin & Berlin. His best superspeedway qualifying effort was tenth at Gateway. Fike led for 48 laps in two races. A veteran of USAC Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown Series competition, NAMARS, Badger
Angell Park Speedway
Angell Park Speedway has a 1/3 mile dirt racetrack located in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The track has been run by the city's fire department since 1903. Racing occurs every Sunday approximately Memorial Day until Labor Day. Special racing events and the weather may alter the schedule...
and ARCA Midgets and go-kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
s.
After racing in NASCAR, he resumed racing in ARCA and Open Wheel. In 2009, he finished second in the USAC Silver Crown points.
Truck Series
Fike made two career NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
. In 2003, Fike drove the #82 Ninetynine Racing Chevy
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
at Phoenix. He started last in his debut, 36th in the field and finished 27th in the race, 6 laps off the pace. The next year, Fike would compete again for one race. He drove the #08 1-800-For-A-Phone Chevy at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
. He once again started 36th and finished 33rd.
Busch Series
Fike began running the Busch Series in 2005, filling in for his brother Aaron in seven races. He made his debut at the Hershey's Take 5 300, starting 25th and finishing 30th. At Phoenix, A.J. made the field in 36th, but finished in 30th, one lap off the pace. He would race again at Nashville in June, securing his best career finish at that time of 28th. He was 32nd at Milwaukee MileMilwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
, 30th at Pikes Peak International Raceway
Pikes Peak International Raceway
Pikes Peak International Raceway, also known as PPIR, is a participant focused racetrack located in Fountain, Colorado, south of Colorado Springs and north of Pueblo...
and 33rd at IRP. A.J. started his last race of the season at Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...
, finishing on the lead lap for the second time that season and finished 21st in his Liberty Village
Liberty Village
Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded at the north by King Street West, the west by Dufferin Street, the south by the Gardiner Expressway, the east by Strachan Avenue, and the northeast by the CP railway tracks...
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
.