BUSCH: Kansas: Aaron Fike qualifying notes

Aaron Fike and #43 Ollie's Bargain Outlet Curb-Agajanian Qualify 22nd At Kansas

- Solid Starting Position for 21-Year-Old Open Wheel Ace and Busch Series Star -

KANSAS CITY, KS (October 9, 2004) -- With a lap of 31.242 seconds at 172.844 MPH, Aaron Fike will start 22nd in tomorrow's "Mr. Goodcents 300" NASCAR Busch Series event. This is Aaron's eighth start in the challenging Busch Series and his first at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway.

"We were second to qualify, so I figured that we wouldn't have a good starting position for tomorrow," said Aaron. "We were fast and the car felt really good. By the second lap I knew that we'd be in a decent spot."

Crew chief Joe Shear feels that Aaron and the team are going to be solid contenders in the 200 lap race. "Don't count the Ollie's Bargain Outlet team out tomorrow," he said. "We have a great team, a great car and Aaron's been driving smoothly and consistently. We're coming off of a top-20 finish at Dover, here we think that we can do better."

About Aaron Fike

A two-time National Midget Driver of the Year, Aaron's racing resume reads like a veteran's. Like NASCAR Nextel Cup stars Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, Aaron started his professional racing career in open wheel cars. He met with considerable success, winning more than 20 feature races in United States Auto Club (USAC) Midgets, Sprint Cars, and the premier Silver Crown Series. In 2001, Aaron broke Jeff Gordon's record and became the youngest driver ever to win in a Silver Crown Series race.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE FOR THE MR. GOODCENTS 300 AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

The "Mr. Goodcents 300" at Kansas Speedway will be televised on Saturday, October 9 at 2:00 PM EST on TNT on Saturday, October 9.

-mmi-