Aaron Fike in the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota. (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Aaron Fike in the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race at Martinsville. Fike finished seventh in today's race at Martinsville, his first top-10 and best finish in four Craftsman Truck Series races.  His previous best finish was a 12th-place effort this season at Atlanta.

Fike took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the second time in four races this season. Unofficially Fike leads Joey Clanton by 10 points (45-35) in the Raybestos Rookie standings.

Tyler Walker finished eighth, his first top-10 in seven career Craftsman Truck Series races.  Walker's best previous finish was 21st at Las Vegas in 2003.

Blake Bjorklund finished 19th, his best finish in four Craftsman Truck Series starts.

Aaron Fike, No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota:
"I've got to thank my crew chief Jamie Jones and everybody at Red Horse Racing for giving me a good truck.  It's easy to come back from a deficit when you've got a good truck.  I mean that's the only way you can come back is if you have a good truck.  It seemed like we were good enough to run with the top-five but I spun myself out twice."

How difficult was this race?  "It was all right.  This was the first hot race of the year for me.  I'm looking forward to going to Kansas."

You and Tyler Walker exchanged a high-five after the race.  "We're buddies so I just told him good job."

How important is it for you and the team to run well at such a difficult track?  "Well, since they won here I think it's pretty important.  They won here last year so there's a lot of pressure on me to do good. I'm just glad I came out of here with a good top-10."

Comment on your afternoon.  "I don't know if I got taken out or took myself out but I ended up spinning twice.  We battled back and ended up seventh.  We had a top-five truck but we just had some bad luck."

Tyler Walker, No. 36 360 OTC Toyota:
"I've got to thank Doug Wolcott [crew chief] for making some good calls in the pits.  He loosened that thing up.  We were tight from the beginning all day and just kept loosening it up and got better.  I finally got a good finish for 360 OTC.  Johnny was looking good, too. I think he had some bad luck with I'm with a great operation with Bill Davis and Toyota.  I can't wait for more races."

You and Fike race each other hard in the closing laps.  "Yeah, he got me this time but there's a lot more races.  We raced a lot of years together so we know we can race side-by-side.  We raced open wheel together and we just have fun together.  We brought the truck home in one piece and that's what we needed to do."

Blake Bjorklund, No. 8 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet:
"We'll take it.  I got a lap but we had a pretty sporty truck there at the end.  I was hoping to get 'er up in the top-10 or something.  It was really good there at the end.  I'm a little disappointed.  We got a lap down there and got spun the one time but all in all, pretty decent finish for us.  I'm happy and I'll take it.  I love short track racing.  It's bumping and banging and you get knocked around everywhere.  It's actually a really good time.  It was a good day for us all in all and happy to bring 'er home."

Willie Allen, No. 13 Chevrolet:
"We've been here before.  I finished sixth in my first race ever.  I just had motor problems all day yesterday and I just really fought the truck tight.  We fought the engine problem yesterday and that really put us back and just never could quite get it.  We've just got to regroup and go to Kansas.  We get better every race and the guys just keep working their butts off.  Something was just wrong with the truck all day and all weekend.  We've just got to find out what it is."

Kelly Bires, No. 21 Bush's Baked Beans Ford:
What you put behind the wall?  "I think an axle but we're not sure yet.  Something in the drive train failed going down the frontstretch."

How was the truck before that?  "We were really, really tight.  We got a little better but not quite handling the way we needed to.  We're making gains on it and going down the frontstretch something obviously broke in the rear end there."