Erik Darnell is a seasoned Roush Fenway Racing driver heading into the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Darnell finished 12th in the overall standings in ‘07 while earning his first career NASCAR win at Kansas Speedway along with three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. The ‘06 Rookie of the Year enters his third year of full season competition.
Darnell follows in the footsteps of Roush Racing’s elite lineup. The ‘05 winner of Roush’s Gong Show competition, is the latest addition to the Roush Racing driver development program that includes such prominent NASCAR names as Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Todd Kluever.
A native of Illinois, Darnell won the ‘06 Rookie-of-the-Year with four top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes with a season’s-best second place effort at Memphis Motorsports Park en route to a 12th-place finish in the final standings. He ended the season with five consecutive top-10 finishes that included three top-three efforts and a third-place finish at the Ford 200 season finale.
Darnell’s career path seemed destined from birth. Having a grandfather with a successful United States Auto Club background and a father with an equally impressive American Speed Association resume, it was only natural that he would take to the track and continue the family name in racing programs throughout the country.
At the age of 12, Erik got behind the wheel and began racing go-karts. What began as a hobby soon turned serious, as he won Rookie of the Year honors in his first full season of competition at the River Valley Kart Club in 1996. He followed his early accomplishment by winning three championships the very next year.
His successes continued when he made the transition to full-sized stock cars, winning Rookie of the Year honors in Super Late Model competition at Illiana Motor Speedway in Indiana. While continuing to run Super Late Model races, Darnell gained additional experience by running in each of the four divisions that comprise the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, getting valuable experience at racetracks across the country.
In ‘04, Darnell got the call that he had been chosen to compete in Roush Racing’s Race for the Ride, where he competed against 25 drivers for a seat in one of Roush’s Craftsman Truck Series entries. He made it to the final round at Darlington Raceway, finishing a close second to winner Todd Kluever. Darnell impressed Roush Racing’s representatives so much that he was awarded a developmental driver contract, and was entered in select races in the ARCA series with Roush support.
When Roush and the Discovery Channel were looking for drivers to answer the casting call for their new reality show, Driver X: Race for the Ride, Darnell’s name appeared at the top of everyone’s list. This time, he would not be denied. For the second year in a row, he made it to the final round at Darlington. His hard work and dedication was rewarded when he was chosen as the winner, and named the new driver of the No. 99 for the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
