Erik Darnell’s career path seemed destined from birth. Having a grandfather with a successful USAC background and a father with an equally impressive ASA resume, it was only natural that he would take to the track and continue putting the family name in racing programs throughout the country.
At only eight weeks old, Erik was given his first exposure to the racing world when he was brought to the Mecca of stock car racing, Daytona International Speedway. While most children were left to the care of their mothers while their fathers worked on the cars, Erik’s story was a little different. “I was right there with everyone,” he said. “They had me propped up in a box, in the back of the truck so I could see what was going on.”
At the age of 12, Erik got behind the wheel and began racing go-karts in his native Illinois. What began as a hobby would soon turn 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, Erik 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 2004, Erik got the call that he had been chosen to compete in Roush Fenway Racing’s “Race for the Ride,” where he competed against 25 drivers for a seat in one of Roush Fenway Racing’s Craftsman Truck Series entries. He made it to the final round at Darlington, finishing a close second to winner Todd Kluever. He impressed Roush Fenway representatives so much that he was awarded a developmental driver contract, and was entered in select races in the ARCA series with Roush Fenway 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 earned him a place with Roush Fenway Racing, when he was named Driver X, the new driver of the No. 99 for the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
Darnell’s 2006 season started with a sixth-place finish at Daytona, and was followed up with 11 more top-10 runs. Darnell was a model of consistency, earning an average finish of 13.5 over the course of 25 starts. Darnell completed 95.8 percent of the laps raced in ’06, the most of any Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate.
Darnell and his No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment team had lofty goals for the 2007 season. They put pressure on themselves to come out of the box strong and compete for the series championship. While Darnell was able to pick up the first win of his young career at Kansas Speedway, the rest of the season did not meet up to internal or external expectations. A wholesale crew swap between the No. 50 and 99 teams towards the end of the season placed Darnell with crew chief Matt Puccia for the remainder of the 2007 and 2008 season.
The driver of the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150 entered 2008 hoping to finally capitalize on a championship. His season got off to a blazing start as he captured the pole at Daytona, but would end up finishing 21st. The next eight races saw Darnell pickup only two top-10 finishes and looking for answers. It wasn’t until Michigan that Darnell would see his season turnaround as he captured his only win of the season by holding off Johnny Benson by 0.005 seconds. Darnell would go on to grab six more top-five and nine more top-10 finishes to end the season with a fourth-place finish in the overall standings.
After a successful career in the Camping World Truck Series where Darnell accumulated two wins, three poles, 16 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes in 76 career starts, he got a call from Jack Roush telling him that he was moving up to the Nationwide Series in 2009 driving the No. 6 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford Fusion. The 26-year old is determined to make a name for himself at NASCAR’s next level.
Career Overview
- 2008 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – One win (Michigan), two poles, nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 25 starts
- 2007 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series- One win (Kansas), three top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 25 starts
- 2006 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series- One pole, four top-five, 12 top-10 finishes in 25 starts
- 2006 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Truck Series- Raybestos Rookie of the Year winner
- 2005 ARCA- Two top-five, three top-10 finishes in five starts
- 2005 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Southeast- Two top-five finishes in two starts
- 2005 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Midwest- One win, one top-five and two top-10 finishes in four starts
- 2004 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Southeast- One win, six top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes in 12 starts. Finished third in points
- 2004 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Midwest- One win, five top-five, and eight top-10 finishes in 11 starts. Finished 11th in points
- 2003 Wisconsin Challenge Series Champion. Three wins and six top-five finishes in 10 starts. Record holder for most wins in a season.
- 2002 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Southwest- Finished sixth, Phoenix Int’l Raceway
- 2002 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Southeast- Finished 10th, Bristol Motor Speedway
- 2001 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Series, Southeast- Finished second, Nashville Superspeedway
- 2001 Super Late Model Rookie of the Year, Illiana Motor Speedway
- ’98-‘00 Allison Legacy Series- 12 feature wins, three track records
-1997 River Valley Kart Club, Gold Restrictor Plate Class- Champion
- 1997 River Valley Kart Club, Yamaha Junior Class- Champion
- 1997 Gem Pro Oval Series, Yamaha Junior Class- Champion
- 1996 River Valley Kart Club, Purple Restrictor Plate Class- Rookie of the Year
--To find out more about Erik, please visit www.ErikDarnell.com.
--To join Erik's Official Fan Club, please visit www.RoushFenwayFanSite.com.
