Erik Darnell 2009 Season Recap
December 8, 20098:39 AM
Erik Darnell, No. 6 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford Fusion
Concord, N.C. (Dec. 7, 2009) – After a successful career in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Erik Darnell got the call from Jack Roush that he would be moving up to the Nationwide Series in 2009, doing a partial schedule with David Ragan in the No. 6 Ford Fusion. It wasn’t a full-time ride, but Darnell knew he was given a great opportunity and would make the most of it. He showcased his skills during the first seven races grabbing one pole, two top-five and five top-10 finishes. The next nine races though Darnell struggled, picking up only two top-15 finishes. Even though the second half of the season was not what he was hoping for, the 26-year old rookie turned a lot of heads, and in turn made a name for himself at NASCAR’s next level.
Darnell had to wait nine races or just under three months before finally getting behind the wheel of his No. 6 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford Fusion. The track was Richmond International Raceway; a place where Darnell had no prior racing experience. The Nationwide rookie qualified 20th for his first event, but cracked the top 15 by lap 15. He would battle back and forth between positions 14 and 21 for most of the race before making some late moves at the end to finish 12th.
“It was great feeling finally getting behind the wheel. While everyone else was racing I had to sit and watch. The nerves were certainly flying that day. Once I got out there though they went away. For my first of the season it wasn’t a bad start. I just wish I could have come away with a top 10,” said Darnell.
Darnell’s second test of the season was Darlington Raceway. Darlington was yet another track that Darnell had never stepped foot on. The rookie looked like a veteran, starting from the fifth position and staying in the top 10 for the entire 153-lap race. Darnell even had a shot at victory grabbing the second-place spot with 57 laps to go. He held onto the position for 26 laps, battling it out with then leader Kyle Busch before finishing in fourth-place. Darnell earned the respect of his fellow drivers including Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards who called Darnell’s performance at the famous track “amazing.”
“The race at Darlington was a huge confidence builder for me. I would have never thought I’d go in there for the first time and compete for the win. Mike [Kelley] and the entire Northern Tool + Equipment team did an outstanding job getting the car ready. We ran with the best of them for much of the race; we just came up a tad short. To say you handled one of the hardest track on the circuit is an awesome feeling,” explained Darnell.
Following another top-10 performance at Nashville-where he crossed the finish line in ninth-place-Darnell had to wait four more weeks before hopping back in the car. His fourth race of the season at The Milwaukee Mile meant a lot to the young driver. He grew up only 40 miles south of the track with a lot of great racing memories. Darnell created a lot of buzz with the hometown crowd when he put the No. 6 NT+E machine on the pole to begin the NorthernTool.com 250. Darnell led the field around the track for the first 19 laps, but by lap 75 was down two laps. The NT+E team worked extremely hard to get Darnell back on the lead lap by lap 83. With 30 laps to go Darnell was all the way up to third before passing Kyle Busch to secure second place. The No. 6 NT+E Ford Fusion held onto to second for over 20 laps before getting passed by Busch then Brad Keselowski in the closing laps to come away with his second fourth-place finish of the season.
“It’s always great going back up to The Mile. This is a race that I really thought we had a shot at. Getting the pole was a goal of mine this season and to get it at my home track was just too good to be true. To start up front and lead some laps was some great experience. To be down a few laps after starting on the pole and to end up where we did at the end was a true testament of how hard the team worked that afternoon,” explained Darnell.
After wrapping up two top-five and four top-10 finishes during his first five races, Darnell continued to roll picking up a ninth-place at New Hampshire followed by a10th- place at Gateway. His first seven races of the season concluded with a starting average of 12.1 and a finishing average of 8.4 while leading 20 laps.
“The first half of the season could not have started off any better for us. I came in knowing that my schedule was limited this season and I had to make the most of the opportunity. Out of those first seven races, Darlington definitely stands out as the top moment for me. To run the way we did was awesome,” added Darnell.
Darnell’s great start to the season looked as if it would continue heading into the next two races at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) and Iowa Speedway. He qualified fourth at ORP and third at Iowa, so momentum heading into the races wasn’t an issue. However, problems at ORP including a broken hood pin and contact with the wall late in the race put Darnell four laps down to finish 29th. His bad luck would continue at Iowa. While running third with just 14 laps to go, a three-wide battle coming out of turn one ensued with Darnell in between Justin Allgaier and Steven Wallace. As the three made their way out of two, Allgaier got loose sliding up into Darnell. The No. 6 headed to pit road for repair work, but the damage was all ready done. Darnell ended up three laps behind to finish 23rd.
Darnell’s only road course race of the season came in late August up at Montreal. Prior to Montreal, his only road course experience came back in 2008 at the Nationwide race in Mexico, so his expectations were mixed. Darnell though overcame a 29th-place qualifying run and was able to avoid several wrecks at the end to come away with a respectable 12th-place finish.
With just three races left Darnell was hoping to overturn his misfortunes. The previous three races ended with finishes of 14th (Richmond), 17th (Dover), and 18th (Kansas). But the turnaround that he was looking for never came. The finishes continued heading in the wrong direction with two of those ending behind the wall. On lap 68 a Charlotte the No. 6 was hit by Jason Leffler’s loose race car exiting out of turn one putting Darnell out of commission 132 laps short of the checker flag to finish 34th. It would happen again one week later at Memphis, Darnell had no where to go when several cars in front of him piled up on the backstretch. He finished 31st, but on both occasions Darnell just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
His bad luck continued at Homestead for the last race of the season. After qualifying 41st, Darnell marched up through the field. Great driving and outstanding work on pit road got the No. 6 all the way up to fourth with just 27 laps in the books. However the great run ended as Darnell was involved in a couple of incidents with the wall at laps 127, 130, and 157 placing him three laps down in 31st-place.
“The second half of the season was really disappointing. I knew there would be some bumps along the way and I thought we would get back my on track. Things certainly didn’t turn around. We had a few really good qualifying runs, but couldn’t capitalize when it was time to do so. If things would have continued on the right path throughout the season, I know we were capable of a couple of victories,” said Darnell.
Erik Darnell 2009 Statistics
Owner Points: 10th
Wins: 0
Top-5s: 2
Top-10s: 5
Poles: 1
Led: 20
Earnings: $430,908
More Headlines
