Erik Darnell's race weekend at Las Vegas started on a high note, knowing he would head to the racetrack on level playing ground with the rest of the field.  With the recent configuration of the speedway, no one would have an advantage and those who could adapt their setups to the new facility the quickest would be rewarded.

Darnell's Woolrich team was among those who figured the track out early and looked to be a contender for the win.  A mid-race pit stop would deal the Woolrich crew a bad hand, ultimately leading to their downfall.

The No. 99 Woolrich Ford started the race in the 16th position, but made quick progress towards the front of the field.  It would take Darnell just four laps to crack the top-10, as he clicked off some of the fastest lap times in the field.  Darnell reported to the crew that his Ford was "a touch loose, and tight off center."  A caution period at lap 25 would allow Darnell to bring the No. 99 to pit road for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.  He would restart the race in the 10th position, continuing his charge to the front of the field.  Darnell made his way to the third spot on lap 70 when an incident with teammate Michel Jourdain would again bring out the caution.   The Woolrich crew again called Darnell to pit road for tires and fuel, feeling the truck would be set to make it to the finish on one last stop.

Darnell restarted the race in the 11th spot, and quickly called over the radio that he felt a vibration.  Teammate Peter Shepherd brought out a quick caution just eight laps later and, knowing they could not take a chance on leaving Darnell on track, the crew called him back to pit road for another set of tires.  The crew peered over the set they had taken off the truck only to find that Darnell had correctly diagnosed there was indeed a problem, a defective right front rim.  The second stop cost Darnell his track position and would have the Woolrich Ford restarting in the 21st position.  Darnell found that the truck was extremely tight for the remainder of the race.  Having run in clean air all night, the handling conditions of the truck drastically changed for the remaining laps, leaving Darnell to do what he could to hold on and score the best finish they could.

Darnell would ultimately settle for a 17th place finish, a great disappointment knowing what could have been.

"Our Woolrich Ford was really good tonight," said Darnell.  "We started the race 16th, obviously in traffic, and we were able to drive right up into the top-10 with no problem.  We had a pit stop there, and I don't know if it was the set of tires or a lug nut or what, but we had a pretty good vibration.
We were fortunate to have a yellow come out shortly thereafter and we were able to come in and change that.  The truck was never the same after that.
I don't if we had a shock go out or something go wrong in the suspension, but it definitely wasn't driving like it was early in the race.  At the end, it's a pretty disappointing finish for us just because we were running so strong in the beginning."