DARNELL: Top 10 Points in Reach with Solid Atlanta Finish
03-05-2008 8:48 pm

The No. 99 team will be bringing chassis RK389-54 to Atlanta. This chassis last raced at California two weeks ago, where Darnell started 14th and finished 11th.

Darnell enters Atlanta 11th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings, 125 points behind point leader Kyle Busch.

Darnell took advantage of the first off-weekend of the 2008 season by heading to Las Vegas, where he observed the weekend's activities with the No. 16 Nationwide Series team.

Darnell will arrive in Atlanta early this week to make an in-store appearance for sponsor Northern Tool + Equipment on Thursday night.

In 53 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, Darnell has accumulated one win, two poles, seven top-five and 20 top-10 finishes.

ERIK DARNELL ON ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY. . .
"Atlanta is definitely one of my favorite racetracks. We ran really well there in my rookie year, but we struggled last year. We tested there in January, and with the new engine rules, you're wide-open every lap. Atlanta is a great track because you can really go anywhere, up to the wall, or down on the white line. There have been some exciting finishes there over the years, and I'd like to be one of the guys involved in it this week."

MATT PUCCIA ON ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY. . .
"We got to test at Atlanta before the season started, and that was a big benefit to us. We got to experiment with some different setups that we just haven't had time to do before since the schedule is so compact. Erik has ran well there in the past, and I believe that we've got a chance to return to form this weekend. We'd love to put the Northern Tool + Equipment Ford into victory lane on Friday night."