Lead Lap's NASCAR News » Erik Darnell

Yeley To Drive The No. 55 At Atlanta Motor Speedway

Michael J Smith — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:22:05 +0000

JJ Yeley will drive Front Row Motorsports’ No. 38 Ford in the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with sponsorship from Vampt malt beverages.

Travis Kvapil, who normally drives the No. 38, will move to FRM’s No. 55 entry, the car Yeley normally drives, for the race.

Yeley started the season driving for Whitney Motorsports in the No. 46 Chevy. He filled in for Kvapil in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Kvapil drove in the Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.

Two races later, he drove the No. 55 for FRM.

Erik Darnell replaced Yeley in WMS’s No. 46 car at NHMS. He also drove in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway for Whitney. At Watkins Glen International, Yeley was back in the No. 46.

The following week, Yeley drove the no. 55 again. WMS announced that Scott Speed would drive their No. 46 for the remainder of the season.

Yeley has made 19 starts this season; he has an average finish of 40th.

Darnell To Drive For Whitney Motorsports At Loudon

Michael J Smith — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:42:18 +0000

With JJ Yeley driving for Front Row Motorsports in the No. 38 Ford in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Erik Darnell will drive for Whitney Motorsports in the No. 46 Chevy at Loudon. Yeley, who normally pilots the No. 46, will be subbing for Travis Kvapil, who will be driving in the Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.

This race marks WM’s last fielding a Chevy. Starting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, WM will field Fords using FR9 engines.

Darnell To Sub For Edwards If Necessary

Michael J Smith — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:22:49 +0000

With Carl Edwards’ wife expecting to have her baby any day now, Erik Darnell will be on standby to fill in for Edwards in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Nationwide entry, should his wife go into labor during the race weekend. He is also on standby for the Las Vegas race next weekend. No word whether or not he is backup for the Sprint Cup car.

RPM To Merge With Yates, Switch To Fords

Michael J Smith — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:56:32 +0000

Richard Petty Motorsports will conduct its second merger in as many seasons, as RPM will merge with Yates Racings, fielding Fords next season. Initially, rumors suggested the team would move to Toyotas next season, but RPM officials publicly said the team would not switch to Toyota.

It had been speculated for some time that RPM would switch makes, due in part to the financial difficulties of its current make, Dodge.

The newly formed team will run under the current RPM banner with Paul Menard joining RPM, and teammates Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, and AJ Allmendinger. No word on what will become of Reed Sorenson, current driver of RPM’s No. 43 Dodge. Earlier this season, he was rumored to be out at RPM.

For the remainer of this season, Yates Racing will continue to field a Ford for Hall of Fame Racing’s No. 96, driven by Bobby Labonte and Erik Darnell.

Richard Petty said:

Right now this deal is real new. There are lots of details still left to be ironed out so we don’t have a lot of answers for anyone right now. We’ll be working on all that in the coming days, weeks and months, but we do intend to have everything in place before the start of next season.

Max Jones, of Yates Racing, said:

On a personal level, I am excited about the opportunity to focus my full energy on building Ford horsepower. We look forward to working with Richard Petty Motorsports to produce power second to none. There are many details to be worked out with Richard Petty Motorsports and as we finalize those details we will keep everyone informed.

This news appears to all but solidify Jamie McMurray’s departure from Roush Fenway Racing, as many thought he might be headed to Yates Racing, which has an alliance with RFR. At last check, RFR was seeking sponsorship to keep McMurray with Yates. But, this new merger would put Yates at NASCAR’s four-team limit.

McMurray could end up piloting Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Chevy next season, as that’s one of the few rides available. He’s been connect to this ride, but nothing official has been said.

Also, Salder has been rumored to be headed over to Richard Childress Racing or JTG Racing next season, which could mean that Sorenson sticks with the team and Menard takes Salder’s spot.

Gilliland To Drive For JGR, WBR

Michael J Smith — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:06:36 +0000

David Gilliland will drive four races for Joe Gibbs Racing in a fourth JGR Toyota at the end of this season. He will also drive the Wood Brothers No. 21 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, subbing for an injured Bill Elliott. Gilliland had been replaced by Bobby Labonte for seven races in TRG Motorsports’ No. 71. Labonte was replaced by Erik Darnell in the Yates Racing’s No. 96 Ford.

Labonote To Drive TRG’s No. 71

Michael J Smith — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:29:06 +0000

It was reported that Erik Darnell would be replacing Bobby Labonte in Yates Racing’s No. 96 Ford Fusion. Well, it didn’t take Labonte long to find a ride. He will pilot TRG Motorsports’ No. 71 in the races in which he will be replaced by Darnell. The move allows the team to use the past champion’s provisional. david gilliland remains with the team and will drive when Labonte’s not in the car.

Darnell To Replace Labonte For 7 Races

Michael J Smith — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:31:35 +0000

Erik Darnell will replace Bobby Labonte for seven races in Yates Racing’s No. 96 Ford, starting with this weekend’s race at Atlanta. Darnell will run Atlanta, Loudon, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Labonte will run Richmond, Dover, Fontana, Charlotte and Martinsville. Labonte attributed the move to the sponsorship environment.

Johnson Finishes 34th In Truck Series Debut

Michael J Smith — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:01:34 +0000

Kyle Busch executed a perfect restart during a green-white-checker finish, then easily beat Todd Bodine to win the O’Reilly 200 from Bristol Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson made his Craftsman Truck Series debut driving the No. 81 Randy Moss Motorsports entry. He inhereted the lead early, the product of staying out when the leaders pitted. He managed to lead for 29 laps before Busch and his fresher tires prevailed.

On lap 102, Johnson spun, and Jeff Green had nowhere to go and crashed into Johnson, who ended up finishing 34th.

Top 5: Busch, Bodine, Scott Speed, Johnny Benson, and Rick Crawford.

TJ Bell, Mike Skinner, Dennis Setzer, David Stremme, and Ted Musgrave rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Jack Sprague (12th), Erik Darnell (15th), Matt Crafton (21st), Terry Cook (23rd), Ron Hornaday (24th), Patrick Carpentier (25th), Stacy Compton (31st), Ken Schrader (33rd), and Jimmie Johnson (34th).

Benson Wins Toyota Tundra 200

Michael J Smith — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:26:08 +0000

Johnny Benson won the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. The win is Benson’s third in a row, and his fourth in the last five races.

He passed Erik Darnell with three laps left and pulled away, never looking back.

Top 5: Benson, Darnell, Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague, and Ron Hornaday.

Colin Braun, Stacy Compton, Ted Musgrave, David Starr, and Chad McCumbee finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Notables: Matt Crafton (11th), David Stremme (13th), Mike Skinner (17th), Dennis Setzer (18th), Rick Crawford (23rd), and Brendan Gaughan (24th).

Benson Wins Power Stroke Diesel 200

Michael J Smith — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:01:36 +0000

Johnny Benson held off Ron Hornaday to win the Power Stroke Diesel 200 from O’Reilly Raceway Park. With this victory, Benson now has three on the season, and is the current points leader. He’s won three of the last four races.

Hornaday dominated the early part of the race, but a series of cautions kept him from pulling away. Benson passed him on lap 162 and held on to win.

Top 5: Benson, Hornaday, Erik Darnell, Matt Crafton, and Shelby Howard.

Brandan Gaughan, T.J. Bell, Kyle Busch, Donny Lia and Mike Skinner finished sixth through 10th, respectively.