[Bob Tanner]

Darnell to NNS part-time in 2009: Roush Fenway Racing plans to move current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Erik Darnell into the Nationwide Series next year, but the organization's complete lineup is still being finalized, and some spots are dependent on sponsorship. Team owner Jack Roush said Wednesday that he expects to run four or five full-time Nationwide cars and at least one full-time truck. Carl Edwards, who drives for Roush in the Cup series, will also compete for the drivers' championship in the Nationwide Series, and Colin Braun will do the same in Trucks. The rest of the Nationwide lineup likely will be a mix of drivers. Darnell, who is sixth in the Truck standings, likely will run in Nationwide, Roush said. "If a sponsor came and very much wanted to have Erik back in the Truck series, we would certainly think about that," he said. "If Erik is going to advance - my understanding of his career goal wasn't that he wanted to be a Truck driver for his career but to advance into Nationwide and into Sprint Cup. "We have got an opportunity. Although he's not running for a championship, he'll get a significant number of races in a Nationwide Fusion next year."(SceneDaily.com)(

Too bad for the truck series. Erik is an above average driver. Too bad Flipper wants to continue his Cup Raiding. Darnell could use the BGN experience and seat time a lot more than Edwards. I just hope he doesn't get lost in the Cup Raiding fiasco. He comes from a racing family (I used to watch his father, Bay Darnell) race at O'Hare Stadium in Chicago) and deserves better.