Darnell picks up pace in final AMS practice session

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Making your Sprint Cup Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway is already stressful, but for Erik Darnell, his performance in Sunday night's Pep Boys 500 could be construed as a "screen test" of sorts, one that could have a major effect on his future racing career.

Running only a partial Nationwide Series schedule for Roush Fenway Racing in 2009, Darnell suddenly and unexpectedly found himself replacing Bobby Labonte in the No. 96 Ford for seven races, thanks to a late deal involving sponsors Academy Sports and Northern Tool and Equipment. How late? Because he didn't have time to acquire the right credentials, he was held up by security on his way to his own media conference.

In fact, the crew was still busy making final adjustments to Darnell's seat, which was installed after the team announced that the 26-year-old Illinois native would be replacing the 2000 champion in seven of the final 12 races.

"Obviously, I'm very excited to be in this position that I'm in right now," Darnell said Saturday. "It's kind of a little bit unexpected, I guess, it kind of all happened in a hurry, but I feel very fortunate to be in this position."

Darnell used the first of two practices to get acclimated to the car. He made 30 laps, the fastest turned at 167.457 mph, a full 4 miles an hour slower than the rest of the 45 cars entered. He picked up the pace in the final tuneup, lapping the 1.54-mile quad-oval in 172.538 mph, which left him 45th on the leaderboard.

Ryan Newman showed the way in Happy Hour with a lap of 179.866 mph, narrowly edging Mark Martin and Brian Vickers. Martin won the pole back in March, while Vickers finished fifth the last time the circuit visited Atlanta. The rest of the top five included Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon, as a total of nine cars exceeded the 179 mph barrier.

For Darnell, getting any kind of additional seat time this season is a bonus, especially since his 2010 plans are undetermined. The lack of openings at the top level of Roush Fenway Racing -- particularly as the organization prepares to shed one of its five Cup programs -- has halted the pipeline of young talent, leaving Darnell without a clear career path.

"Right now, I don't really know what's gonna happen next year yet," Darnell said. "I didn't have anything lined up on the Nationwide side as of now, that I know of, so, for me, this is my chance to go out and kind of prove myself. Hopefully, we run well." (Continued)