Erik Darnell, No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford Preview: Charlotte

Its All Star week in NASCAR and Friday nights truck series race is the prelude to one of the biggest nights of racing this season. The Cup Series non-point All Star race this Saturday night may get the majority of hype but the truck series has historically produced its own share of highlights. Lowes Motor Speedway is considered the home track for many of the drivers and teams who live in the Charlotte area. Running up front and winning is a high priority for all. Everyone steps their programs for these events to put on the best show possible for family and friends.

Last year Erik Darnell headed to Charlotte after a dominating win at the previous race at Kansas Speedway. He and his team carried that momentum with them into qualifying earning an impressive 5th place on the starting grid. He ran extremely well in race trim but experienced several mishaps during pit stops. He also had two on-track incidents that finally forced him to the garage for good with 28 laps remaining. This year look for Erik and his team to improve on the outcome. These types of tracks suit Erik's driving style and his team has been performing well on pit road. They're bringing a brand new race truck that has tested well and will be looking for the win.

The 1.5-mile track configuration at Lowes Motor Speedway is known for producing fast-paced, highly competitive racing. Last years event saw 10 lead changes up front with 7 caution flags flying throughout the night as a result of those fighting for position back in the pack. The action continued into the closing laps with a late race caution producing a green, white, checker finish. Ron Hornaday Jr. held off runner up A.J. Allmendinger and took the win by a slight .0244 second margin of victory. The truck series drivers are excited to be back on the track and will be looking to make highlights of their own on NASCAR's All Star weekend.

Vacation is over in the Craftsman Truck Series and this week kicks off a busy upcoming schedule for the drivers and teams. Running well and finishing strong will not only set the tone for the next several races but the season as well. Tune in this Friday night and catch the racing action on Speed.

Darnell on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway: “With Charlotte being a multi-groove track, you know there is going to be some exciting racing. We’ve run well here in the past, most notably a top-10 finish in 2006. We had a fast truck last year qualifying fifth, but a late wreck spoiled our day. I’m looking forward to racing this week in a brand new truck. It showed a lot of promise while testing down at Darlington and I feel pretty good about our chances. It should be a great night for racing.”

Crew Chief Matt Puccia on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway: “This is by far one of my favorite tracks to visit during the season. Erik tends to run well at cookie cutter tracks like this one. The Northern Tool + Equipment team will debut a new truck at Charlotte. We actually found it to be better than our work horse truck while testing down at Darlington. I think the No.99 Ford F-150 is capable of doing some great things on the track Friday night.”