Driver X

[Schwartz Fan]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5339872?C

Driver X produces bumper crop of prospects

The goal of Discovery Channel's "Roush Racing: Driver X" reality series was to find one driver and reward him or her with a full-time ride with Jack Roush's NASCAR team for 2006 and beyond.

Nobody had a clue he series would wind up giving opportunities to six drivers - and not just with Roush.

Erik Darnell was the TV show winner and had a successful debut last Friday night at Daytona International Speedway with a sixth-place finish in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Driving Roush's No. 99 Ford F-150, Darnell will compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the truck series this year.

At the urging of longtime Roush star Mark Martin, the team also placed Danny O'Quinn Jr., one of the final four competitors on the show, with a Busch Series team for the 2006 season.

David Ragan was selected as co-driver of the No. 6 Ford F-150 that Martin will race part-time in the truck series this year, while Peter Shepherd has been tabbed to run some ARCA Series events and in the USAC Silver Crown Series in a car co-owned by another Roush Nextel Cup star, Carl Edwards.

Sondi Eden has been picked to drive a late model stock car co-owned by Sam Belnavis and Roush at select tracks across the Southeast. Eden is the first female USAC champion to make the transition from open-wheel cars to full-bodies stock cars.

Finally, Matt McCall, another of the final four competitors on Driver X, was picked by Robert Yates Racing to drive a limited Busch and ARCA Series schedule. McCall ran in the Daytona ARCA 200 last week, finishing second.