Petty Motorsports to Feature Darrell Wallace
By Johnnie Grant –
Richard Petty Motorsports based out of Mooresville, North Carolina has tagged NASCAR rookie driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr., to drive the iconic (Richard Petty) No. 43 race car during the upcoming 2018 NASCAR Grand National Series.
24-year-old Wallace was born in Mobile, Alabama, grew up in Concord, North Carolina, and started racing cars at the age of nine.
In 2005, he won 35 of the Bandolero Series’ 48 races held that year; in 2008 he became the youngest driver to win at Franklin County Speedway in Virginia.
In 2010 Wallace was signed as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing where he competed in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 54 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
The often untold history of African Americans in NASCAR started with Wendell Scott, who was the first African American driver to win a Grand National Series race at NASCAR’s highest level. Scott went on to start a total of 495 races in NASCAR top series through 1973 and was the first African American driver to hit the NASCAR circuit. He was, by far, the most successful African American in NASCAR motorsports; but his success didn’t shield him from discrimination both on and off the track.
NASCAR didn’t see another African American driver until 1986, when Willy T. Ribbs started in three races that year. Ribbs tested the Formula 1 race car in 1995, and was the first African American driver in the Indy 500. Despite his success and support from notables like Bill Cosby and Paul Newman, his time with NASCAR was short-lived. His talent and opportunity were there—he just didn’t have the right support.
There have been seven African American NASCAR drivers prior to Darrell Wallace. However, the lack of financial support and racial barriers prevailed to keep these noted African Americans from leaving their mark on the sport.
Richard Petty made it clear by stating: “If you look back at the Petty motorsports history we’ve had a driver from Brazil, and a driver from Mexico who race for us. It’s not anything different than what we’ve done before. I didn’t care what color he is, or where he come from. Color is the least of my considerations when we looked for talent. “
Darrell Wallace tweeted of his new-found fame: “There’s only one driver from an African American background at the top level of this (NASCAR) sport currently… I am the one. So, embrace it, accept it, and enjoy the journey.”
