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Tag: Darrell Wallace Jr.

  • Hot 20 – 36 Charter teams and just 36 cars running at Atlanta on Sunday

    Hot 20 – 36 Charter teams and just 36 cars running at Atlanta on Sunday

    36. Damn, and I was so looking forward to saying nothing but positive things this season. 36. That is the number of entries slated to run at Atlanta on Sunday. 36. The last time we had that small a field, it was 1996 in Martinsville. Rusty Wallace and Jeff Gordon were the race winners at that venue. 36. The last time we had that many run in Atlanta was in 1976, 42 years ago. David Pearson and Dave Marcis were the eventual victors. That year, 20 of the 30 races had fields of 36 and less.

    More than 40 years later, and maybe things have not changed that much after all. I guess NASCAR knew what they were doing when they handed out just 36 charters. That is all we got in Atlanta. I think we can safely say that, at most, only 36 entries matter. Truth be told, that number might be closer to 25, but did I not say I was trying to be positive this season?

    The Hot 20 heading to Atlanta...

    1. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 47 Points
    After 20 years, the No. 3 returns to Daytona’s Victory Circle…and life is as it should be.

    2. RYAN BLANEY – 58 POINTS
    Led for most of last Sunday and while he missed the win, he sure cashed in on bonus points.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 50 POINTS
    Boasts having the car number first made famous by Fireball Roberts. Talk about good lineage.

    4. DARRELL WALLACE JR. – 47 POINTS
    Runner-up at the Daytona 500, driving for Richard Petty. How sweet is that!

    5. PAUL MENARD – 46 POINTS
    Atlanta has a slick, sliding worn out racing surface and, as Menard would put it, it is fun.

    6. MICHAEL MCDOWELL – 39 POINTS
    First race for his new team a success, but how long will the good times roll?

    7. DENNY HAMLIN – 37 POINTS
    It is okay to take personal jabs at your fellow drivers…just as long as it isn’t Denny, it seems.

    8. RYAN NEWMAN – 34 POINTS
    Dillon got his win. Now, it is Newman’s turn to bring home the bacon for Childress.

    9. CHRIS BUESCHER – 33 POINTS
    Is JTG Daugherty the next team to move from also-ran to someone to watch?

    10. ARIC ALMIROLA – 33 POINTS
    When you try to block a freight train on the final lap of the Daytona 500, you get freight trained.

    11. TREVOR BAYNE – 31 POINTS
    Daytona is one thing, but Atlanta is where you truly discover what you have.

    12. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 30 POINTS
    11 bonus points help pad an 18th place result.

    13. CLINT BOWYER – 29 POINTS
    I could talk about Clint or the fried chicken breast served on a potato roll and topped with bacon.

    14. ALEX BOWMAN – 29 POINTS
    It appears Bowman the Showman wants a new name. Bowman the Slowman would sure suck.

    15. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 28 POINTS
    He probably thinks JTG Daugherty has already arrived.

    16. KURT BUSCH – 27 POINTS
    Most folks use a mirror to see behind them. Kurt turned his whole car, but it was not his idea.

    17. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 23 POINTS
    Hoping his 25th Atlanta start finds him finally able to shake the suds at the end.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 22 POINTS
    He fumed, he steamed, he got wrecked. That is some kind of hat trick.

    19. KEVIN HARVICK – 19 POINTS
    Harvick’s advice to Hamlin: “Sometimes you’ve got to keep your mouth shut.’’

    20. KYLE LARSON – 18 POINTS
    Somebody has to make room for Elliott, Byron, Jones, Keselowski,…

    21. KYLE BUSCH – 18 POINTS
    …Suarez and Johnson, but it won’t be either of these two.

  • Denny Hamlin’s Post-Race Confrontation with Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Denny Hamlin’s Post-Race Confrontation with Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Even after starting second and finishing third in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin was not happy after the race when he and Darrell Wallace Jr. had a post-race confrontation.

    Tempers flared early this year, starting between Denny Hamlin and Darrell Wallace Jr. As Austin Dillon took the checkered flag, there was a close battle for second. As the two battled side by side, contact was made entering the tri-oval. After crossing the start/finish line, both suffered minor crash damage after colliding with the wall exiting the tri-oval. Hamlin didn’t take kindly to Bubba’s actions on track nor his comments after the race.

    While Bubba was quite emotional by placing the famed 43 car in the runner-up position, he did have a few words regarding the incident with Denny Hamlin.

    “I want to see the replay before I say anything stupid, but he might need to take some Adderall for that one,” he told FOX.

    His comment referred to Hamlin’s recent interview with Pardon My Take when pressured into answering if drivers take prescription medication (he claimed 70 percent of the field took Adderall, but more as a ‘blow off’ of the question to continue the interview). Shortly after exiting the media center, the two crossed paths and their interaction was caught on tape.

    Hamlin posted his response in three consecutive tweets.

    All-in-all, this hasn’t been Hamlin’s only rough-up with another driver. Last year, he had a questionable situation with Ryan Blaney at Martinsville. He also made some controversial moves on track with Chase Elliott, which some believe may have prevented the Dawsonville native from reaching the final elimination round of the playoffs in 2017. Plus, there’s also the classic pit road scene with Danica Patrick three years ago.

    Bubba Wallace seems to have put it behind him and is already focused on Atlanta: “We’re both pissed off at each other, but we’re racers. We’re competitive and we’ll go into Atlanta and be fine.”

  • Wallace Overcome With Emotion after Runner-up Finish at Daytona

    Wallace Overcome With Emotion after Runner-up Finish at Daytona

    While most of the Daytona 500 headlines will focus on Austin Dillon’s win in the iconic No. 3, runner-up Darrell Wallace Jr. quietly captured the hearts of NASCAR fans everywhere as his emotions overwhelmed him after the race.

    He’s been under a spotlight since it was announced on October 25 that he had signed to drive in the Monster Energy Cup Series for NASCAR’s undisputed King, Richard Petty. Add in the pressure of representing the African American community in the sport and you get a hint of what the 24-year-old has been dealing with as he prepared for his first Daytona 500.

    But don’t think for a minute that he has any regrets. It’s what Wallace has been working toward since he began racing and he’s determined to make the most of the opportunity. His drive to succeed is evident to anyone who has followed his career. His comments are often unfiltered, a welcome respite from the more polished veterans of the sport who have become masters of the public relations game.

    What you see is what you get, pure unfiltered emotion that reaches out and grabs your attention.

    Wallace sat down to speak to the media after Sunday’s race when he was interrupted by his mother, Desiree Wallace, who came in to congratulate him. He stood up and as they hugged, she said, “We’ve waited so long baby.” As they continued their embrace, Wallace laughed and said, “You act like we just won the race,” to which she replied, “We did, we did!”

    As he said down to answer questions, he fought through tears to gain his composure.

    “It’s a sensitive subject, but I’m just so emotional over where my family has been the last two years, and I don’t talk about it, but it’s just so hard,” Wallace said,  “and so having them here to support me is … pull it together, bud, pull it together. You just finished second. It’s awesome.

    “I just try so hard to be successful at everything I do, and my family pushes me each and every day, and they might not even know it, but I just want to make them proud.”

    It today was any indication; Wallace is on the right track.

    He started the Daytona 500 in seventh place and was able to remain in the top 10 as the race came to a close. Wallace avoided the Turn 1 chaos that brought out the caution on the next to last scheduled lap of completion and passed Denny Hamlin in the closing moments to finish second.

    Wallace made no apologies for his emotions, saying, “No matter what the circumstances are when you have family here and you run good and it’s been a while since you’ve been somewhat competitive, it pulls on the heartstrings. I’m competitive. I love to win. I hate to finish second.  Obviously, that shows for everybody. But I’m human. No matter if I race cars for a living and enjoy doing it, at the end of the day we all get emotional about something, so I’m just the same as you guys.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    The 60th edition of the Great American Race was run Sunday under sunny skies in Daytona Beach, Florida. From the start, shortly after 3:00 p.m.,  it was nearly four hours of chaos. At the end, there were only a few competitive cars left to race.

    At Lap 61, nine cars were eliminated or damages. This included stars like Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Larson. At Lap 103, Chase Elliott, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Kasey Kahne were eliminated. It wasn’t over. At Lap 200, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., William Byron, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Larson were eliminated or damaged. Then came the “overtime,” and that cost Aric Almirola, who was leading at the time, elimination. That’s a total of nearly half the field.

    Why, you may ask. The answer is restrictor plate (or tapered spacer) racing. It involves cars racing at fast speeds, so close together that there is no room for error. Then include the fashionable practice of blocking. It’s Daytona Roulette. The result is only a few cars lucky enough to have avoided all the earlier carnage can be around at the end. Unfortunately, on this day even the lessening of contenders did not stop the blocking, and a crash ended the race. You may have read my earlier comment on the so-called plate racing from about five years ago. This guy doesn’t like it. Many people do. Some like the fact that almost anyone can win and others like the crashes. With 80 percent of the field either having damage or eliminated from competition, it becomes little more than a demolition derby or as I called it, a train wreck, not racing.

    One proponent of this “racing” told me today that we run nearly 200 mph at several tracks, why is this a problem at Daytona, he asked. High banks and aggressive drivers is the answer. Those tracks don’t have the banking or the aggressive behavior that is required at Daytona because in order to keep up, you have to block, and when you get a push from behind, you are helpless to slow down.

    What’s the answer? I won’t pretend to even think I know. I do take one tidbit from the past. Back in the dark ages before Bobby Allison tore out the catchfence at Talladega when everyone was running seven-liter engines, NASCAR decided to inch away from the big blocks for a more reasonable cost. The late Bud Moore was the first to try it and his No. 15 Fords had a hard time keeping up until everyone changed. Speeds at Daytona were about 176 mph and the racing was great. Now they use these smaller blocks and go even faster with a restrictor plate. Much like the gun debate in society, no one has an answer and no one is even trying to do anything to change it. So, we’re stuck with crash fests. Sad.

    The lesson from all of this is never take anything from plate races that would mean there is a pattern to competitiveness that would ring true for the rest of the season (except for the three remaining plate races). Chevrolet won the 500, but only led 19 laps on the day. Ford drivers led 150 laps and Toyota drivers led 38. Chevrolet, which brought the new Camaro ZL1 to Daytona, led only 19 laps all day. When we get to Atlanta, we’ll have a better idea of the season ahead. No, we won’t anoint Bubba Wallace the most popular driver yet (though he’s got a head start on that), or declare the young kids as not as advertised. It’s back to reality next week and real racing.

  • For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    Over the years the racing at Daytona International Speedway has proved that when it comes to the finish, it doesn’t matter how strong a car may be; things become a crapshoot. But with that being said, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace’s Daytona Speedweeks went like a dream as he was fortunate enough to have one of the strongest cars in Daytona Beach.

    He posted a strong qualifying run, finished third in his Can-Am Duel, and ultimately finished second to Austin Dillon in the 500. Afterward, the racing world was treated to a heart-warming show of emotion as Wallace tried to keep it together after getting hugs from both his mother and his older sister.

    But now the real test begins, as the 24-year-old Rookie of the Year contender faces down the next 35 races in what is essentially a brand new team. Richard Petty Motorsports formed an alliance in the off-season with Richard Childress Racing that ultimately switches out the N0. 43 Ford to the No. 43 Chevy, a switch that looks like it could already be paying dividends.

    While Wallace showed serious strength in the 500, how he’ll fare next weekend at Atlanta is anyone’s guess. RPM is still ironing out whatever kinks there may be while traveling to a very fast 1.5-mile track, and in order for Wallace and the No. 43 crew to carry on with their Daytona momentum they’ll need to exercise the same sort of discipline they showed at Daytona. All said, it’s doubtful; that will be a tall order.

    This isn’t a fact that’s lost on Wallace. He’s a rookie with a team that has not had the best of luck over the years, having only won once since 2000 (Aric Almirola’s rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400 win at Daytona). Said team relocated to Welcome, North Carolina to be closer to RCR and their equipment. The driver himself has had a rough go of things as well, having lost his XFINITY Series ride after it was shuttered early in 2017, and not having scored a win to show for any of it.

    Photo By: David Rosenblum
    The No. 11 of Denny Hamlin squeezes the No. 43 of Wallace toward the wall as they cross the finish line in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    That would be taxing on anyone, understandably, especially with someone who has experienced as much success as Wallace. But considering his work ethic and the way he carries himself on and off the track, it wasn’t a question of if he would get a chance to prove his worth, but when. Now, at the start of his first full Cup season, he’ll have plenty of speed at his disposal and plenty of chances to back his Daytona performance.

    He’s had great showings at various types of tracks, and although success isn’t guaranteed, that yellow stripe on his back bumper won’t hold him down by any means. He drives like a veteran, keeps his equipment clean, and knows how to keep his aggressiveness in check. It’s obvious he’s hungry, and with the potential for RPM to build itself around him, he may very well be the next big thing in NASCAR.

     

  • “Bubba” Wallace Discusses 2018

    “Bubba” Wallace Discusses 2018

    Darrell Wallace Jr. answered questions about his move from Roush Fenway and Richard Petty Motorsports Fords to a Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet. The team is now operating from a shop on the Richard Childress Racing campus using ECR engines. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Media participants peppered Wallace with questions.

    Q. What about 2018, are you excited?

    BUBBA WALLACE: I’m beyond excited. I might not show it, but man, this is it. We’re here. We’re at the Cup level. I’m one of the Cup guys walking around today on media day. I’m not an XFINITY guy, like oh, where’s such‑and‑such, he’s in the Cup Series. I’m there now, so it’s good. I’m ready to go. We’ve got a lot of stuff that has obviously changed over the off‑season, switching over to Chevrolet, the new Camaro ZL1 is awesome looking, looks great, especially with our colors on there, that Petty blue touch to it. Moving up camp to RCR, being on campus with them, so I’m adjusting to it all, and it’s all coming together pretty good.

    Q. In 2017 you had an opportunity to run some races; talk about your comfort and how you see your responsibility?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, going into those four races last year, it was like, okay, this isn’t my car, this isn’t my ride, no need to throw that extra little bit out there. Let’s just get through, and we ended up having some of the best races. We were on the cusp of fighting for a top 10 there at Kentucky. Just got edged out by my good friend Blaney there, so that was ‑‑ it was good to learn in that whole process. I just wish there was that one more that year to see what we could have done at Loudon. Coming back into this year, it’s been so nice to walk into the shop and be like, hey, man, good to see you again. No restarting over. Maybe just learning names of the people that I didn’t meet from behind the scenes, front office people, parts room, stuff like that. That’s a new process for me. It’s one of those deals like, okay, we’ve got a good thing going here, so I’m excited about that. We’re ready to get to Vegas is our first on‑track test coming up here in two weeks, and then Daytona.

    Q. Aric Almirola was asked yesterday, any advice for Bubba taking over the ride; he said, “Just don’t make the King mad.”

    BUBBA WALLACE: No, it’s funny that Aric wants to give advice. I still have the text he sent me before my debut, which wasn’t advice. But no, I haven’t seen that side yet of the King. Working with the King is special like I’ve said over in TV, I’ve worked with a lot of cool bosses and owners, and there’s no one like Richard Petty. I mean, he has just this aura around him. When he walks in the room, it’s like, that’s Richard Petty right there, and you still get star struck. I don’t care if I’ve been around him for three days doing production shoots, I’m still like, here we go, what’s he going to say today. I’m enjoying it. He wants to see the 43 back to its winning ways. He wants it to be a more competitive car, and at the same time, we all know realistically that it’s going to take a little bit. It’s not going to happen overnight with the things we’ve got going on, like I said, switching over everything, we’ve got some pieces of the puzzle that ‑‑ how are we going to be. That’s how I’m going into it; how are we going to run it once we get to Atlanta and Phoenix, what’s our package going to be like.

    I think Vegas will give a little bit of somewhat direction that we need, and Daytona is Daytona, and then we can go into the season and see what we’ve got.

    Q. (Indiscernible).

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, I’ll tell you, it’s different, walking through the RCR shop where they’re building our cars, and a couple of RCR employees were pushing a car around, just bare skin, body on it, and on the back glass it had a “Wallace,” and I’m like, that’s cool. That’s mine right there. I got my crew chief to send a picture over yesterday of my name on the door now, so it’s the real deal. It’s here. We’ve got a couple weeks out before we’re actually on track, but it feels like Daytona is tomorrow, Vegas is tomorrow. I’m just so excited about the opportunity and so thankful, and I think I’ve put in my efforts and the time is now, and try to go out and capitalize.

    Q. Any expectations performance‑wise in 2018?

    BUBBA WALLACE: No. I mean, this team knows how to win. They’ve done it before. I want to win. I lost track of how to do that over the last years until I went to Michigan in the truck, and I was like, all right, I’ve still got it a little bit.

    But I don’t think there’s any unrealistic goals. Our realistic goal is to win a championship. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t say that. And so I know what it takes to ‑‑ I have an idea of what it takes to win a championship, and we have to capitalize and minimize mistakes and capitalize on our good days and try to get the most out of that.

    We’ll see what happens, man. We’re just along for the ride. I’ve learned a lot from those four starts that I’ve had, to not let the emotions get too high, and just take everything lap by lap.

    Q. How do you balance your expectations but also trying to be Bubba and that aura of Richard Petty?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, it’s a fine line you have to walk a little bit, but you look back in time, things are so much different from when they were racing to how the schedule is now. Those guys were running 60 races a year, so that’s a little bit different, so I for sure believe that that 200 number will never be reached, and that’s something special that he’ll always have with him. But for me to share a little bit of his history and his past and all of his accomplishments, you know, in my rookie season, it’s like, this is like, who would have ever thought this story would happen. I’m just looking at it as don’t mess up, don’t be a hero like he told me before climbing in the car at Pocono. There’s no need to be a hero, just go out there and do what I can do.

    Q. How well established is the new shop, and are you spending a lot of time there?

    BUBBA WALLACE: I’ll tell you, we’re turning in a lot more gas receipts. A lot farther drive. But no, we’re coming together. Right before the holidays, we were moved in. We had stuff in the shop. It was here, there, everywhere. Come back after the new year and stuff was organized. We just started getting cars on the floor to be able to assemble and build last week, two weeks ago, so it’s all coming together in a timely manner. But we also know that it’s also crunch time, and we have to really get moving.

    Q. What’s the thing that stands out the most about Michigan that day?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, I’m always going back and watching footage from that race or from a lot of races, even the ones I haven’t won, just races that we ran good at. It’s like, wow, we did that. We were there on that day, and looking back, it’s like, holy cow, that’s five years ago. It’s been a long journey. It’s been a tough road, tough hill to climb. But it’s all part of it. It shapes who you are.

    That day will always be one that sticks out the most, just getting that first truck win, getting established in the sport, getting that grandfather clock. I’ve just looked back, and I just can’t wait to go to Martinsville again.

    Q. What was your reaction to Kyle Busch’s comments yesterday about the marketing of young drivers?

    BUBBA WALLACE: You’ve got video of this? That was so dumb. So stupid. I know Kyle, and I’ve raced with him, and I know how he is. I don’t care ‑‑ it’s just like ‑‑ I don’t know how old he is, 30 something, right? 32? Damn, he’s that old? Getting up there, bud. He was in the same kind of spot we were. I mean, they had, what, the Gillette Young Guns back then. He’s still got the baby face now. Not sure what he’s trying to say, but he had kind of some of the same treatment we’re going through, and I will say when certain drivers ‑‑ you guys can ‑‑ if I ever get to this level, pinch me and try to bring me back home, but when they get to this certain level, they stop doing stuff. We get requests all the time, some stuff we turn down, some stuff it’s like, okay, how does this help me, does it help, good, let’s do it. It’s kind of pulling teeth when you get well‑established in the Cup Series, and a lot of us are like that. It’s one of those things where I look at how is it going to promote my brand, promote the sport, promote the youth movement, and if I’m promoting the sport, that means I’m promoting everybody in this room, right? We’re all part of the sport together. So it’s actually like you’re welcome for doing the dirty work. And I wouldn’t really call it dirty work because some of it’s fun. We get to go to LA and hang out and be on Nickelodeon and doing all this stuff, and we like doing that. I don’t have the M&M’s sponsor to carry me full‑time. I have 13 races, so I have to put myself out there. I have to sell myself. And if NASCAR is going to do that and I don’t have to pay for it, hell yeah, sign me up. There’s my take.

    Q. (Indiscernible).

    BUBBA WALLACE: See him getting slammed? I would have loved to have seen that, but Truex got that.

    Q. The off‑season, do you want to rest? What’s the balance? Do you want to stay at home, play video games?

    BUBBA WALLACE: It’s tough. I’ll tell you, I’ve been busy ‑‑ January 4th is when off‑season for me was over with, and it’s been nonstop ever since. And it’s been okay. I’ll get some days where I’m stressed out to the max, and I’m probably a jerk and don’t want to do anything, but then I sit back and reality kicks in, and it’s like, dude, you could be a lot worse. Your video games will come later ‑‑ I sound like my mom right now, it’s weird. Video games will get there when you get home. But it’s like, okay, I’ve got a little bit of time to do this, go back to sleep, and it’s like, oh, we’ve got to be up at 7:30 in the morning to do this all over again. It’s like, geez, it’s one of those things I was used to, and then once you get everything pulled away from you and you’re on the sidelines, you lose track of being in a routine, doing all that stuff over and over again. It’s like, yeah, this is cool, but as soon as you stop for months at a time, you lose track.

    It’s something that it’s good to get back in that routine, good to get back going. Those early alarms are getting up, and it’s not getting old anymore. It’s starting to become second nature. I still cuss a lot when the 7:30 alarm goes off, but whatever, I do that every day. But it’s good to get the juices flowing, especially for this rookie year. I mean, there’s a lot on the line for it.

    Q. (Indiscernible).

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, he was blown away by a lot of things in the race shop. He jumped on the simulator to go racing Daytona, and he spent about five, six laps, which he thought he had run 50 by that time, and he set a time, and in my mind, I’m like, all right, I’ll blow this out of the water in one lap. It took me two laps to beat his time, and I was only barely a tenth faster than him, like man, that’s pretty good. Then we went to Martinsville, and I kind of had him by two seconds. But that’s part of it.

    Q. Is it neat when you see guys in other sports (indiscernible)?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Absolutely. I mean, there’s ‑‑ I don’t know their schedule, but I know what they go through. It looks like what they go through is very hectic, being on the road training every day, in the gym, shooting around or on the fields throwing passes, catching passes, tackling people, to have a little bit of time to come out and see what our world is like is pretty neat.

    Q. For fans looking for a driver, what would be your sales pitch?

    BUBBA WALLACE: That deal I just talked about, Kyle Busch. That should sell them right there, right? I love Kyle to death, but damn, dude, come on. For me, I’m just different, man. We’re sitting up here, and this is a big moment, and I just like cutting up and having fun with you guys, but also trying to get the message out there and the points I need to say in the right way. Talking about Richard Petty, talking about our new sponsors. Click n’ Close, you never seen them on a race car before, never seen them in the sport, and they’re on my car for my rookie season, so I can’t thank them enough, and our Camaro ZL1 looks great with those colors on there, so we’re excited to hit the track. But aside from that, you know, hell yeah, it’s race season again. I’m in a car. I’m driving again. I’m going out there to put it all on the line, and I don’t take to take any flak from any drivers. I know you have to earn the respect to get the respect, but it’ll be a fun process to see how that works out. I mean, sorry in advance if I piss you off, but I’m trying to win a race, too.

    Q. I think you mentioned the number, 13 races you said earlier; is sponsorship still a concern? The King pretty much seems committed to running the whole season. Is there any concern?

    BUBBA WALLACE: No, we’re running the full season. I know that for sure. That was one of the selling points of signing that contract to make sure we’re running the full season. We don’t know about the other races who’s going to be on the car. Some races might see my pretty face on the hood of that thing. Hopefully, they don’t charge me. But it’s a tough process, tough sport. The economy has changed so much over the last couple years, and it’s hard to get that multimillion-dollar sponsorship. I’m trying to do everything under the sun to land that, whether it’s going to the meetings, making the phone calls, going out to LA, doing fun stuff like Nickelodeon and creating those new relationships and partnerships and becoming brand ambassadors of certain outlets. I’m trying to do all that to sell myself.

    Q. Earlier you mentioned a text message from Aric. Could you elaborate on that?

    BUBBA WALLACE: We’ll save that for a later date.

    Q. You just talked about all the fun stuff you’ve got to do. What’s been the most fun thing away from the track?

    BUBBA WALLACE: The most fun we had, we went on a cruise, Blaney and I, Amanda, my girlfriend. We went on a cruise with a couple of our other friends. There was like eight of us, nine of us. His sisters went. I think there was nine. We had a blast there. But ever since then, it was Christmas, and then it was New Year, and then it’s been busy ever since. It was a fun off‑season. It was short. I knew once this January rolled around it was a little bit different. Preseason doesn’t really start for me until this day, but with all the production days and all that stuff, it started a little bit earlier, so it was good to get back in the flow of things.

    Q. Is performance going to be crucial in finding sponsors?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Oh, for sure. We’re out there. It’s not a tryout, but we’re trying to sell ourselves, too. RPM had this image painted about them for the last couple years of just a mid‑pack car, and they’ve gotten their wins at superspeedways and stuff, and they’ve shown potential at certain races last year that it was good to see. It was good to look at, okay, man, they ran really good at Phoenix, had some good races at other places, and you text Drew, and it’s like, all right, cool, let’s build off that. So we got a lot of good stuff to work with. Drew feels like with what they were lacking last year versus what we have this year from equipment‑wise to just data sharing and everything, we’ll be a lot better.

    Q. When you were on the sidelines, did you ever have serious thoughts that your NASCAR racing career might not continue, and when you found out that this opportunity was going to be presented, did it in any way kind of reinforce or show you how much you really wanted to do this?

    BUBBA WALLACE: Yeah, that was a stressful time. I’ve been stressed out before, but nothing like that. Not sleeping, not eating, not being my normal self, just because it was always what in the heck am I going to do. I didn’t know ‑‑ I had no idea what I was going to do. I was like, I hated school. I didn’t want to go back. But I didn’t go to college, so I’d have to go back. It was a year of uncertainty. Spell that out, change 2017 to uncertainty for me because that’s what it was, just ‑‑ I did not know what was going to happen. So going through those races and trying to balance that, I don’t know how in the hell I did it. A balance of no ride to one ride here and there, win Michigan, run really well at Chicago, and be like, okay, now you have a ride for 2018. I never would have thought it. It’s just what you go through in life. Life is tough, a tough world, and it’ll chew you up and spit you out in heartbeat, and you have to be ready for it, and I wasn’t ready for it at the time, but if this ever happens again, then I’ll try not to get as stressed, but I’ll just have to go out and win another race, I guess.

  • Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Named Driver of Petty No. 43 Ford

    Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Named Driver of Petty No. 43 Ford

    Darrell Wallace Jr. will drive the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford in 2018, the team announced on Wednesday via a video on Twitter.

    The video starts with Richard Petty draped in black and blue light, juxtaposed with b-roll of career highlights. Following a few shots of other drivers in the 43 car, it cuts to Wallace in the exact same setup. It ends with the number 43.

    Not long after, the team put out a press release making the announcement official.

    It stated that Drew Blickensderfer will sit atop the pit box and sponsor(s) will be announced at a later date.

    “This is a dream come true to race for ‘The King,’ Richard Petty Motorsports, the iconic No. 43 and for all the fans and partners that have and continue to support this team,” said Wallace. “I believe in what Richard Petty Motorsports is doing and their desire to win races. I believe this team, its partners and fans are ready to see some great things again. I’m humbled that they have chosen me to take that next step with them. I’m ready for next season to begin and to prove to people that we can compete at the level we all expect to be at.”

    The move up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to drive the No. 43 car was in the rumor mill since the team announced that Aric Almirola was leaving at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Adding to that was that Wallace drove in place of Almirola during most of his time out of the car with a spinal injury.

    In Wallace’s four-race stint as the substitute driver of the No. 43 Ford, he earned finishes of 26th at Pocono Raceway, 19th at Michigan International Speedway, 15th at Daytona International Speedway and 11th at Kentucky Speedway.

    A graduate of both the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next programs, Wallace rose to prominence with an eighth-place points run in his rookie season in the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. The season included 12 top-10’s and a win, the first by an African American driver in a NASCAR national touring series since Wendell Scott in 1963, at Martinsville Speedway.

    He followed up his rookie season with 14 top-10’s and four wins, on his way to a third-place points finish.

    Following sponsorship struggles, he left the Toyota camp and joined Roush Fenway Racing to race in the XFINITY Series in 2015.

    His record in the series was hit and miss, with points finishes of seventh in 2015 and 11th in 2016.

    Entering the 12th-race of the 2017 XFINITY Series season, Wallace was fourth in points. However, sponsorship difficulties forced Roush Fenway Racing to shut down the No. 6 team, leaving him without a ride.

    Despite no mention of sponsorship until a later date, team co-owner Petty said, while the team has “hired a lot of different drivers” over the years, “Wallace brings a lot of youth and talent to our team.”

    “He’s proven at a young age to be able to be consistent on a weekly basis, give feedback to the team to help improve the car and race hard to get the best finish possible. He knows how to win, too. His records leading up to the top levels of NASCAR speak for themselves. We feel that Bubba can immediately come in and compete. He’s really eager to show what he can do and that he belongs in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.”

  • A Turning Point for RPM and NASCAR

    A Turning Point for RPM and NASCAR

    During his legendary career, Richard Petty won 200 NASCAR races behind the wheel of the famous No. 43 car. He made history time and time again and now his team is doing it again with one of the most important decisions in Richard Petty Motorsports history.

    Starting next season, 24-year-old Darrell “Bubba” Wallace will be behind the wheel of RPM’s No. 43 car and becomes the first African-American driver to compete full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since Wendell Scott in 1973.

    “This is a dream come true,” said Wallace. “I believe in what Richard Petty Motorsports is doing and their desire to win races. I think this team, its partners, and fans are ready to see some great things again.”

    It’s certainly an exciting time for the team and majority owner Andrew Murstein who continues to leave no stone unturned in transforming Richard Petty Motorsports back into one of the top teams in NASCAR. The signing of Wallace has brought smiles to everyone at RPM as well as plenty of collective high-fives.

    “It’s very exciting,” said Murstein. “I feel this could be the turning point, not just for RPM, but for the entire sport. We have never had such a young driver with so much potential.”

    How badly does Murstein want to win with RPM? Well, all you have to do is look at the Murstein family dog whose name is “Chase”. The question had to be asked if that name was given to the dog because Murstein’s goal is to be in “The Chase” with RPM every year?

    The answer is yes and no.

    “Actually it is true,” said Murstein who is also the owner of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. “My dog’s name is Chase. Many people think that’s why we named him that but the truth is my kids actually picked that name because of a TV character that they liked. But with Bubba now in the 43, I think making ‘The Chase’ is definitely in our future.”

    Chatter about RPM’s courting and eventual signing of Wallace had an impact on RPM’s business even before Wednesday’s historic announcement. It can be challenging at times for a race team to line up sponsors, but with the rumors that Wallace was joining RPM, Murstein’s Blackberry hasn’t stopped ringing. (Yes, he still uses a Blackberry).

    “Usually we are pursuing sponsors,” said Murstein. “As soon as word got out about Bubba’s signing, I already had three calls from company CEO’s inquiring about him. He’s a real game-changer, not only for us but for NASCAR.”

    Murstein and Wallace were able to forge a strong relationship during Bubba’s time this season as RPM’s fill-in driver. It was during that time that Murstein did something he has never done before and hasn’t done since and that’s take a selfie. He did so with Wallace at Pocono Raceway a few months ago.

    “This is the first and only selfie I ever took,” said Murstein.

    The 24-year-old Wallace graduated from NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” and “Next” programs and has been driving in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Roush Fenway Racing from 2015 through this current season. His big break came earlier this season when he filled for the injured Aric Almirola and made a big impression on the entire RPM team, including “The King” himself.

    “RP always liked him,” said Murstein. “But as soon as we put him in the car we knew he was our guy. He went from about 25th to 20th to 15th to 11th in his four races for us. That’s a remarkable accomplishment for any substitute with little time to prepare, let alone a rookie.”

    At the age of 16, Wallace competed in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series where he was the Rookie of the Year and a six-time winner. From there, Bubba advanced to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Wallace took the checkered flag five times and that earned him an opportunity to move up to the XFINITY Series.

    Now, he has reached the pinnacle of NASCAR and does so with an iconic brand that is primed to restore its place at the top of the sport.

    “I’m humbled that they have chosen me to take that next step with them,” said Wallace. “I’m ready for next season to begin and to prove to people that we can compete at the next level we all expect to be at.”

    The signing of Wallace by RPM is significant for a number of reasons. Wallace is a young and talented driver that will have an impact on the team and the sport both on and off the track in terms of results, sponsorships, and diversity. With a successful business background, Murstein, who is also the largest shareholder and President of Medallion Financial Corporation, believes that this is a groundbreaking moment for RPM and NASCAR.

    His financial company was originally a lender solely to women and minority-owned companies.

    “Through the 1970s, until the time we went public, we actually only lent and invested in women and minority-owned business exclusively,” said Murstein. “We were one of the largest investors in the United States under the SBA’s programs. I personally think it is wonderful to be able to work with Bubba and not only give him the opportunity to drive but to drive the most famous number in the history of the sport and be mentored by the most famous driver in the history of the sport.”

    It’s been a long time since there has been a full-time African-American driver at the highest level of NASCAR, but Bubba Wallace has earned this opportunity while Murstein and the entire RPM team should be extremely proud and excited about this landmark decision. Winning races is good for business but so is diversity and rewarding those who have earned it and giving them the chance to succeed.

    Andrew Murstein has made a living of doing that in the business world and now he’s doing it with Richard Petty Motorsports.

  • Will the Domino’s fall right for Bubba?

    Will the Domino’s fall right for Bubba?

    Given the current landscape of sports in the United States, there are two questions that remain unanswered. One, will there be an NFL team that finally signs Colin Kaepernick? And two, will there be a NASCAR team that finally gives Bubba Wallace a chance to be a regular in the Monster Series? The Kaepernick issue is one that has many layers to it but with regards to Wallace, there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

    Earlier this season, Wallace made his Monster Energy debut when he filled in for the injured Aric Almirola driving the No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports. Wallace took advantage of the opportunity and certainly made an impression on RPM.

    “We had him sub for our injured driver this year and he showed remarkable upside and improved every single race,” said RPM Co-Owner Andrew Murstein. “He went from 25th to 20th to 16th to 11th. For a driver to jump into a car and perform that well with no experience working with the team and crew chief is unheard of.”

    Wallace became the first African-American driver at the highest level of NASCAR since Bill Lester in 2006, but he is looking for a new team after getting released by Roush Fenway Racing because of a lack of funding. Since then, he’s maintained a spot in the XFINITY Series driving the RPM affiliated No. 98 car but his status for 2018 is currently up in the air for a number of reasons.

    While Kaepernick’s controversial decision to take a knee during the national anthem last year is a big reason why he’s not currently employed by an NFL team, the fact that Wallace doesn’t have a regular role in the Monster Energy Series might be a bit more baffling. Wallace is a potential game changer and an emerging star. At only 23-years-old, Wallace has had some success at other levels of NASCAR so perhaps the time is right for someone to take a chance on him.

    “Just as Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been hired by an NFL team, I am surprised that no one in NASCAR has given Bubba Wallace a full-time ride at the Cup level yet,” said Murstein. “He is clearly talented enough, and has certainly put his time in having raced and excelled in the XFINITY and Truck Series for many years.”

    Wallace broke a barrier in 2013 when he became the first African-American driver since Wendell Scott to win a race in one of NASCAR’s three national series.

    Wallace is also big on social media and that just might land him a big opportunity for the 2018 season. He could go back to the Roush Fenway Racing team or perhaps join a NASCAR powerhouse like Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports.

    But the situation that might turn out to be the perfect storm for Wallace could be RPM who recently announced that Almirola will not return to the team next season. RPM gained some momentum recently by signing Grunt Style to a multiyear sponsorship agreement but they are still looking for a primary sponsor.

    However, before Wallace and RPM can join forces, a top sponsor must be secured and there’s an intriguing situation that has been playing out on social media. Wallace is a huge fan of Domino’s Pizza and saw an opportunity to engage them recently on Twitter. On September 28, Domino’s sent out a tweet regarding National Poetry Day and Wallace couldn’t resist responding.

    From there, Wallace filmed a video with Domino’s-themed shots on a golf course and posted it along with a special message that appears to have caught the eye of the pizza giant.

    NASCAR fans might recall that after Wallace won a Camping World Truck Series race at Michigan, he ate a Domino’s pie during a live stream on Periscope. Sounds like Wallace, Domino’s and RPM could very well be the ingredients for a delicious partnership!

    “I just watched (Bubba’s) Domino’s Pizza video and thought it was terrific,” said Murstein. “I would love to sign him in the near future and only can hope that no one does it before we do. It’s only a matter of time until a sponsor decides to go with him as it would be truly great for their brand, their image, NASCAR, and all of sports for that matter.”

    The sports world could always use a new hero and perhaps Bubba Wallace could be the right man for the job in terms of giving fans a new star to cheer for as well as someone ready to break another barrier in the NASCAR world.

    “Any sponsor that signs on to a potential Wallace/RPM partnership would be part of something special at a time when the sports world really needs it, especially with all that has gone on recently,” said Murstein. “Plus, NASCAR fans are unbelievably loyal to their drivers and sponsors and I am sure it would be a boost in sales for whoever is lucky enough to sponsor him.”

    It seems like a perfect fit.

    You have an up and coming star in Bubba Wallace looking for a NASCAR team to take a chance on him. You have a legendary name, mentor, and brand in Richard Petty Motorsports looking for a driver and a major sponsor.

    The time is right for Bubba Wallace to make history and be a regular in the Monster Energy Series and it’s rare to have such a special opportunity to share in a landmark partnership that can be so much more than just a sports story. It’s history in the making.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. – The last time Wallace Jr. made a Truck Series start was over three years ago at the season finale in Homestead. But that didn’t show from Wallace Jr. as he picked up right where he left off. He had a solid qualifying position of ninth and finished there in Stage 1. He fell out of the top 10 in Stage 2 and didn’t take the lead until Lap 90 where he held the lead for the final 10 laps to score his sixth career truck win.

    “Such a huge moment, not only for myself but for everybody involved,” Wallace said. “This is such a huge win for me. It is good to be back in the truck series. This is a product of having the truck series come to Michigan and put on a great race. I knew those laps were going to be hectic.”

    2. Christopher Bell – Bell continues his strong championship season as he earned his ninth top five of the year and increased his points lead to 37. Bell finished 10th in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2. He didn’t lead any laps, but the only thing that mattered was increasing his points lead.

    “I don’t know, I hope the fans enjoyed that one because it was a ton of fun,” Bell said after the race. “Our SiriusXM/JBL Tundra was handling really good, we just didn’t seem to have the raw speed to get up there and get by them. That was a lot of fun. I wish I would have been able to work that inside pass like I did the time before. I didn’t quite get there. That’s awesome for Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.), to see him come back and win like that – that was a really fun race.”

    3. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another solid points day by finishing in the top five, even though he didn’t finish in the top 10 at all during both stages. He also led for 24 laps. Cindric needs to continue these solid runs or get a win before the playoffs start as he sits right on the bubble at 10th in the standings.

    “It was a really good call by Doug to get us out front,” Cindric said. “Clean air is king at Michigan, and we knew we had a good Draw-Tite Ford F-150 all by ourselves. I had to make a move on the No. 99 (Wallace) there at some point, and we knew we were really good in Turns 1 and 2. I got the side draft on the backstretch and had the momentum. I made the pass stick but didn’t have any help. That was so close. Maybe I should have saved that move for the last lap. We’ll take another top five and keep moving.”

    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton finished a respectable sixth at Michigan Saturday afternoon. After leading the first 10 laps of the race, he finished third in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. He was up front battling for the win late but came up six spots short. It was still another solid day for the two-time series champion.

    “We had a good truck,” Crafton said. “When Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.) passed for the lead, we went to the bottom, and I didn’t get myself cleared, and if you didn’t get cleared of whoever you were racing against, then you were just screwed. It was just tough to pass. I definitely had a faster truck than those guys, but if I could get under them, then I could never get clear because there was nobody behind me to help me and keep pushing me. We got out of here with a sixth-place finish.”

    Crafton leaves Michigan sitting third in the points, 62 behind Christopher Bell.

    5. Noah Gragson – Gragson had a quiet but strong day at Michigan. He finished seventh in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. By the time the checkered flew, the scoring pylon showed Gragson finished 10th. However, he wanted a little bit more than a top 10 finish.

    “We fought hard for a top-10 finish, but I wish I could have done better,” Gragson said. “It’s difficult learning the draft and the aero at a track like this. It’s like a chess game out there since everyone is running wide open. I felt like we had a good strategy all day but just needed to execute better on my end. We’ll move on and give it another shot at Bristol on Wednesday.”

    Other notes – This was the sixth career win for Darrell Wallace Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Wallace Jr. led one time for the final 10 laps of the race. Christopher Bell now extends his points lead over Johnny Sauter by 37.

    Next Up – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for another mid-week event. It’ll be the 14th race of the 2017 season and with just three races remaining until the playoffs drivers will only have three more chances to lock themselves into the playoffs with a win.