Darrell Wallace Jr. used to steel himself against racial insults spewed at him in the lower levels of racing and he survived sponsorship woes that slowed his advancement through NASCAR.
Wallace persevered in a sport that seemed long reserved for whites. This weekend at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, he will take the wheel of the No. 43 Ford – the same number made famous by Hall of Famer Richard Petty – and make history as just the fourth black driver to race in NASCAR’s top Cup series.
”This is a huge step for NASCAR, the whole sport in general, for bringing diversity to its top tier level of NASCAR,” Wallace said Tuesday.