Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. made history this past weekend after he scored the highest finish by a Black driver in the NASCAR Xfinity series. Wallace has etched his name in the history books before after becoming only the second Black driver to win a NASCAR national series.
Wallace was born October 8, 1993 in Mobile, Ala., and raised primarily in Concord, N.C. His first foray into the world of competitive driving began when he was just nine years of age. In 2008, he was the youngest driver to ever win at the Franklin County Speedway in Virginia.
In 2010, Wallace entered NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” program aimed at increasing the numbers of minorities and women involved in the sport. Early on, Wallace was a development driver for former Washington Washington Football Team coach Joe Gibbs’ racing team. His involvement in the NASCAR program would give way to a series of firsts for a Black driver and solidify his position as a rising star.
In 2013, he officially joined NASCAR’s Xfinity series, which is a “minor-league” circuit just ahead of the premier Sprint Cup series. In October of that year, Wallace won the Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR pioneer Wendell Scott was the only other winner of a national series in the racing league prior to Wallace’s win.
Last Saturday, Wallace came in second at the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 at Dover International Speedway. It was the one of three top-10 finishes for the year for Wallace, who is currently ranked ninth in the Xfinity series. Last year, Wallace ranked at seventh.
(Photo: NASCAR)
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