Darrell Wallace Jr. has become the second Black driver ever to win on NASCAR’s national level, winning the Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway Saturday in Martinsville, Va.
This is the first win in Nascar for a Black driver since Wendell Scott won the Sprint Cup Series in Jacksonville, Fla., in December 1963.
“This means everything,” the 20-year-old Wallace said. “This is an emotional win for me, especially doing it in Wendell Scott’s backyard. I love coming here to Martinsville; it’s always good to me. It finally paid off. I think it’s my third trip here. I love coming here. The fans are great here.”
Wallace beat Jeb Burton into Turn 1 with five laps to go.
“We congratulate Darrell Wallace Jr. on his first national series victory, one that will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport’s history,” Brian France, NASCAR’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Darrell’s success, following fellow NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Kyle Larson’s win earlier this season, is indicative of a youth and multicultural movement that bodes well for NASCAR’s future growth.”
Wallace said he was ready and well prepared for the race and thought that he would have a big day.
“I had so much confidence coming into this race,” Wallace said. “I told my guys that I did, and I told everybody that asked if I was going to win. … So, it was, ‘No, maybe we’re going to try,’ this one was, ‘For sure,’ and we capitalized. This means a lot.”