Wallace Jr. feels pressure of Nationwide debut
18-year-old African-American has built resume with six K&N Pro Series East wins
Darrell Wallace Jr.'s success in a K&N car has allowed him to move up for his Nationwide debut
Given Darrell Wallace Jr.'s advanced learning curve in stock car racing, it might seem like his NASCAR national series debut has been a long time coming.
Then you remember, he's just 18 years old.
Wallace will make his first start in the Nationwide Series on Sunday in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway. He'll drive the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the same team that has accelerated his development in the K&N Pro Series East.
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It's my first race. I'm not going out there to set the world on fire.
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-- DARRELL WALLACE JR.
Wallace, the first African-American and youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series East event -- at 16 years, 5 months, 19 days -- is a product of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
Since his 2010 debut, he has six K&N victories, including one earlier this season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, site of his first series win.
While Wallace already is well-versed at winning in NASCAR, Sunday's race promises to be different.
"It's definitely kind of a pressure lifted off my shoulders now, kind of moving up, but also it's still there," Wallace said. "It's moving up into the top three series in the NASCAR ranks. Definitely going to be some pressure there."
Wallace already has experience on the 0.875-mile Iowa track, where he has finishes of third and sixth in his previous K&N appearances. He figures to gain more experience in that series' 150-lap event Saturday.
With the resources of JGR's equipment and top-notch roster of drivers to tap for advice, Wallace says he's leaned on his team as "the backbone" of support for his jump to Nationwide. While there's plenty of anticipation surrounding his series debut, Wallace is content to manage his expectations.
"It's my first race. I'm not going out there to set the world on fire," Wallace said. "I'm definitely going out there to show my capabilities, what I'm able to do on the track and also off the track."
The only other driver doing double duty in the Nationwide and K&N races is Travis Pastrana, who's certain to attract attention from the already established fans of his action-sports exploits. Pastrana will be making his third Nationwide start, hoping to improve upon his midpack finishes at Richmond and Darlington.
"We need to get better at qualifying," Pastrana said. "This week, Nationwide and K&N practice are on the same day, so I am really going to have to focus. It could be very easy to get confused on which car has which feel. However, our goal this year has not changed. I need to go out there and finish every lap so I can get the most experience possible."
If there's a pre-race favorite, the odds likely tilt in favor of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who swept both races at Iowa last season on the way to the series championship. Stenhouse enters the event as the points leader, with two victories already this season.
18-year-old African-American has built resume with six K&N Pro Series East wins
Darrell Wallace Jr.'s success in a K&N car has allowed him to move up for his Nationwide debut
Given Darrell Wallace Jr.'s advanced learning curve in stock car racing, it might seem like his NASCAR national series debut has been a long time coming.
Then you remember, he's just 18 years old.
Wallace will make his first start in the Nationwide Series on Sunday in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway. He'll drive the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the same team that has accelerated his development in the K&N Pro Series East.
?
It's my first race. I'm not going out there to set the world on fire.
?
-- DARRELL WALLACE JR.
Wallace, the first African-American and youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series East event -- at 16 years, 5 months, 19 days -- is a product of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
Since his 2010 debut, he has six K&N victories, including one earlier this season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, site of his first series win.
While Wallace already is well-versed at winning in NASCAR, Sunday's race promises to be different.
"It's definitely kind of a pressure lifted off my shoulders now, kind of moving up, but also it's still there," Wallace said. "It's moving up into the top three series in the NASCAR ranks. Definitely going to be some pressure there."
Wallace already has experience on the 0.875-mile Iowa track, where he has finishes of third and sixth in his previous K&N appearances. He figures to gain more experience in that series' 150-lap event Saturday.
With the resources of JGR's equipment and top-notch roster of drivers to tap for advice, Wallace says he's leaned on his team as "the backbone" of support for his jump to Nationwide. While there's plenty of anticipation surrounding his series debut, Wallace is content to manage his expectations.
"It's my first race. I'm not going out there to set the world on fire," Wallace said. "I'm definitely going out there to show my capabilities, what I'm able to do on the track and also off the track."
The only other driver doing double duty in the Nationwide and K&N races is Travis Pastrana, who's certain to attract attention from the already established fans of his action-sports exploits. Pastrana will be making his third Nationwide start, hoping to improve upon his midpack finishes at Richmond and Darlington.
"We need to get better at qualifying," Pastrana said. "This week, Nationwide and K&N practice are on the same day, so I am really going to have to focus. It could be very easy to get confused on which car has which feel. However, our goal this year has not changed. I need to go out there and finish every lap so I can get the most experience possible."
If there's a pre-race favorite, the odds likely tilt in favor of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who swept both races at Iowa last season on the way to the series championship. Stenhouse enters the event as the points leader, with two victories already this season.
