Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr will make his NASCAR Cup debut this weekend in Pocono, filling in for the injured Aric Almirola in the No.43 car.
Regan Smith had taken over the Richard Petty Motorsports car after Almirola suffered an acute compression fracture of his T5 vertebra in an accident at the Kansas Speedway last month.
The team has now announced that Wallace will be its interim driver until Almirola returns to the Cup Series.
“Driving the famed 43 car is an unbelievable opportunity for any race car driver,” he said. “With all that Richard Petty has contributed to the sport, I’m honoured to start my first Cup event with this team.
“I’m incredibly grateful that Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports and Smithfield have the confidence in me to help fill the seat until Aric fully recovers, which is the most important piece of this.
“Moving up to the Cup Series is a tremendous challenge, but I am ready to represent this organization, help the 43 team get the best results possible and prove that I belong at this level.”
Wallace becomes the first African-American driver to race in the top NASCAR category since Bill Lester in 2006.
The 23-year-old began his NASCAR career in 2010 as part of its ‘Drive 4 Diversity’ programme, racing in the K&N Pro Series before moving up to the Truck Series in 2013.
Since 2015 he has been racing full-time in the Xfinity championship and is currently fourth in the championship.
