Concord, NC (Febuary 11, 2013) – Darrell Wallace Jr. has teamed up with Venturini Motorsports (VMS) to compete in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards series’ season opener next weekend atDaytona International Speedway.
Wallace, a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and a former participant in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, will make his first Daytona start behind the wheel of VMS’s No.55 Toyota entry.
“We’re proud to once again be featuring another Gibbs’ development driver in our program. Darrell is one of those natural talents who possess skills far beyond his young age. He’s already proved he can race with the best of them. We’re expecting him to hit the track running and compete for a win at Daytona,” stated Billy Venturini, Director of Competition for Venturini Motorsports.
NASCAR started its Drive for Diversity program in 2004 to help develop minority and women drivers for its top series. The 19-year old, Wallace, drove in the K&N Pro Series East for JGR from 2010 to 2012. In 2010, he earned rookie of the year honors and became that series’ youngest driver and the first African-American driver to win a race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.
While collecting six wins in the K&E Pro Series East while part of NASCAR’s diversity program, he also competed in four NASCAR Nationwide races for JGR in 2012, earning three top-10 finishes and his first-ever pole award at Dover Speedway.
“I’m excited to get down to Daytona and run the No. 55 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA race,” said Wallace. “I know they have great equipment and have helped a lot of talented young drivers gain valuable experience. I appreciate Toyota continuing their support of me and being on board for my first Daytona race.”
Over the weekend JGR announced Darrell Wallace Jr. will drive a full season schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2013. The Mobile, Alabama native will be just the fourth African-American to run a full season in a NASCAR National Series after Wendell Scott, Willy T. Ribbs and Bill Lester.
Look for Wallace to make more history once the green flag drops on the 50th annual Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real which airs live from Daytona International Speedway Saturday, February 16th on SPEED Channel at 4:30 p.m. EST.
About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley, Josh Richards and Ryan Reed.
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
