By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Darrell Wallace Jr. wrapped up his first race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series running up front — where the No. 43 is used to running in the history of Daytona International Speedway.
Rallying from 13th starting position in the non-points Can-Am Duel No. 1 at Daytona, Wallace and his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet chipped away at top teams before running behind the 1-2-3 Team Penske train in the second half of the 63-lapper.
Avoiding a handful of accidents that took out the likes of Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson, “Bubba” kept his nose clean en route to having a shot at the win on the final lap.
Though the night didn’t end in Victory Lane — that instead going to close friend Ryan Blaney — a third-place result kicks off his rookie campaign in flying fashion. Wallace could tell by his team owner’s reaction post-race.
“A bear hug from the King was awesome,” Wallace said. “He was just proud to see his car run up front where it needs to be. You could really tell he was proud. It felt like we had just won the race with how proud he was.”
If this result happened a couple years ago, Wallace believed he would be on Cloud 9 entering Sunday’s Daytona 500. However, with years of maturity and perspective now in order, the 24-year-old marches forward, simply, with more confidence.
“For the rookie stuff, this is just a stepping stone,” he said. “We have a race to go through now. Starting seventh for the Daytona 500, doesn’t really mean much because we have 500 miles to go.
“I’m still learning. That last restart, I legit thought I would be put three-wide from the No. 41. Just from experience coming to the line, there was just a rookie delay. I’m just going to keep learning.”