The Drive to Succeed
It was an important victory. On October 26, 2013, Darrell Wallace Jr., 20, was the first to cross the finish line in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200, at Martinsville Speedway, in Virginia. The win made Wallace the second African-American driver in the history of NASCAR to win a race at the sport's top level. NASCAR's Brian France called Wallace's win a "remarkable moment in our sport's history."
Life Behind the Wheel
Darrell Wallace Jr. was born October 8, 1993, in Mobile, Alabama. His nickname is Bubba. "My sister started calling me that two days after I was born," Wallace once said. "It kind of stuck." He got his start in NASCAR through the organization's Drive for Diversity program. It was created to get more women and nonwhite drivers and crew members involved in auto-racing events.
Darrell Wallace Jr. became the second black driver to win a major NASCAR competition.
JOHN HARRELSON—GETTY IMAGESBefore Wallace's 2013 win, the only other black driver to win at NASCAR was Wendell Scott, in 1963. Scott's sons were in the stands when Wallace won. They say their father would have been proud.
Work Hard for What You Love
Wallace visited a group of Virginia teens before his historic win. He offered advice to the students. "Find something you love to do in life," he said. "If you don't love it, find something else. Work hard for what you love."
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