LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Bubba and the King are sticking together.
Richard Petty Motorsports has signed rookie driver Darrell Wallace Jr. to a two-year contract extension through 2020. More commonly known by his childhood nickname "Bubba," Wallace was second in the Daytona 500 for the highest finish for a black driver in the race.
"We like a little bit of what he's doing so I think we're going to hire him again for next year," Petty said Saturday at Pocono Raceway.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. turned Daytona into a demolition derby.
Stenhouse triggered two wrecks Saturday night that collected more than half the field and knocked out former Cup series champions, Daytona 500 champs and a slew of perennial race contenders.
"It's been crazy partly due to a few of my issues," Stenhouse said over the radio on NBC.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. has a proposition for the two guys dominating the NASCAR Cup Series: Swap cars for a race and see what happens.
Vocalizing what's been obvious on the track all season, Wallace said Thursday the problem with the Chevrolets is, well, the Chevrolets.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It was the finish NASCAR banked on as the genesis of its ballyhooed youth movement.
Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr. finished 1-2 in the Daytona 500, a promising pair of 20-somethings behind the wheel of iconic car numbers that could excite old-school fans, yet a pair with enough social media savvy that might attract millennials to a sport in dire need of a spark.
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Ryan Blaney tagged along with his dad to the track and raced scooters in what the kids called "mini-Pocono."
All grown up, he's figured out the real deal pretty well.
Blaney was tops again at the site of his lone NASCAR Cup victory, turning a lap of 176.897 mph to win the pole Friday at Pocono Raceway.
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. was a budding photographer his first few years at the track, snapping away with his Canon 60D to show an insider's view of NASCAR.
The hobby is on hold. Wallace fills his social media feeds with photos shot on his mobile phone. The fancy camera still has the lens cap on.
"I just don't have time for it now," Wallace said. "This Cup schedule, it takes all your time away."
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. let the weight of his milestone in the Daytona 500 wallop him once he saw mom. He sobbed as Desiree Wallace bounded onto the dais and wrapped her arms around her son for a hug neither wanted to end.
"You did that thing, baby ," she said, sobbing. "I'm so proud of you. You have waited so long, baby."
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the Daytona 500 (all times local):
7 p.m.
Darrell Wallace Jr. sobbed in his mother's arms after he posted the best finish for a black driver in the Daytona 500.
Wallace was runner-up to winner Austin Dillon, and the emotion of the achievement hit the rookie driver inside the track's media center. Wallace, the son of a black mother and a white father, cried with his mother and then with his sister on the stage.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The first black driver to start the Daytona 500 since 1969 continues to blaze a trail at Speedweeks.
Darrell Wallace Jr. turned heads again Saturday at Daytona International Speedway and topped the speed chart in the final practice for NASCAR's season opener.
"A lot of stories, a lot of headlines being talked about," Wallace said.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Richard Petty Motorsports has a primary sponsor for the 2018 season debut of Darrell Wallace Jr. as the full-time driver in the iconic No. 43 car.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. will become the first black full-time driver at NASCAR's top level since 1971 when he takes over Richard Petty's iconic ride next season.
The 24-year-old Wallace, more commonly referred to by his nickname of "Bubba," became the first black driver to race at NASCAR's top level since 2006 when he replaced an injured Aric Almirola earlier this year. At the time, Petty recalled, he wasn't sure he wanted Wallace as a replacement.
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Aric Almirola joked that the reporters waving digital recorders in his face were more than he had after his lone Cup victory in Daytona.
Almirola only really had one question to answer: Where are you racing in 2018, Aric?
"I can't talk about next year. You know I can't," he said Friday.
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. woke up around 2:30 a.m. ready to race. Hours later, he strode across the stage for driver introductions to a nice ovation from thousands of NASCAR fans, his little slice of race history ahead.
Wallace became just the eighth black driver to race in NASCAR's top Cup series when he started the No. 43 Ford at Pocono Raceway. During the week he chatted with team owner and Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty and, like any rookie in his debut, tried to stay calm.
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. was chased by autograph seekers in the Pocono garage Friday, all wanting a memento from the Cup series rookie. The fans with photos and Sharpies all missed Dale Earnhardt Jr. stroll by Wallace on the way to his car.
Darrell Wallace Jr. used to steel himself against racial insults spewed at him in the lower levels of racing and he survived sponsorship woes that slowed his advancement through NASCAR.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr. will become the first black driver to race at NASCAR's top level since 2006 when he replaces injured Aric Almirola this weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Richard Petty Motorsports said Wallace, more commonly referred to by his nickname "Bubba," will be the replacement in the No. 43 until Almirola returns.