A new face starts strongly for a newer NASCAR

NEWTON - On Wednesday, we'll find out if a black man enters NASCAR's Hall of Fame.

The late Wendell Scott won a 1963 NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) race in Jacksonville, Fla. It remains the only victory by an African-American in stock car racing's top circuit.

Scott raced in NASCAR from 1961 to 1973. He was underfunded, to say the least. His family was his pit crew. His equipment was woefully inferior to much of his competition.

But he had 147 Top Ten finishes, and somehow finished in the Top Ten of the Grand National point-standings four times. He didn't lack for talent or tenacity.

On Sunday, we saw the NASCAR Nationwide Series debut of an 18-year-old named Darrell Wallace Jr., a NASCAR name if ever one existed. He answers to "Bubba." His Twitter handle is @bubbawallace. He is just the third African-American to run in the series, and the other two had a combined 11 starts.

He finished ninth in the 43-car field in his Nationwide debut, the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway. Many a Nationwide regular won't finish as high as ninth all season.

“It feels great,” Wallace said. “To get ninth in my debut is outstanding.”

Wallace didn't lack for first-rate equipment or a capable crew Sunday. He was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, one of NASCAR's foremost race teams. Gibbs, the former Washington Redskins head coach, signed Wallace to a developmental contract in 2009.

In 2010, Wallace began racing for Gibbs on NASCAR's K&N Pro Series East developmental circuit. As a 16-year-old, he won his debut on that circuit, and has six victories in 26 starts.

Gibbs plans to start Wallace in four Nationwide events this year, including the two at Newton.

“The bottom line is that we wanted him to finish all the laps today, that was goal number one,” said Steve DeSouza, the vice president of JGR's Nationwide division. “Goal number two was trying to finish in the top 10.

“He kept the car clean. He communicated well about what the car was doing and what he thought it needed. He kept his composure all day. Sometimes mental or physical fatigue can set in. But he was surprised the end of the race came so soon.”

NASCAR determined it needs more, to use its own word, diversity. Nine years ago, it launched its Drive for Diversity program to provide drivers and team-members the mentoring to help them advance in the sport. Wallace was in the program in 2010 and 2011.

“I will tell you Darrell Wallace is a young African-American driver that's winning,” said Brian France, NASCAR's CEO.

“We're going to have a breakthrough in that area. It's going to be on my watch, and I'll be very proud of that when that occurs.”

After Sunday's race, Wallace simply said “In two years hopefully I'll be full-time on the Nationwide Series. In five years, maybe, I'll start to crack into the Cup series. I'm going day to day, race to race.”

When that 1963 race in Jacksonville ended, Buck Baker was declared the winner and was given the trophy.

Hours after the race ended, NASCAR officials told Scott what he already knew. Which was that he had won. By two laps, in fact. But there were fears the crowd would riot if a black man was given the victory.

Maybe before this decade is over, Wallace will win a Sprint Cup event. NASCAR in the 21st Century would love it.