Black driver Darrell Wallace wins NASCAR truck event

Darrell Wallace Jr. became the second black driver to win on NASCAR's national level and first in a half-century, taking the Truck Series race yesterday at Martinsville, Va., Speedway.

Wendell Scott won in Jacksonville, Fla., in December 1963 in what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series, the highest of NASCAR's three national levels.

"This means everything," the 20-year-old Wallace said. "This is an emotional win for me, especially doing it in Wendell Scott's backyard. I love coming here to Martinsville, it's always good to me."

Wallace, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, beat Jeb Burton into Turn 1 off a restart with five laps to go.

"We congratulate Darrell Wallace Jr. on his first national series victory, one that will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport's history," Brian France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Darrell's success, following fellow NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Kyle Larson's [of Japanese-American descent] win earlier this season, is indicative of a youth and multicultural movement that bodes well for NASCAR's future growth."

Wallace was never below sixth place and led a race-high 96 laps but needed to survive a final restart. Wallace chose the inside line and quickly pulled away from Burton.

"I had a chance to talk with Darrell and his father in victory lane and we are just thrilled for him and his entire family on the win in Martinsville," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We obviously think a lot about Darrell. He has tremendous talent and we really believe he can have a huge impact on our sport." -- AP