Darrell Wallace Jr., the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series race in nearly 50 years, has been granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing. The move frees Wallace to sign with another team for 2015.
Darrell Wallace Jr. released from Joe Gibbs Racing contract
After having been granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing, Darrell Wallace Jr. is likely headed to Roush Fenway Racing for the 2015 season.
Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Considered one of the top up-and-coming drivers in NASCAR, Wallace, 21, is coming off a 2014 campaign -- his second season in the Camping World Truck Series -- in which he won four times.
But a lack of sponsorship had Wallace running a limited slate of Xfinity Series (formerly Nationwide) races in 2015, and it was that lack of a full-time schedule that prompted him to seek a ride elsewhere. (Multiple reports have Wallace joining Roush Fenway Racing where he will run the entirety of the Xfinity schedule.)
By signing with Roush, Wallace will not only get the full-time opportunity he desires but have a much clearer path to the Sprint Cup Series.
Currently Roush fields three Cup cars, one short of the maximum allowed, and provided Wallace proves deserving -- and sponsorship can be found -- Roush, in theory, could expand its operation. Whereas, JGR just added a fourth team for Carl Edwards, and with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth already in the fold, there would be little chance of Wallace ascending to the Cup if he stayed.
Although Wallace’s ability is obvious and no organization likes to see young talent leave to a rival team, JGR will not be significantly impacted by Wallace’s decision to depart. Edwards, Busch, Hamlin and Kenseth are all in the prime of their careers and provide JGR with a very competitive four-driver lineup both in the present and into the foreseeable future.
And Wallace wasn’t the lone highly-touted prospect in the JGR pipeline. Eighteen-year-old Erik Jones is just as regarded as Wallace and has shown great promise in select Truck Series starts. In 17 races over the past two seasons, Jones has four victories (only one less than Wallace in that same span) and placed in the top-10 13 times. Jones also competed in three Xfinity races for JGR last season finishing no worse than eighth.
Jones will drive a truck full-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2015.
See More:
