Jimmie Johnson offers Darrell Wallace Jr. advice prior to Cup Series debut

Darrell Wallace Jr. was awoken Tuesday morning with a text from close friend Ryan Blaney, who was excited by the news Wallace will make his Monster Energy Cup Series debut Sunday at Pocono Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1).

Blaney drives the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing car, one of NASCAR’s most esteemed teams, and that Wallace will be driving for another historic team, Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43, had Blaney enthused and gave him an idea.

“He wants a picture this weekend,” Wallace said. “I was like, OK. He was like, ‘We’re driving the two most iconic cars in the sport this weekend. We definitely have to capitalize on that.’”

RPM named Wallace on Monday to fill in for the injured Aric Almirola, who suffered a T5 compression fracture in a May 13 crash at Kansas Speedway, has already missed two points races, and is expected to remain sidelined for another six to nine races.

Wallace is a popular figure in the NASCAR garage and his promotion from the Xfinity Series generated widespread praise. Among those who contacted the 23-year-old this week was Jimmie Johnson, the defending and seven-time Cup champion.

“He said, ‘See you on Sundays now, bro.’ I was like, ‘Alright, that’s cool. That’s really cool,’” Wallace said. “He said that if I needed anything to reach out to him, so I’m gonna try to meet up with him before practice and after practice just to ask him what do I need to expect.”

On Friday, Wallace’s 176.146 mph lap actually bested Johnson (175.695mph) in qualifying for Sunday’s Pocono 400. The rookie will line up 16th on the grid, with Johnson 19th.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a racecar with a little bit more horsepower, a little bit bigger venue, a little bit bigger crowd,” Wallace said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for however long I’ve been racing, and now it’s finally here, so it’s just another stroll in the park.”