CONCORD, North Carolina – Roush Fenway Racing’s Darrell Wallace Jr. had a strong weekend at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Fresh off his career-best finish last Sunday at Iowa Speedway, the Mobile, Alabama native racked in his best NASCAR XFINITY Series result yet with a fifth place effort in Saturday’s Hisense 300.
“It was a good run,” said Wallace. “It was a top-five run for us, our first one of the year. I’m just proud to have Cheez-It on board of our Ford Mustang. We just need a little bit more. Our pit stops need some work, but we’ll build off of it and take this top five into Dover and really have some fun next week.”
With having one of the strongest cars in the field, Wallace had the opportunity as an XFINITY Series rookie to experience the “clear air” effect from an aerodynamic standpoint on an intermediate. In the end, Wallace realized how much of a crucial piece it was.
“The clean air here was a big deal, so that’s the first time I really felt it,” he added. “That’s the first time I finished a top series race here, so that’s something to be proud of. Clean air is your best friend in these races, so we’ll build off of this. It’s a good top-five, a good momentum boost for our team. We needed this, so sixth, fifth, first sounds good for the next one.”
Wallace wheeling the No. 6 Cheez-It Ford Mustang capitalized on two strong practice sessions Thursday to match his career-best qualifying effort of second Saturday morning.
When the 11th NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season started, many expected to be chasing eventual race winner Austin Dillon, but many also expected the No. 6 of Wallace Jr. to be a contender.
He was. For runner-up. “The 33 car had us all covered,” said Wallace post-race “We were a top-three car, but just need some work done.”
With Dillon scoring a perfect driver rating of 150.0 thanks to a dominating car, the rest of the field had to duke it out for the leftovers. And while Wallace Jr. gave it a valiant effort, the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series graduate faded late to finish fifth, his first career top-five finish in the XFINITY Series.
Surprisingly, it was the first race that the NASCAR Next alum member finished at the 1.5-mile oval. In his two previous truck races at Charlotte, he crashed out.
And while his fourth top-10 run of the year was important for a variety of reasons, his relentless efforts in his XFINITY Charlotte debut paid off with a chance at a $100,000 payday next Saturday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Saturday’s XFINITY Series race was the qualifying event for the first of four Dash4Cash events, a special promotion continued by new series sponsor XFINITY that presents an opportunity for series regular to cash in. Joining Wallace Jr. in the hunt are Regan Smith, Daniel Suarez and Ty Dillon. The highest finishing driver in next Saturday’s 200-lap race wins the bonus money, but also qualifies for round two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25.
Should Wallace or any of the other three drivers make it through to the final round consecutively at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in September, they will be eligible for a chance at a $1,000,000 bonus.
Wallace has never raced an XFINITY Series car at “The Monster Mile,” he does, however, have some success at the 1.0 oval in trucks. The 21-year old won the pole and finished 10th in 2013. Last season, the then Kyle Busch Motorsports driver struggled, but salvaged a 16th place finish.
“Dover has been a very successful track for me,” added Wallace. “It would be nice if they paid for the pole there because I’m pretty good at qualifying there. I haven’t got the finishes I wanted, but I’m excited to be in the XFINITY Series and part of the Dash 4 Cash Series, so I’m glad to be one of the four. We just have to keep playing it smart and put ourselves in that position next week to come out on top.”
22 races to go, Wallace chipped into teammates’ Chris Buescher’s point lead. The five-time truck series winner remains fourth, but now stands just 30 points behind.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
