Catchfence

As Darrell Wallace Jr. prepares for a big next step in his NASCAR career, he also knows it will require a lot of patience.

The same goes for Sergio Pena, awaiting the call that could determine if his future track is on an oval or a college campus.

Either way, the 18-year-olds and former Revolution Racing teammates have carved possibilities through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program aimed at increasing minority and female participation among drivers and crew. Wallace, who won five of 22 starts over the past two seasons in the K&N Pro Series East, recently tested Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in preparation for six Nationwide Series starts next year.

Wallace aims to follow Bill Lester and Marc Davis as NASCAR’s most recent African-American starters.

“It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned a lot from those guys, getting to know them a lot better,” said Wallace, from Mobile, Ala. “I won’t be a stranger to them when I walk into the shop.”

Pena, a freshman at Radford University, awaits the results from the recent D4D combine in Langley, Va., to see if he will return to the K&N Series.

Considering the Hispanic driver’s resume includes three series wins this season and beating Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano for the pole at last year’s Toyota All-Star Showdown, it’s hard to imagine him being left out.

- USA Today