Moffitt Declared Iowa Winner After Landmark NASCAR Ruling

Ross Chastain (44) and Brett Moffitt (24) battle at Iowa Speedway
(Google Images)

NASCAR's Gander Outdoor Truck Series has long been a fan favorite for featuring tough trucks and tough racing. Oftentimes, the "Tailgate Brigade" puts on the best race of the weekend.

The June 16 M&M's 200 at Iowa Speedway was no exception, however in addition to the tough racing on the track, the event also featured some tough decisions and after the race.

The race was highlighted by fan favorite Ross Chastain's clean sweep of both stages, as well as the race win. The Florida native also led the final 141 laps of the event. Known as "The Melon Man", Chastain

After declaring for truck points two weeks ago ahead of the Texas race, this win put Chastain and Niece Motorsports within 14 points of making the top 20 in the standings and guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs. It also locked up the Triple Truck Challenge prize of $50,000, a big deal for a team with a much smaller budget than perennial contenders like Kyle Busch Motorsports, ThorSport, and GMS Racing.

Chastain celebrates what he thought was his second
truck series win of 2019 (Google Images)

However, the victory celebration was short-lived, as NASCAR officials found the front of Chastain's truck to be lower than the minimum height requirements mandated by the rule book. Per a new rule instituted before this season, if a race-winning vehicle is found to be illegal following a thorough tear down and inspection after the event, that team will be disqualified and forfeit all of the benefits that came with the win, and the second place driver will be declared the victor.

Truck series managing director Brad Moran said the No. 44 was too low when it was measured with NASCAR's height sticks, which have color-coded markers to denote proper height.

"The height sticks have warning yellows in them and reds and it was right off of all of them, so unfortunately it was extremely low," Moran said.

So, much to the disappointment of the No. 44 team, and many fans across NASCAR Nation, Chastain was disqualified as the race winner and was forced to surrender the trophy, prize money, and invaluable points he'd earned over the course of the day.

This meant that runner-up Brett Moffitt, who was already changed into street clothes, had a few beers, and traveled halfway to the airport when his No. 24 GMS Racing team called, had to head back to Iowa Speedway to collect the winner's hardware.

A native of the Hawkeye State, Moffitt was visibly upset at day's end. His team had already accumulated five top-five finishes in the first ten races of the season, so there's no doubt not being able to cash in on a victory yet was beginning to get frustrating. But when he was informed Chastain had been disqualified, he told reporters "I went from drinking my sorrows away to being happy."

After Chastain was disqualified, Moffitt was declared the
winner of the M&M's 200 (Google Images)

The defending truck series champion, Moffitt is now also the first driver to win a NASCAR race without leading a lap.

"I think, for the integrity of the sport, it's the right thing to do," Moffitt said of NASCAR's new, stricter penalties. "Obviously I came out on the good end of it. If I was in Ross's shoes, I wouldn't be too thrilled about it."

Following the No. 44 truck's disqualification, one thing is still certain: Chastain, his team, and his newfound legion of fans will only view this incident as a speed bump on the road to a bigger goal. Niece Motorsports has already announced they will appeal NASCAR's ruling, as is a team's right.

“Both of our Chevrolets passed opening- and pre-race inspections,” team owner Al Niece said in a statement. “We believe that the No. 44 truck sustained minor damage during the event, which left the truck too low, following the race.”

After Chastain's breakthrough Xfinity Series win at Las Vegas last fall made a 2019 title run in that division almost a certainty, only to have that chance get taken away due to a sponsor's shady business practices, it will be hard to find a fan who won't be pulling for Ross Chastain to win the 2019 Gander Outdoor Truck Series title.

Chastain has shown an uncanny ability to rebound like few other drivers in this sport. Whichever way the team's appeal goes, and it's hard to believe NASCAR will overturn their decision, it will be very interesting to watch this Niece Motorsports group as the #MelonManChallenge continues this Saturday night at Gateway.

Chastain Set to Tackle #MelonManChallenge

Ross Chastain celebrates his Gander Outdoor Truck Series win in Kansas
(Google Images)

Ross Chastain may be the busiest driver in NASCAR this year, but on Tuesday afternoon, he proved he's also one of the gutsiest.

After scoring his first Gander Outdoors Truck Series win with Niece Motorsports at Kansas Speedway on May 10, and scoring top ten finishes in each of the series' seven other events in 2019, Chastain announced on June 4 that he has decided to change course and run for a truck series championship. This isn't totally unheard of, as the sanctioning body does allow drivers to make this switch mid-season and declare for points in another series.

When you look at Chastain's truck stats so far this year, it seems like a no-brainer to make the switch. Following his Kansas victory, the watermelon farmer-turned race car driver would've been second in the standings and locked into the playoffs. However, none of that matters now.

The major stipulation that comes with declaring for another series in the middle of a campaign is that you must start from square one and build your way back up. So the consistency, the win, the playoff berth — none of those things can count towards Chastain's title fight because they happened before he switched from Xfinity to Truck Series points. As a side note, Chastain sat in thirteenth place in the Xfinity Series standings following the Pocono Green 250; just one spot outside of the playoff cut line.

Chastain celebrates his (and his team's) first truck series win
in a shower of confetti (Google Images)

“After much consideration and many conversations, I’ve decided to pursue championship points in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, effective immediately,” Chastain said in a press release.

“I know this is the best decision for me at this time and am thankful for everyone who has and will continue to support me moving forward into 2019 and beyond.”

While Chastain might not be running for a title in the NASCAR's AAA division anymore, he acknowledged that he would still honor the commitments he made earlier this season to compete in the Xfinity Series.

“I’m thankful to everyone at Johnny Davis Motorsports and Kaulig Racing for their efforts this year,” said Chastain.  “I will continue to run races for each organization where sponsorship for 2019 has been solidified," he added.

Dubbed the #MelonManChallenge on social media by Fox Sports reporter Alan Cavanna, Chastain now has a ton of supporters in his corner as he tries to do the impossible.

Team owner Al Niece said via a press release that, while his team faces an uphill battle, he knows they are up to the task and will give it their all.

“I know it won’t be easy, but I believe this team is capable of making the playoffs and competing for a championship with Ross,” said Niece. “Ross, Phil, Cody and every single employee at this team have worked incredibly hard to continue to advance this program.  We are proud to bring trucks capable of winning to the race track.  It takes a lot of work to get there, and we don’t take it lightly.  We’re ready to see what the next eight races bring.”

Smoke Rises to NASCAR Hall of Fame, Leads 2020 Inductee Class

NASCAR's 2020 Hall of Fame Class (Google Images)

After three championships and 49 wins, Tony Stewart will join the NASCAR Hall of Fame after just one year on the ballot.

The 2020 class, which will be inducted this coming January, is the most closely connected group yet to be given NASCAR's highest honor. Joining Stewart are car owner Joe Gibbs, for whom Stewart won two championships, Bobby Labonte, Stewart's former teammate and winner of the 2000 Cup Series title for Gibbs, legendary crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson, who worked with Stewart early in his NASCAR career, and 19-time Cup Series winner Buddy Baker, who wheeled the Wilson-prepared "Gray Ghost" Oldsmobile to victory in the 1980 Daytona 500.

Tony Stewart  (Google Images)

Perhaps not surprisingly, Stewart earned the highest percentage of votes this year, with 88 percent of the ballots. Both Gibbs and Wilson received 72 percent, Baker earned 70 percent, and Labonte came in at 67 percent.

Baker joins his father, 46-time premier series winner Buck Baker, in the Hall. The elder Baker was elected as a member of the 2013 class. Labonte will also join his older brother Terry, two-time cup champion and member of the class of 2016.

Over the course of his legendary career, Tony Stewart was able to win three NASCAR Cup Series championships Two of those came behind the wheel of his famous No. 20 Home Depot car (2002, 2005) and the third came while wheeling the No. 14 Chevy as an owner/driver for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in an epic battle with Carl Edwards that saw Stewart grab the 2011 title in a tiebreaker.

Joe Gibbs (Google Images)

An Indiana native, "Smoke" was also able to win the 2005 and 2007 editions of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While he was able to win Daytona's July race four times, he was never able to claim NASCAR's biggest prize, the Daytona 500. However, he was able to win the Great American Race in 2017 as an owner when Kurt Busch drove to victory lane for SHR.

Now a member of both the NFL and NASCAR halls of fame, Joe Gibbs has an impressive nine championships as a car owner between the Cup and Xfinity series', including four at NASCAR's highest level.

The three-time Super Bowl champion coach of the Washington Redskins has also won the Daytona 500 three times, including the 2019 race that saw Denny Hamlin score an emotional win for JGR after the loss of Gibbs' son J.D. just weeks before.

Buddy Baker (L) and Waddell Wilson (R)
(Google Images)

One of NASCAR's pioneer's, Waddell Wilson was dual threat in the garage. Serving as both a crew chief and engine builder for some of the sport's biggest teams and drivers. The three-time Daytona 500 champion crew chief and three-time series champion engine builder worked for teams such as Holman Moody, Harry Ranier Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports. His driver included the likes of Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, A. J. Foyt, Junior Johnson, Fred Lorenzen, Cale Yarborough, and Ricky Rudd.

After years of  hopeful anticipation from fans, Buddy Baker will now take his place in NASCAR's Hall of Fame. Know as the sport's "Gentle Giant," Baker won some of stock car racing's biggest events. He won the 1970 Southern 500, was a three-time winner of the World 600 at Charlotte, and drove Wilson's "Gray Ghost" to victory in the 1980 Daytona 500. Baker was also the first driver to eclipse the 200 mph mark in a stock car during a test at Talladega Superspeedway, clocking in at 200.447 mph.

Bobby Labonte (Google Images)

Baker was also known for his work outside of the race car, serving as a broadcaster for CBS and TBS, as well as his work as a host on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The final name elected to the Hall was Bobby Labonte. The third member of the Joe Gibbs Racing trio to be selected this year, Labonte won 21 times at NASCAR's top level. Each of these wins came behind the wheel of the green and black No. 18 Interstate Batteries car for Gibbs, as well as the 2000 Cup Series championship. Labonte also won the 1991 Busch (now Xfinity) Series points championship, driving for his own team.

He and his older brother Terry (Hall of Fame Class of 2016) are one of only two pairs of brothers to win Cup Series championships. Kurt and Kyle Busch are the other duo.

Edsel Ford was also announced as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

The Class of 2020 Induction Weekend will take place January 30, 2020 through February 1, 2020 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte. The Class of 2020 is the Hall's 11th class, with the inductees growing to 55 members.

Trouble in The King's Court: Smithfield Moves to SHR, Amrirola to Drive?

Smithfield Foods is leaving the No. 43 for Stewart-Haas Racing (Google Images)

After what has already been a trying season for Richard Petty Motorsports, rumors have now begun to circulate following a report from Motorsport.com that Smithfield Foods would be looking to move its sponsorship away from the No. 43 car in 2018.

That rumor became official on September 12, when Smithfield announced it would shift its sponsorship to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018.

“We are excited to announce today that Smithfield Foods will join Stewart-Haas Racing as a primary team sponsor beginning in 2018,” the company posted on their Facebook page. “The decision to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and join Stewart-Haas Racing was difficult but we feel this move will improve our competitiveness on the track and strengthen our position as a leading consumer packaged goods company.

“Further details of our agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing will be provided at a later date.”

The meat processing company has been a major sponsor on RPM's famous No. 43 since entering the sport in 2012.

“We’re very proud to have Smithfield Foods join the Stewart-Haas Racing family,” said Brett Frood, president, SHR. “Smithfield has activated heavily and successfully within the sport, and we’re honored to be a part of the brand’s forward initiatives and strategy. Although we’re not ready to announce the full details of the program, we look forward to this new endeavor while remaining focused on the upcoming playoffs and putting forth the best effort possible to win more races and contend for another championship.”

Will Aric ALmirola wind up at Stewart-Haas Racing
with Smithfield in 2018? (Google Images)

Motorsport.com had reported before the regular-season finale at Richmond that Smithfield had a handshake deal with Petty and team officials to return to RPM in 2018. However, the article reported that the team was looking to sign Darrell "Bubba" Wallace as a replacement for Aric Almiola, the current wheelman of the No. 43 Ford.

Smithfield has done a great job of using both Almirola and Petty in their radio, television, and in-store campaigns, and has built a pretty solid brand around the 2014 Daytona winner. But when Almirola suffered a back injury as a result of a vicious wreck in Kansas this season, Wallace stepped in to fill the seat while Amirola recuperated. His best finish was an 11th-place in his final race at Kansas, leading many to speculate he could land in a second car at RPM if a sponsor could be found.

When funding didn't materialize, Motorsport.com reported that the team began to push for Wallace to replace Almirola in their Smithfield-branded Fusion next season. This caused Smithfield to balk and talks began to deteriorate.

All that remains is to find out which car Smithfield will land on and who will drive it. Current SHR drivers Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and Danica Patrick both need sponsorship for next season. But the team could also go after Kasey Kahne or Matt Kenseth (who has reportedly met with team co-owner Gene Haas).

But the most likely scenario is that the team pursues Almirola. Smithfield clearly feels that they have a lot invested in the driver if they were unwilling to put Wallace in their car at RPM. Unless they felt it would bring an uptick in performance, why would they move to another team only to start over with a new driver?

Look for Aric Almirola to follow Smithfield to SHR, continuing to be "fueled by bacon" in 2018.

UPDATE: Richard Petty Motorsports has announced that Aric Almitrola will not return to the No. 43 car in 2018.

Danica Patrick has just announced on her Facebook page that she will not be returning to the No. 10 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018:

“It has been my honor to drive for Tony Stewart, Gene Haas and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing for the past six seasons. Together we earned a Daytona 500 pole, seven top-10 finishes and we also had some exciting racing along the way. My time driving for them, however, has come to an end due to a new sponsorship arrangement in 2018. Sponsorship plays a vital role in our sport, and I have been very fortunate over the course of my career, but this year threw us for a curve. Our amazing partners, such as Aspen Dental and Code 3, stepped up in a big way on short notice this year and I am incredibly grateful.

“I wish SHR the best of luck with their new sponsorship and driver. Thanks for the memories. Right now, my focus is on the remainder of the 2017 season and finishing the year strong. I have the utmost faith in myself and those around me, and feel confident about my future.”

Alex Bowman Will Take Over for Dale Jr. in 2018: "I Just Want to Go Win"

Alex Bowman (left) will get his big break and succeed Dale Jr. (right)
as driver of the No. 88 Chevy in 2018 (Google Images)

Alex Bowman had made a career out of running sporadically in all three of NASCAR's top touring divisions, and when he did have a chance to run a full schedule of races it was for a team that could barely contend for a top-20 finish, let alone a win.

Then Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports came calling.

After being tabbed to run nine Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports last year, Bowman was selected to fill in for Junior while he recovered from a concussion. He split his time in the No. 88 car with four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who was called out of retirement to pinch hit for his former teammate.

In eight starts in the No. 88 Chevy, Gordon tallied two top-ten finishes and led seven laps.

In ten starts in the No. 88 Chevy, Bowman tallied three top-tens, led 51 laps, won his first career Cup Series pole in the fall race at Phoenix, and had it not been for a late race spin in front of him, he came within laps of winning that very same race.

After a NASCAR career where not much has been set in stone, Bowman finally got a chance to live up to his nickname, "The Showman."

That's why when Dale Jr announced his retirement earlier this season, he pushed hard for Bowman to fill his seat. IT's also why many fans wanted to see the Tuscon, Arizona native finally get a break in a full-time, competitive ride.

Bowman has been working as the simulator and test driver for Hendrick Motorsports, turning down full-time opportunities lower tier rides because he wanted to stay at the front of the line if a ride at HMS became available.

Now his hard work, patience, and belief in himself have paid off in a big way, as he will be the driver who succeeds Dale Jr. in the No. 88 car next season.

"Ever since I was a kid, racing is all I've wanted to do," Bowman said in a press release. "I've had so many people believe in me along the way. My family has sacrificed a lot and always been behind me.

"I would never have this chance without the support of Dale and everyone involved with the No. 88 team. To be part of Hendrick Motorsports and for Mr. Hendrick to have this confidence in me, it's just amazing."

After seeing his performance last season, along with his commitment to his career, Earnhardt Jr. quickly became one of Bowman's biggest and most vocal supporters.

"I believe in his talent on the race track but his commitment off the race track to further his career, to me, over the last several years has been real impressive," the 14-time Most Popular Driver said of his successor.

"There are a lot of guys that have the talent and need that one critical break and if they still committed and keep pushing and are willing to make the sacrifices, eventually that opportunity will come along.

"Alex is the perfect example of that. He gets this opportunity because of his commitment to his own career and his gamble on himself that he made a long, long time ago."

Junior's HMS teammates also vouched for Bowman. Gordon believes that Bowman is "a great choice."

"I think he’s a great choice," Gordon said.

"He did such an amazing job behind the wheel. I know what that car was like. I drove it last year (for eight races). We started improving our performance when I was in the car, but then Alex went to Phoenix and sat on the pole and had an excellent chance at winning that race. He’s just a great driver, and I think it’s going to be fun to watch."

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson also backed Bowman.

"How he came in and stepped in seamlessly, he was really impressive for me," Johnson said.

"He handled the pressure. Won a pole. Was up there duking it out for some race wins. He had a heated moment or two with some of the veterans and wasn't rattled. He did an amazing job. We all watched him evolve. I think he would be a great fit for that car from a wide variety of angles."

Clearly, Bowman impressed the right people to have a trio of drivers with 11 championships and seven Daytona 500 wins between them standing in his corner.

Team owner Rick Hendrick also spoke highly of his new wheelman.

"Alex impressed the heck out of us last year with his talent, poise, and professionalism," Hendrick said. "He stepped up in a very demanding situation and showed that he can run with the best and compete for wins.

"His ability to stay focused through it all, and the way he's handled himself since then, has shown a lot of character. (Crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team loved working with Alex, and that dynamic will get even better with more time together."

Following Kasey Kahne's win in the Brickyard 400, Hendrick told reporters that while he couldn't make any guarantees, he had Bowman in mind from the very beginning.

"Of course, I didn’t want to see Dale tell me that he was going to retire, but we had Alex in the back of our mind for whatever opportunity we had."

"It wasn’t much of a decision at all. Alex was the guy."

Rumors persisted for weeks that 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth would get the ride over Bowman because of some potential sponsor hangups with the relatively unproven driver. But in the end, Nationwide will continue as sponsor of the No. 88 for 21 races, while Axalta Coating Systems added two races to their deal and will back the car in 15 events in 2018.

"The No. 88 team is such a great group of people," Bowman said. "I know we can pick up where we left off last year, and I truly believe we can win races and contend for a championship.

"I'm excited to build on the relationship with Nationwide and all of our partners. It means the world that they have faith in me, and I'm thankful to have them on my side. Now I just want to go win."

JGR Sent a Bad Message with Furniture Row Racing Sanctions

Joe Gibbs Racing suspended two members of Martin Truex Jr's pit crew after
getting involved in an argument at Indy (Google Images) 

We've all seen the video from this past weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway of Truex and Kyle Busch wrecking on a restart with 50 laps to go. Both driver's raced into turn one, Busch pinned Truex down, Truex wiggled and slid up into Busch and both drivers nailed the outside wall. Their days were over and, while both drivers were unhappy, they seemed to be able to move on after the fact.

However, Truex's tire changers and Busch's crew chief Adam Stevens got into a heated argument on pit road. Front-tire changer Chris Taylor and rear-changer Lee Cunningham were the two Truex crewmen involved in the shouting match.

One of the tire changers can be seen in this video clapping sarcastically as Stevens walks past their pit box. The No. 18 crew chief steps over and the two exchange words. The second Truex tire changer steps in and attempts to escort Stevens from their pit box, telling his "I don't care who you are! Get out of my box!" several times. No punches were thrown, no shoving was done, this was simply a case of a few passionate crewmen voicing their displeasure with each other over a racing incident. The No. 78 team has every right to not want a rival crew chief in their pit box

But while this should have been the end of this minor flare up, it wasn't. Both Cunningham and Taylor received three-week suspensions for their role in the argument. However, it NASCAR that handed down the sanctions this time. It also wasn't Furniture Row Racing. Both men were benched by Joe Gibbs Racing.

This news left a bad taste in the mouths of many NASCAR fans, and more still feel this is a very bad look for the sport as a whole. Apparently, the terms of the technical alliance between FRR and JGR also stipulate that JGR provides FRR with a pit crew. This means that even though they pit a car for another team, Truex Jr's pit crew consists of Joe Gibbs Racing personnel. This makes them JGR employees, which makes it Coach Gibbs' choice to reprimand them if need be. That's all fine and good.

But that doesn't mean it was needed in this instance. JGR officials should have simply "swallowed the whistle" on what should've been a non-issue.

Ever since entering their technical partnership prior to last year, Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing have been next to unstoppable. Truex won four times last year, while JGR's quartet of drivers won 12 races between them. That's almost half of the races run last season.

This year, however, Truex has already won three races, 14 stages, 29 playoff points, and is well on his way to the regular season points championship and the 15 playoff point bonus that comes with it. Hamlin's win at NHMS two weeks ago is JGR's lone win this season. They have been close many times with Busch, but they have not been able to get any of their other drivers in the win column.

Busch is riding a 365+ day winless streak and on the cusp of potentially missing the playoffs. Throw in the fact that Stevens was not penalized for his role in the argument, and many fans have perceived this to be a very politically-charged statement by JGR.

Furniture Row has outrun JGR all season long, which can't make the folks at JGR all that happy. So, as many fans said on social media yesterday, if you can't beat 'em, suspend 'em, right? It would appear that JGR is reminding FRR that they are nothing more than a satellite team of the JGR mothership and that JGR is the reason for all of their success. Not because of Martin Truex Jr's driving talent. Not because of Cole Pearn's race-winning calls. Not because of the boys and girls that work tirelessly at the FRR shop in Denver. It is only because of the parts and pieces supplied by Joe Gibbs Racing.

While it might not have been intended this way, this clearly looks like a power grab by JGR to reassert their dominance in the Toyota camp and slow down their stiffest competition. Especially since Stevens was not reprimanded.

JGR does some things differently than most teams and one of those things is treating their crew chiefs as executives in the organizational structure. If they are going to be treated as middle-management, are JGR's crew chiefs not expected to rise about petty squabbling? Rather than defend themselves and their team, were Taylor and Cunningham just supposed to say, 'Sorry Mr. Stevens, it won't happen again?' They might be JGR employees during the week, but on Sunday's they pit a car for a rival team. Come race day, they are competitors with the four JGR cars.

Many fans and media members also brought up the fact that Busch was not reprimanded by JGR officials this year at Las Vegas for walking halfway down pit road to punch Joey Logano after the race was over. Busch getting off scot-free for assaulting another driver while two crewmen get a three-week suspension for calmly escorting a crew chief from your pit box is a pretty glaring double-standard.

So where do we go from here?

Barney Visser, owner of Truex's No.78, issued the obligatory press release saying that they supported the actions taken by JGR. But it's hard to imagine this sitting too well with him and the folks at FRR.

Is Truex supposed to not race the JGR cars as hard as the 36 others on the track? If he winds up racing one of them for the championship, is he supposed to roll over when the race winds down?

Optics are everything, especially in NASCAR racing. Whether it was meant as a shot across the bow of Furniture Row Racing or not, that's what these suspensions appear to be. Technical alliances can clearly be difficult to understand, especially now that the line between teams is that much blurrier, but they have become a necessary part of the game for smaller teams to stay competitive.

It will be very interesting to see how this story plays itself out and if there will be any further repercussions from it.

Bubba Wallace to Make Cup Series Debut at Pocono in Iconic No. 43

Xfinity Series driver Bubba Wallace will make his Cup Series debut this
weekend at Pocono Raceway (Google Images)

While  Aric Almirola continues to recuperate from the compression fracture he suffered as a result of a vicious wreck at Kansas three weeks ago, the team at Richard Petty Motorsports has been finalizing plans for a full-time substitute.

NASCAR veteran and 2011 Southern 500 winner Regan Smith drove in place of Almirola during the Monster Energy All-Star race, Coca-Cola 600, and this past weekend's AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover.

But in an effort to shake things up, RPM, Roush Fenway Racing, and Ford Racing have teamed up to put Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr in the famous No. 43 car ahead of this weekend's Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway.

The 23-year old Mobile, Alabama native will be the first African-American driver to start a Monster Energy Cup Series race since Bill Lester made two starts in the series for Bill Davis Racing in 2006.

"Driving the famed 43 car is an unbelievable opportunity for any race car driver," said Wallace. "With all that Richard Petty has contributed to the sport, I'm honored to start my first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event with this team. I'm incredibly grateful that Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Smithfield have the confidence in me to help fill the seat until Aric fully recovers, which is the most important piece of this.

"Moving up to the Monster Energy Series is a tremendous challenge, but I am ready to represent this organization, help the 43 team get the best results possible and prove that I belong at this level."

Despite not getting a break at NASCAR's top level until this weekend, Wallace has already had success in the sport's two lower tier divisions. In two full-time seasons driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series, he totaled 5 wins, 14 top fives, 26 top tens, and three pole awards. Wallace moved up to the Xfinity Series in 2015 and since then he has six top fives, 34 top tens, and two more poles to his resume. Wallace is also a graduate of the inaugural NASCAR Next program.

Six of those Xfinity Series top tens have come in the first 11 races of this season.

"We're excited to have Bubba in the #43 car and to give him his first Monster Energy Series start," said Brian Moffitt, CEO Richard Petty Motorsports. "He has shown success in NASCAR's national series and we look forward to him continuing to display his abilities in our car. We're fortunate to have someone with Bubba's potential in the Ford Performance family who can step in for us until Aric is healed."

Ford Performance seemed to be a key player in making this move happen. RPM has had a technical partnership with the Roush Fenway team since 2010 and the sport has seen an influx of young drivers over the last several years.

Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez have made it through the Toyota pipeline, while Matt Tifft and Christopher Bell are doing well for the manufacturer in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series respectively. Chevrolet stablemates Richard Childress Racing and  Hendrick Motorsports have young guns Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott driving for their respective MENCS teams, while RCR has Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones and HMS has  Alex Bowman and William Byron driving in Xfinity and waiting to be called up. But save for Ryan Blaney, the Ford camp has not had many stand-out drivers aside from Wallace and his RFR teammate Ryan Reed.

"We are excited for Bubba to get this opportunity to drive the iconic No. 43 Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports," said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. "We couldn't be happier with the progress of Aric Almirola's recovery and can't wait to get him back. In the meantime, this is a great opportunity for Bubba to show what he can do at the top level of the sport, and we are committed to helping RPM win races. We are proud of the collaboration between RPM, Roush Fenway, and Ford to make this driver transition happen, and it's a great example of the One Ford mentality we have in order to make the overall Ford NASCAR program better."

Roush has scaled back this season from three full-time Cup Series cars to two with Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Trevor Bayne and RPM shuttered it's No. 44 team following Brian Scott's retirement at the end of the 2016 campaign. So that doesn't leave a whole lot of room at the inn for Wallace and Reed, especially since securing the necessary funding to start a new full-time team has proven difficult for both organizations.

So while the circumstances are less than ideal given that Almirola is nursing a broken back, this is an excellent opportunity for Wallace to prove what he can do in NASCAR's version of the big leagues.