Darrell Wallace Jr. Optimistic About 2017 As He Looks To Compete For The XFINITY Series Championship

by January 25, 2017 0 comments

CHARLOTTE, N.C.– Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. took to the NASCAR Media Tour stage on Wednesday with an optimistic attitude, despite current sponsorship woes.

Unfortunately for the driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford Mustang, sponsor Leidos has only signed on to partner for the first six races of the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series season; however, the team hopes to expand the sponsorship with the goal of competing for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

“I’m thankful for Leidos, a military defense company, has stepped up and has been a great partner to Roush Fenway and the number six team the last half of last season and they’re stepping up again for a handful of races,” Wallace Jr. said. “We’re in kind of a little tight spot here.  We’re trying to figure out the rest of the game plan, but our goal is to be at Homestead for the season finale and win the XFINITY Series championship.”

Wallace says he is excited for the opportunity to begin the season with a sponsor on board, but he knows it will be up to him and his team to drive the sponsor to commit to their organization past the first six events.

“Absolutely,” said Wallace when answering whether Leidos would consider staying on the No. 6 Ford Mustang for more races of the 2017 race season. “That’s how it’s gonna work. We just have to show out this first six races, show all of our cards, show what we have done in the off-season. Coming into this pre-season right now a lot of changes have been made, a lot of personnel changes, a lot of key people have been moved around. I still have Seth, my crew chief, behind me. We’ve reformatted our team a little bit, and I think we have a great team going into this season.”

Since 2012, Wallace has accumulated 72 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and 44 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has visited Victory Lane on five occasions between the 2013 and 2014 Truck Series seasons. In 2016, he drove the No. 6 Ford Mustang to an 11th place finish in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings with three top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. Even with uncertainty about the upcoming season surrounding him, Wallace’s mission continues to be to prove himself in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

“We have the first six races right now with a 99 percent chance we’ll have more after that,” Wallace Jr. said. “The biggest thing is we haven’t had the best year the last two years, so we just need better results to bring and a more positive outlook. I believe the changes we have made, along with the new format coming up for the whole sport of NASCAR, will definitely help that out. I couldn’t be more excited about this season. Yeah, it’s not set in stone that it’s a full season, but that doesn’t change my outlook or my attitude or anything.”

Wallace knows the task he faces as he enters the 2017 season. He has committed to staying positive, though, as he rallies his team together to kick off the race season as strong as possible.

“Who doesn’t like a little challenge in front of them to go out and to secure the rest of the season for them, so I’m all about it,” asked Wallace. “Give me a good challenge.”

Photo Credit: Barrett Goodson/TheFourthTurn.com

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