RIDGEWAY, Va. – Darrell Wallace Jr. aka "Bubba" drove into the national spotlight when he finished second in the NASCAR cup series opener, the Daytona 500. Ahead of the STP 500 race at Martinsville Sunday, Wallace made a pit stop at Magna Vista High School and explained why short track racing is so much fun.
"You're always on the move. You're always trying to advance forward and keep the cars behind you and there's always close quarter contact," said Wallance.
The half-mile track has bode well for Wallace in the past, he's won there twice in the Camping World truck series.
"I love this place. Obviously it's just a place that I fell in love with as soon as I got here. To come back here now 3 1/2 years later in a cup series it's a homecoming for me."
Wallace quickly became a fan favorite, taking over the reins of the iconic 43 car of Richard Petty, and races for "the King" himself.
Bubba Wallace is the first full-time African-American driver in the cup series since Wendell Scott in the 1970's. When the students heard this, they were all cheers.
"It shows you how big the moment of time and is right now for me to be here at the pinnacle of our support and try to elevate it to new levels and reach new audiences, new crowds. We're knocking on those doors each and every day and every weekend," he said.
Before he tries to tackle the Paperclip, Wallace made a confession about a Martinsville staple.
"Honestly, I hate to say it, but I've never had a hotdog. I've never had a Martinsville hotdog. Ya'll need to make it tradition, like drinking milk at the Indy 500, eat a hotdog in victory lane. "