NASCAR: Wallace Jr. joins Roush Fenway

Darrell Wallace Jr., who was released 10 days ago from his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, will join Roush Fenway Racing next year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (formerly Nationwide), the team announced.

The 21-year-old will join drivers Chris Buescher, Ryan Reed and Elliott Sadler in the RFR lineup, driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang previously driven by Trevor Bayne. Sponsorship for the program – the lack of which prompted his exit from JGR – will be announced at a later date, the team said.

"I've had a remarkable journey over the last few years thanks to people who have put me in a position to win the races that I have," Wallace said. "When I first joined the sport, many said I would never compete with the real drivers. Now, as I join the winningest team in NASCAR history, I take that as a responsibility to add more wins to the team's legacy and help tear down the barriers for the next generation of NASCAR drivers."

Wallace, nicknamed "Bubba," won five races from 2013-'14 while competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports, scoring four this past season. In 2013, he became the first African American driver to win a NASCAR national series event in 50 years when he won his first Truck Series race at Martinsville.

"We are certainly pleased to have Bubba Wallace come on board," said team co-owner Jack Roush. "He is certainly a great young talent and I feel it will be mutually beneficial for us to be able to put him into a team environment with a veteran driver like Elliott and the young guys Chris Buescher and Ryan Reed. We have had a great deal of history in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and we are happy to have Bubba as the latest piece of that rich legacy."