Two drivers at the opposite ends of the career spectrum, crafty veteran Kenny Wallace and fresh-faced Ryan Truex, might have more in common than you’d think. Both drivers come from racing families and both are making the most of their opportunities in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season.
Truex, the two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, posted a career-best fourth-place finish at Richmond in his second start for Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex, 19, started the season with Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. Before finishing 11th two weeks ago at Atlanta – his first start in a six-race deal for JGR – he had last raced in the series at Chicago in June, finishing 20th. Truex also is scheduled to race at Dover, Kansas and Phoenix. He may also land another ride since he qualified for the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ final “Dash 4 Cash” race at Charlotte.
Wallace also qualified for the last “Dash 4 Cash” race on the heels of his fifth-place finish at Richmond — his first top five since finishing third at Memphis in 2008. Wallace is having a renaissance season. Driving for independent RAB Racing (by his choice, not being paid to help the team save money), Wallace is seventh in the standings, 21 points ahead of his nephew, Steve Wallace, who sits in eighth.
Wallace, who has 870 combined starts in each of NASCAR’s national series, earlier this year became only the second driver to reach 500 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He’s on track to break Jason Keller’s all-time record of 519 at Texas in November.
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