Darrell Wallace Jr. to get full-time ride with Richard Petty Motorsports

— -- Darrell Wallace Jr. will become the first full-time African-American driver in the NASCAR Cup Series since Wendell Scott in 1971 as he was named the 2018 full-time driver for Richard Petty Motorsports.

The team had said six weeks ago that it wanted to hire Wallace, who had filled in for four of the races that Aric Almirola missed while recovering from a broken back, but it had to evaluate any other potential sponsor-driver combinations. RPM made it official Wednesday, announcing the 24-year-old Wallace as its driver. The team, in a news release, said sponsors will be announced at a later date.

Wallace's four starts already rank him second behind Scott's 495 of known African-American drivers who have competed at the Cup level. The last African-American driver before Wallace to compete in a Cup race was Bill Lester in 2004.

"That's big," Wallace said about the social significance of his full-time Cup ride. "There's been a lot of people who have come up through the ranks and tried to carry on the legacy that Wendell Scott had laid down for us.

"For me to step into that realm and take on that role is a lot of pressure, but we're going to go out there and continue to do what we do on and off the race track."

Team co-owner Richard Petty, a seven-time Cup champion and inaugural inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame who is possibly the most recognizable name in the sport, said Wallace's race was not major factor in the decision and he felt that some past African-American drivers had tried more for publicity reasons than for racing.

"We looked at the talent," Petty said. "We looked at the way he handled the fans, how he handled the sponsor deals, all that kind of stuff.

"I didn't care what color was [or] where he come from. ... One thing I like about Bubba, he didn't come in for the publicity, he came in to drive a race car and that's what we want him to do."

Wallace is from Alabama and has raced since he was little. He made his first national series start in the Xfinity Series in 2012.

"This is a dream come true to race for 'The King' Richard Petty Motorsports, the iconic No. 43 and for all the fans and partners that have and continue to support this team," Wallace said in the news release.

"I believe in what Richard Petty Motorsports is doing and their desire to win races. I believe this team, its partners and fans are ready to see some great things again. I'm humbled that they have chosen me to take that next step with them."

Wallace improved in each of his four starts with RPM, with three top-20 finishes and a best of 11th at Kentucky Speedway in July. He has six career wins in the Camping World Truck Series. He has six top-5s and 35 top-10s in 85 career starts in the Xfinity Series.

"We have hired a lot of different drivers in the past, but Wallace brings a lot of youth and talent to our team," team co-owner Richard Petty said in a news release. "He's proven at a young age to be able to be consistent on a weekly basis, give feedback to the team to help improve the car and race hard to get the best finish possible.

"He knows how to win, too. His records leading up to the top levels of NASCAR speak for themselves."

Petty said the team had not decided on a manufacturer for next season. Although currently a Ford team, no manufacturer was listed in the news release.

"We'll let you know later on," Petty said. "That will be another announcement."

Almirola likely will move to Stewart-Haas Racing, which already has announced it has secured former RPM sponsor Smithfield for next season.