When Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. climbs into the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 car this weekend at Pocono Raceway, he will become the first African-American driver to compete in NASCAR’s Cup Series since Bill Lester in 2006.

The 23-year-old Wallace is subbing for Aric Almirola, who broke his back in a fiery crash at Kansas Speedway on May 13. Wallace is a fellow Ford driver with Roush Fenway Racing, which will suspend its team operations for the No. 6 Xfinity team after this weekend at Pocono.

Richard Petty Motorsports had put Regan Smith in the No. 43 car for the All-Star Race, Coca-Cola 600 and this past Sunday's race at Dover. The team is hoping for better results from Wallace, who is will remain Almirola's replacement driver until he is ready to return from his back injury, which could be the middle of August at the latest of his 8-12 week recovery timeline.

"We are very proud of Bubba and his development at Roush Fenway Racing," Roush Fenway Racing president Steve Newmark said in a statement. “We believe that Bubba has tremendous potential and will continue to excel in NASCAR’s top series. He has been a great representative of our organization both on and off the track and we’ve enjoyed being part of his growth as a driver.

"Our entire team is excited to see him take the next step in his career and make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the No. 43."

Breaking NASCAR barriers is nothing new for Wallace, who in 2013 also became the first African-American driver since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott to win a race in one of NASCAR’s three national series when he won at Martinsville in the Truck Series.

Wallace has six top-five finishes in 83 starts in the Xfinity Series to go along with five wins in the Truck Series.