DARRELL WALLACE JR. (left) shoots a selfie with fans during practice Saturday for the NASCAR Daytona 500 Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first black driver to start the Daytona 500 since 1969 continues to blaze a trail at Speedweeks.

Darrell Wallace Jr. turned heads again Saturday at Daytona International Speedway and topped the speed chart in the final practice for NASCAR’s season opener.

“A lot of stories, a lot of headlines being talked about,” Wallace said.

Wallace sparked plenty of his own.

He went 196.954 mph in the No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports, one more astounding moment in a week where he finished third in a Daytona 500 qualifying race and earned a seventh-place start on Sunday.

There’s only one box left to check on his list.

“To win something is good,” Wallace said.

He’ll have 39 other drivers to beat to the checkered flag on Sunday, including the favorite, 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski. Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney give Team Penske a potent 1-2-3 punch to win NASCAR’s marquee race. Blaney finished first and Logano second this week in a qualifying race used to set the field. Penske was mum on how he’d tell his drivers to race in the Daytona 500.

And if the three of them are competing hard on the final lap for a victory?

“If they end up all three wrecked in a ball because they were racing for the win, then they end up wrecked in a ball racing for a win,” Penske said.

Keselowski already won an all-star race that opened Speedweeks.

Wallace and 20-yearold Hendrick Motorsports rookie prospect William Byron are Daytona 500 firsttimers and headline a crop of blossoming young talent

NEXT UP

WHAT: Daytona 500

WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Beach, Fla.

TV: FOX

LENGTH: 200 laps (500 miles)

NASCAR is banking on to lead the sport into the next decade. Three drivers under age 25 will start in the first two rows and there are six drivers under age 30 in the first eight spots.

Pole sitter Alex Bowman, who was often confused for a rookie in Daytona because of his one-year sabbatical, sits on the pole in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He played it safe Saturday behind the wheel long held by the retired Dale Earnhardt Jr. and hit 191.160 in the fastest of his three laps.

While NASCAR is undergoing a youth movement, Danica Patrick is on her way out. Patrick was ninthfastest in the final practice headed into her last NASCAR race. She will race the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 as part of a retirement tour she dubbed the “Danica Double.”

Patrick starts 28th on Sunday. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers watched his new girlfriend race this week from the top of her pit box and will attend Sunday’s race.

Rodgers might run into a familiar face among the QB fraternity at the track — retired great Peyton Manning will drive the honorary pace car.

Also racing in the Daytona 500 is 66-year-old Vietnam veteran Mark Thompson.

Chase Elliott won a qualifying race to give team owner Rick Hendrick a win at Speedweeks and the pole for the Daytona 500. Both are firsts for Chevrolet’s new Cup effort, the Camaro.

NASCAR Monster Energy Daytona 500 Lineup

By The Associated Press

After Thursday’s Duel races; race Sunday At Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla.

Lap length: 2.5 miles

(Car number in parentheses)

1. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota

3. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford

4. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet

5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford

6. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford

7. (43) Darrell Wallace Jr., Chevrolet

8. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota

9. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford

10. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford

11. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford

12. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota

13. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet

14. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

15. (38) David Ragan, Ford

16. (21) Paul Menard, Ford

17. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota

18. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford

19. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet

20. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet

21. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet

22. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford

23. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet

24. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

25. (62) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet

26. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet

27. (00) Jeff rey Earnhardt, Chevrolet

28. (7) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet

29. (51) Justin Marks, Chevrolet

30. (96) DJ Kennington, Toyota

31. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford

32. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet

33. (24) William Byron Chevrolet

34. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota

35. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet

36. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford

37. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford

38. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

39. (92) David Gilliland, Ford

40. (66) Mark Thompson, Ford

NASCAR XFINITY Power Shares QQQ 300 Results

By The Associated Press

Saturday At Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla.

Lap length: 2.50 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (9) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 143 laps, 0 rating, 50 points.

2. (11) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 41.

3. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 143, 0, 34.

4. (27) Kaz Grala, Ford, 143, 0, 33.

5. (25) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 32.

6. (4) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 39.

7. (6) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 35.

8. (17) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 143, 0, 0.

9. (23) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 28.

10. (18) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 143, 0, 27.

11. (31) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 26.

12. (8) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 0.

13. (30) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 24.

14. (14) Cole Custer, Ford, 143, 0, 24.

15. (35) Stephen Leicht, Toyota, 143, 0, 22.

16. (24) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 21.

17. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 20.

18. (37) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 19.

19. (39) Matt Tiff t, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 18.

20. (26) Vinnie Miller, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 17.

21. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 16.

22. (40) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 15.

23. (16) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 143, 0, 0.

24. (22) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 142, 0, 13.

25. (34) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 142, 0, 12.

26. (1) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 140, 0, 18.

27. (20) Dylan Lupton, Ford, accident, 137, 0, 10.

28. (36) Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, 136, 0, 9.

29. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, accident, 134, 0, 0.

30. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, accident, 133, 0, 7.

31. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, accident, 124, 0, 15.

32. (38) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 122, 0, 0.

33. (19) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, accident, 122, 0, 4.

34. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, accident, 121, 0, 0.

35. (12) Aric Almirola, Ford, accident, 121, 0, 0.

36. (28) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, accident, 121, 0, 1.

37. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, accident, 106, 0, 5.

38. (33) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, accident, 82, 0, 0.

39. (13) Christopher Bell, Toyota, accident, 11, 0, 1.

40. (10) Austin Cindric, Ford, accident, 10, 0, 1.

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 119.107 mph.

Time of Race: 3 hours, 0 minutes, 6 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.000 seconds.

Caution Flags: 12 for 49 laps.

Lead Changes: 19 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders:D. Hemric 1-2; K. Larson 3; D. Hemric 4-8; K. Larson 9-32; G. Smithley 33; E. Sadler 34-35; K. Larson 36-46; C. Elliott 47-63; G. Smithley 64; A. Almirola 65-68; J. Logano 69-74; K. Larson 75; J. Logano 76-96; K. Larson 97-103; J. Logano 104; K. Larson 105-121; D. Suarez 122-126; R. Reed 127-129; R. Truex 130-132; T. Reddick 133-143