Darrell Wallace Jr. will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Pocono Raceway as he takes over the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Regan Smith had driven the car the last three weeks at Charlotte and Dover but will return to his duties in the Camping World Truck Series. Petty’s primary driver, Aric Almirola, is still recovering from a compression fracture of his T5 vertabra suffered in a crash at Kansas Speedway. He is expected to miss five to nine more weeks of competition as he recovers from a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra suffered in a violent crash on May 13 at Kansas Speedway.

“We’re excited to have Bubba in the No. 43 car and to give him his first Monster Energy Series start,” said Brian Moffitt, CEO Richard Petty Motorsports. “He has shown success in NASCAR’s national series and we look forward to him continuing to display his abilities in our car. We’re fortunate to have someone with Bubba’s potential in the Ford Performance family who can step in for us until Aric is healed.”

The 23-year-old Wallace graduated to full-time competition in the Xfinity Series for Roush Fenway Racing 2015, finishing a career-high second at Dover last spring. He has previously worked with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series, earning five career wins.

“Driving the famed 43 car is an unbelievable opportunity for any race car driver,” said Wallace. “With all that Richard Petty has contributed to the sport, I’m honored to start my first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event with this team. I’m incredibly grateful that Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports and Smithfield have the confidence in me to help fill the seat until Aric (Almirola) fully recovers, which is the most important piece of this. Moving up to the Monster Energy Series is a tremendous challenge, but I am ready to represent this organization, help the 43 team get the best results possible and prove that I belong at this level.”

Wallace is the first African-American driver to compete in NASCAR’s top tier since Bill Lester drove for Bill Davis Racing in two Cup races in 2006.

With Wallace taking this step into the Cup Series, Roush Fenway has announced it will suspend operations of Wallace’s Xfinity team after this weekend’s race at Pocono.

“We are very proud of Bubba and his development at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Roush Fenway team president Steve Newmark. “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.

“The transition shows the strong collaboration we currently have in the Ford stable,” added Newmark. “We believe this will be a great opportunity for both Bubba and RPM, and will continue to strengthen the overall Ford program.”

Wallace will speak to the media about this opportunity Tuesday morning.