It’s beginning to sink in for Darrell Wallace Jr. that he’s behind the wheel of a Monster Energy Cup Series car this weekend at Pocono Raceway.

Of course, it’s not just any car as Wallace begins his interim stint in the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. Friday morning, Wallace was introduced as the driver of that car during a media availability, and he admitted it still took him a minute to register.

#theKing giving @BubbaWallace a few pointers. #nascar pic.twitter.com/hDFoimQcxR

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“It had a nice ring to it, though, so I like that,” Wallace said.

Since the announcement Monday night, Wallace felt he’s done a good job of managing all that has come with it, not letting the highs get too high and lose focus on the job ahead. Now at the track, Wallace is trying to approach the Cup side the best way he knows how.

“I’m treating it just like I’m walking around the Xfinity garage,” Wallace said. “It’s a little bit more crowded, but there’s nothing different from the game plan for me.”

Well, except for who Wallace might be able to lean on for help.

“Jimmie Johnson had reached out pretty much as soon as we announced it,” Wallace said. “He said, ‘See you on Sundays now, bro.’ I was like, all right, that’s cool. That’s really cool. He said that if I needed anything to reach to him, so I’m going to try to meet up with him before practice and after practice just to ask him what do I need to expect.

“There’s nothing to it. At the end of the day, it’s just a racecar with a little bit more horsepower, a little bit bigger venue, a little bit bigger crowd. But, at the end of the day, I’ve been waiting for this moment for 15 years, or however long I’ve been racing. A long time. And now it’s finally here, so it’s just another stroll in the park.”

Between the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series, Wallace has made 127 NASCAR starts. He also has a combined three starts at Pocono with a best finish of seventh in the 2013 Camping World Truck Series race.

Wallace was 19th fastest in his first practice with the No. 43 team Friday morning at Pocono.

“I’m jacked up right now, this is a very cool opportunity and very I’m thankful for it,” Wallace said during the session. “Man, a lot of fun. I thought it would be a little bit bigger of a transition. The speeds are not too crazy; I guess we’ll find out when I jump into my Xfinity car and try to barrel it off in [the corners] and mess up, but hopefully not.”