Local race car driver Jacob Wallace is at it again.

Wallace, a junior at Spalding High, will once again race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East series starting this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, the start of the Pro Series East regular season. The race, which is a “companion” race that will compete on the same weekend with the NASCAR Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series, will be tape-delayed and rebroadcast March 21 on Speed Channel.

“I’m stoked and I’m nervous at the same time about heading to Bristol. This will definitely be the biggest race of my life,” said Wallace, 16. “When you think of stock car racing, you think of the big 3: Bristol, Talladega and Daytona.”

Wallace said he’s feeling good about Saturday’s race, which will take place at 4:45 p.m. He hasn’t competed since last November 2012 and said he’s “itching” to get back to racing. He has two main sponsors this season — Petro South and Atlanta Air Salvage — as well as the usual sponsors Slices Restaurant, El Toro Loco and Bank Street Cafe.

“It’s been a minute since we’ve been racing so I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel again. We have two brand new cars and I think they’ll do well on the track this weekend,” he said.

Wallace thinks this year will be a good one for him in the Pro Series East. Not only does he have the new cars, but he has a new crew chief — former NASCAR national series driver Mike Laughlin — who will be there to guide him every step of the way.

“Mike is a NASCAR veteran who really knows the ropes and can teach me everything he knows,” said Wallace. “I’m looking forward to having him around this season.”

After Saturday, Wallace will compete in five more K&N Pro Series East races this season: April 25 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. (his 17th birthday); July 20 at CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pa.; Sept. 2 at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C.; Sept. 27 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.; and Nov. 2 at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.

The Richmond (April 25) and Dover (Sept. 27) races will again be companion races with the NASCAR national series, so Wallace will be able to continue rubbing shoulders with the NASCAR greats.

“Last year, we were just getting our feet wet, experimenting with the K&N Pro Series East,” Wallace said. “This year, our mindset is to see how good we can do at these races. Let’s achieve the most we can in 2013.”

Wallace said fans can follow his Bristol exploits on his Twitter page, which is @JacobWallace32. He will be “Tweeting” from Bristol Motor Speedway throughout his time at the track.