Kenny Wallace has harbored this goal since high school. It's weathered a marriage and kids -- the special things in life that sometimes pull you away from your dreams -- as well as broken opportunities with subpar rides -- the nastier things that put up road blocks.

Here he is now, 13 years after running his first Winston Cup race, with the best opportunity to make that dream come true. His dream was to not just to become a Cup racer, but to excel and become a title contender.

	Kenny Wallace feels he has his best opportunity yet with Bill Davis Racing.

Not since the 2000 season, when he raced for Andy Petree, has Wallace been in a competitive full-time ride. He suffered through the busted project that was Eel River Racing in '01 and settled for back-up duty to the injured Steve Park last year.

Now, he's the man around the No. 23 Dodge shop, racing for Bill Davis, and though his team can't financially be compared to, say, Jeff Gordon's, he's got a good situation and is in a position to finally make some noise.

"I would have to say this is definitely my best opportunity," Wallace said. "I'm with a team that has a lot of longevity. Bill Davis Racing has been around quite a few years. It's not a new operation. From that standpoint, I would say yes, this is my best opportunity."

And it's showing. The 39-year-old St. Louis native, who has yet to win a Cup race, is 23rd in the points. Not that a guy who's looking to be a competitor would be proud of 23rd, but certainly he's shown positive signs. He's a couple of high finishes away from knocking on the top-15 -- a perch which, for the equipment he's in, would certainly prove his skills.

Of course, he's never felt he needed to prove anything. He's an accomplished Busch Series racer who has always been confident in his abilities. When he got a chance to back that confidence up, running in top equipment while subbing for Park in Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1 Chevy, he posted a top-five and another top-10.

"I know people sometimes forget my stats," he said. "My stats are pretty damn good coming from the Busch Series. Top-10s are encouraging because the Winston Cup Series is so tough. To get a top-10 nowadays is 10 times bigger than it used to be. A top-10 in Winston Cup is like you've really accomplished something, but still in the back of my mind, I want much more than that."

Wallace posted a top-10 this season -- four weeks ago at Bristol. And heading into California he's riding a wave of momentum because, even though he finished 12th at Martinsville, he believes his performance was top-five caliber. He just got down early in the race when he had to pit twice to fill up with fuel.

"The race track only had three pumps open, and when I pitted we couldn't put no gas in our car because we didn't have gas," he said. "I had to pit again because they didn't have gas. I had to make up two laps. We easily had a top-five car. I came from the back three times. I was two laps down and made 'em both up. What are you going to do? I finished 12th. It should have been a lot better than that."

Still, the mood is good over at the shop.

"Our year seems to be on the upswing and hopefully it will continue in that direction," he said. "We've run very good lately and we need to continue with that pattern."

And if he does, he'll be well on his way to a good finish this season. At the least, he could grab the attention of other car owners -- folks with the top-notch rides, perhaps. It won't be an easy deal. But nothing has been in his career. Still, you can count on one thing. You can count on Wallace to keep pushing forward.

"I would say my drive and determination is what separates me from the other people," he said. "There are a lot of great race car drivers out there. I always heard Dale Earnhardt say this. He'd say, 'You know, there's a ton of talent out there and they're all hidden. There are shy people and people afraid to sacrifice. There are people who are married and have children and are afraid to quit their jobs and chase their dreams.'"

Nothing, however, will deter Wallace from chasing his.

Rupen Fofaria covers NASCAR for The Raleigh News & Observer and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at rfofaria@newsobserver.com.