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Short Track Weekly: The Legend of Lee Pulliam Continues

Many know that Lee Pulliam is one of the greatest to ever hold the steering wheel of a Late Model Stock car.

However, there is a large number of people who don’t know much about the Late Model Stock Legend, who won everything there is to win in southeast late model racing.

Pulliam’s resume features four NASCAR National Championships in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. He won the Virginia State Championship in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, while also claiming the North Carolina State Championship in 2014. He followed that up with a South Carolina State Championship in 2017.

In addition to national and state championships, Pulliam was a five-time track champion of Motor Mile Speedway, while also picking up a track championship at both South Boston Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway.

Pulliam also has two wins in the sport’s biggest event, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway (2011, 2014).

Some would argue Pulliam retired at the top of his game, stepping away from full-time competition in 2018 to start his own race team in Lee Pulliam Performance.

When Pulliam announced he was returning to the driver’s seat for this year’s Martinsville 300, his goal was to be competitive and enjoy the event with both his father and daughter.

To the delight of the Martinsville fans, Pulliam did just that. Driving the No. 03 normally piloted by Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen, Pulliam contended for the win of his heat race and was 13th at the end of the 200-lap main event.

Frontstretch caught up with Pulliam following the race at Martinsville on Saturday, Sept. 28, to break down what could be his final time behind the wheel. He talked about what it means to have his family in attendance, and whether or not this return to racing was his last.

Chase Folsom, Frontstretch: Lee Pulliam, we’re here after your return to the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville, and your return to racing in general. I just want to talk about tonight first. You ended up 13th, you guys had a solid run all night long. How would you assess your night?

Lee Pulliam: I had a good time, you know. I led a lap in the heat race and finished second, had a shot at the pole in qualifying, just the car was super free all night long and we could not get that thing tightened up. Probably the most free racecar I’ve ever drove, but I had a blast man.

I’m so lucky to have been able to do this, race with my dad and have my daughter be able to see it. It was a lot of fun. I mean, I wish the car would have been better for sure, because I felt like with a good car, I could’ve fought for the win. But it just wasn’t quite in the cards tonight.

Folsom: Back to that heat race, you and Connor Hall had a great battle, side by side for multiple laps. Was that the moment where you felt like, man I’m really doing this again, having fun and racing up front?

Pulliam: Yeah. I was competitive in the heat race. I feel like Connor [Hall], him and Brenden [Queen] are two of the hottest drivers right now in racing. So to race with him for the lead and lead a lap, I think that was pretty cool for me. I hadn’t raced in five years. That’s a long, long time.

And to come to the biggest show, I didn’t run like I wanted to in the feature, but to run second in the heat race and qualifying, get a 13th-place finish, just clawed all night long. I’ve been riding the bike so wouldn’t fall out the seat, and I felt fresh. Really at the end of the race, just didn’t have a lot to fight with.

Folsom: You mentioned not racing in five years, so I want to kind of back track here. This whole process, when did you decide you wanted to run this race? Because I has been a long time since you were in the racecar.

Pulliam: My dad, you know he almost passed away earlier in the year. He had a surgery and had a lot of complications from it, and that’s what me and him did together. We didn’t have money to move on and run anything else, so I had to look out for my family and just work on them (racecars).

My dad was sick and I told him, “If you promise me you’re going to fight and get over this, I promise you we’ll go race at Martinsville one more time.”

It was an emotional weekend. But me and dad here, laughing and smiling, we both wanted to win the race right. All in all, we’re blessed.

Folsom: You drove your driver, Butterbean’s [Brenden Queen] car tonight, so did he put any pressure on you tonight to run good like he would in the car?

Pulliam: Yeah. We’ve been picking all week, he finished 10th in this race last year so I was telling him, “Man I’m gonna ride you hard if I run ninth tonight.”

He beat me by three spots so he’s gonna ride me now. He’s already let me know that he finished three spots better than me last year.

Folsom: So when you recap your night and all the guys you raced against, there’s so many new faces in the crowd from when you were here last. Was it kind of a weird feeling, did it feel like a changing of the guard at all to see all the new faces?

Pulliam: It’s definitely a different group for the most part. I mean you’ve got the old school racers like Mike Looney, Bobby McCarty, Peyton Sellers and Stacey Puryear, you’ve got a lot of old school guys. But definitely a lot of young guys out there right now. You know, they’re doing a good job.

This racing is tough, you know. It’s not easy. You’ve got to have really good equipment and good drivers to run up front. We just didn’t have quite enough, didn’t bring quite enough tonight.

Folsom: Do you think this is the last time we’ll see you in a Late Model Stock car?

Pulliam: I have no idea. I didn’t ever plan on the last time being five years ago, so who knows?

I feel like I still got it, I feel like most people wouldn’t even dream of being off for five years and coming to the all-star race right. Like this is the biggest race in short track racing. I feel happy with the way I performed and went throughout the weekend. I feel like I was a little rusty, I got better as the race went on.

I wasn’t perfect, I still was rusty, but I gave 110% the whole night. I doubt I can finish my career with a 13th-place finish, so I don’t know if it’ll be four or five years from now (when I return), but I can’t see myself finishing 13th for my last race.

Folsom: So on that note, and I think I know your answer based off that answer, but if this is your last time at Martinsville, are you happy with it?

Pulliam: Hey, I had a ball, man. My daughter got to see me race, she had a ball. She had her little friends up here, it’ll be the first race she’s ever going to remember. She’s seen me race. She’s seen me win a ton of races, but she doesn’t remember any of them (because) she was so young. She’s eight years old now, so she’ll remember this one.

That’s special enough for me. If I get to do it again, that’ll be great. But either way I had a great time, enjoyed racing with my dad and just had a lot of fun all night long.

About the author

Chase_folsom_ROVAL_2022

Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023.  Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.

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