Martinsville Speedway is a special track for Lee Pulliam; he has two victories, nine top fives and almost 200 laps led in the facility's prestigious Late Model Stock Car race, the annual ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Pulliam always dreamed of making NASCAR national series starts at Martinsville, but as the years progressed, those aspirations faded.
Now Pulliam is still emotional about the day Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed the 37-year-old will drive JR Motorsports' No. 9 Chevrolet in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville on March 28. Pulliam never imagined such an opportunity.
PHOTOS: Lee Pulliam through the yearsPulliam just two years ago considered himself retired, content with being both a team owner and a father. Now he's is preparing to fulfill a lifelong dream in a race he believes he can win.
“I always thought I would make it one day,” Pulliam said. “I’ve had a ton of success, but it just never worked out. It wasn’t the right time for me. When I quit racing to take care of my family and further my business, I really thought that dream of driving in the top series was just not going to happen.”
“It’s so crazy how quick things in life can change.”
[caption id="attachment_502227" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Such an opportunity is not exactly unfamiliar territory to Pulliam, as he came close to breaking into the national ranks in 2014.
Driving for Hattori Racing Enterprises at the time, Pulliam excelled in his ARCA Menards Series East debut at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway, earning a fifth-place finish after rebounding from a flat tire. Pulliam backed up that performance with another fifth at Daytona International Speedway’s short track, which placed him second in the East Series standings behind Daniel Suarez.
The momentum Pulliam was generating fell apart during the following race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
While Pulliam was running inside the top five, a slower car driven by Jerry Dawson spun to the inside of Turns 1-2. Pulliam’s spotter did not alert him to the spin in time, causing Pulliam to drive nearly full speed into Dawson’s driver’s side and destroying both cars.
Hattori Racing Enterprises did have a backup for Pulliam to utilize, but he admitted it lacked the efficiency of the car Pulliam had driven to two top fives. After two disappointing showings at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and Richmond Raceway, Pulliam and Hattori Racing Enterprises parted ways, leaving the Late Model Stock veteran back where he started.
“It looked like I was going to get a good chance and a good opportunity there, but it just didn’t pan out,” Pulliam said. “I’ll always be thankful for those few races I did with [the East Series]. There were some great memories and some tough memories at the same time.
"I felt like I was so close to breaking in but so far away at the same time.”
Pulliam had no issues picking up where he left off in Late Model Stocks; he won his second ValleyStar Credit Union 300 that same year and later claimed two NASCAR Local Racing Series national titles, bringing his total to four. At the end of the decade, Pulliam shifted his focus to team ownership with the goal of imparting his knowledge on the next generation.
Among those who have driven for Lee Pulliam Performance are Corey Heim and Brenden "Butterbean" Queen, both of whom have won titles at the national level. Seeing his drivers excel outside of Late Model Stocks is a great source of pride for Pulliam, though he still expressed a desire to one day get back behind the wheel himself.
[caption id="attachment_502228" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Pulliam’s return to racing ultimately was sparked by his father Stuart's health battle; his Whipple procedure in 2024 resulted in complications that included kidney failure and dialysis.
There were moments when Pulliam was unsure whether his dad would fully recover. Knowing how much Stuart supported his racing endeavors over the years, Pulliam offered him some motivation that led to both men fulfilling their respective promises.
“I made a deal with [my dad] that if he’d fight hard and pull through it, I’d find the funds to go race Martinsville later that year,” Pulliam said. “Butterbean and his sponsors knew about it, and Butterbean was actually able to run the Truck [Series] race at Kansas, which was the same weekend as Martinsville.
“His sponsors asked me if I wanted to drive the No. 03 car so I wouldn’t have to search for different sponsorship to be able to run. What a blessing it was.”
A recovering Stuart witnessed Pulliam make his first Late Model Stock in four years during the 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville. Although Pulliam’s 13th-place showing was below his expectations, he cherished the experience at such a special venue.
When he left Martinsville that evening, Pulliam had already decided he would give the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 another go in 2025. He spent the next year quietly preparing, determined to re-establish himself as a favorite for the prestigious grandfather clock.
Pulliam unloaded as one of the fastest cars in the 2025 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 field and ended up qualifying on the outside pole. That speed carried into the main event, as Pulliam maintained solid track position all evening and passed one of his former drivers in Landon Pembelton for the lead with 10 laps to go, putting himself within reach of a third Martinsville win.
A late caution forced Pulliam to play defense against Pembelton in overtime, with Pembelton gaining the upper hand by 0.024 seconds at the start-finish line. The loss was heartbreaking for Pulliam, but the entire weekend at Martinsville validated to Pulliam that he could still contend for victories against the best in Late Model Stocks.
“Confidence is everything in sports,” Pulliam said. “No matter who you are, if you're [out] that long, you’re going to question things. After running 13th the year before, I thought ‘that’s not bad, but that’s not who Lee Pulliam is.’ It was nice to know that was still inside of me. I felt like I was my old self.”
[caption id="attachment_502229" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Earnhardt Jr. took notice of what Pulliam accomplished at Martinsville and worked out a deal to put him in his No. 88 Chevrolet for the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park. Just like he did at Martinsville, Pulliam drove a clean, precise race and ended up settling for another strong runner-up finish.
Now Pulliam will find himself in one of JR Motorsports’ O’Reilly Series cars in just a few weeks, an opportunity he considers to be once in a lifetime.
While Martinsville is familiar territory to Pulliam, the O’Reilly Series chassis presents plenty of unknowns. Pulliam plans to work closely with Earnhardt Jr. and his crew chief Philip Bell to understand every component of his car and other aspects of the O’Reilly Series, such as how to properly execute a pit stop.
The circumstances could not be better for Pulliam ahead of his O’Reilly Series debut, but he understands he needs to be fully committed to have a chance at being competitive alongside his four JR Motorsports teammates.
“It’s going to be different,” Pulliam said. “You have to use a ton of brake pressure in these things, and you move the apex further around the corner than you do the Late Model Stocks. It’s not going to be an easy task my any means; it’s going to take a lot of hard work and studying by me. I know Philip Bell is going to have a rocket ship for me to drive. That’s the nice part.
“I’m in the best equipment there is, and I’ve got the best people working on it, so it’s up to me to perform.”
An immense challenge lies ahead for Pulliam at Martinsville, but it is one he has waited long enough to tackle.
Pulliam more than a decade ago watched his first chance at NASCAR fade away due to elements outside of his control. Rather than let the setback deter him, he devoted himself to Late Model Stocks by becoming one of the most successful figures in the discipline’s history as a driver and later as an owner.
A lot has changed for Pulliam on his journey toward his first O’Reilly Series start, but one prevailing constant is Martinsville’s impact. The historic track was where Pulliam first made a name for himself with his maiden ValleyStar Credit Union 300 win in 2011. Fittingly, Martinsville also became the track where Pulliam revitalized his driving career.
The 2026 schedule is Pulliam’s busiest as a driver this decade, especially with the ongoing preparations surrounding his O’Reilly Series debut. He knows he might never get another chance to race at the national level, but that concept is only motivating him to upset the series regulars and earn his most cathartic Martinsville victory to date.
“I’m getting goosebumps thinking about the possibility of [winning],” Pulliam said. “It’s not going to be easy. The whole field is stout. There’s so many that can win, but if I do get it done, it would be unbelievable. I know it’s possible, and I know we can do it, so I’m going to give it all I got.
“Whether I run 30th or I cross the finish line P1, I can promise you that I gave everything that I had and I will be grateful for every second of it.”