The last time Lee Pulliam contested the entirety of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown presented by FloRacing, he ended up securing his second championship in the three-race stretch.
That was in 2019. Now one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s heralded kings of the southeast is hoping and preparing to add another crown to his long list of conquests.
Pulliam’s pursuit of a third Virginia Triple Crown will see him team back up with JR Motorsports after making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with the team at Martinsville Speedway in March. Sponsoring Pulliam’s No. 8 Chevrolet for the effort will be the NASCAR Channel, a free, 24/7 streaming network.
A few years ago, Pulliam never imagined he would have support from JR Motorsports or NASCAR for even one race, especially after transitioning to team ownership. The circumstances in which Pulliam finds himself are why he is so excited about chasing the Virginia Triple Crown as a driver once again.
“It’s super gratifying and humbling to drive these race cars,” Pulliam said. “To do it with JR Motorsports is an unbelievable opportunity, and to have the NASCAR Channel on board, it just speaks volumes really of [how much] everybody at NASCAR and JRM believe in me. It’s a really big deal and an honor I don’t take lightly.”
If it were up to Pulliam, he would have continued chasing Virginia Triple Crowns after his 2019 title. Sponsorship became more of an issue as the years progressed, which forced him to make a tough-but-necessary decision to step away from full-time driving at the turn of the decade.
Despite the change in direction, Pulliam maintained a lasting impact not only on Late Model Stocks, but also across motorsports. Drivers like Corey Heim and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen enjoyed plenty of success through Lee Pulliam Performance, which has also helped develop aspiring female competitors like Isabella Robusto and Lanie Buice.
Yet a burning desire remained inside Pulliam to turn laps alongside the drivers he mentored. Other than a handful of starts in 2020, Pulliam remained out of the seat, but he never lost hope about one day putting his fire suit back on to chase another win.
“It’s something about driving; that’s what got me into this sport,” Pulliam said. “My passion was to be behind the wheel. I never wanted to not be behind the wheel. Circumstances led to that.”
The catalyst that ultimately got Pulliam back into racing was a family emergency, as his father Stuart was hospitalized in 2024 after a Whipple procedure led to kidney failure in dialysis. Pulliam made a promise to a recovering Stuart that if his health improved, he would find the funding to go run the 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
Pulliam indeed made his return to Late Model Stock competition in the discipline’s crown jewel event; he finished 13th after starting eighth. Not satisfied with his performance, Pulliam returned to Martinsville the following year with one of the best cars, as he qualified on the outside pole and led 44 of 200 laps.
Although he ended up losing the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 to Landon Pembelton by 0.024 seconds in overtime, Pulliam’s comeback captivated many in the Late Model Stock industry who either watched him race or had heard stories about his rivalries with other accomplished drivers.
One of the first to contact Pulliam after that runner-up showing was Dale Earnhardt Jr., a longtime friend. It did not take long for the two motorsports legends to start deliberating on how to put Pulliam in a JR Motorsports car.
“[Dale Jr.] just felt really touched by the whole story of me coming back after being gone for so long and how close I was to winning [Martinsville],” Pulliam said. “It tugged on him to want to do something together, because he could see I still had that passion and fire. We just connected from there.”
The Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park that November saw Pulliam climb into a JR Motorsports Late Model Stock for the first time. Pulliam displayed the same efficiency with Earnhardt Jr.’s equipment that had followed him throughout his storied career, ultimately finishing second.
A few months later, JR Motorsports helped Pulliam fulfill a childhood dream in his first national NASCAR start at Martinsville, a track at which he’d won twice in a Late Model Stock. Nearly everything about the opportunity went according to plan for Pulliam, who ended his day in fifth after leading 40 laps in the closing stages.
Walking across the stage during O’Reilly Series driver introductions and listening to the uproarious cheers from the crowd was an emotional moment for Pulliam. Such a reality was something Pulliam had worked diligently over nearly two decades to obtain, which is why he will always be grateful to JR Motorsports for helping him reach that long-overdue milestone.
Given how great their first two ventures together went, Pulliam felt it made too much sense to attempt the Virginia Triple Crown with JR Motorsports.
“We’re racers,” Pulliam said. “Dale’s a racer; Bryan Shaffer is a racer. Bryan does a tremendous job, and our friendship has grown over the years. Bryan has crew chiefed the No. 8 and the No. 88 while I’ve been a crew chief to my cars. We always try to help each other at the race tracks when the other one needs something.
“Dale wanted to go racing, wanted a shot to win, and felt like I was his guy. That was good enough for me. I was all in.”
An avid supporter of Late Model Stock racing, Earnhardt Jr. believes Pulliam embodies all the characteristics that make the discipline so special to him, grit, determination and all the accolades that come with it. From Earnhardt Jr,’s perspective, it is only fitting that Pulliam is back in a Late Model Stock for all three Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing events.
Two top fives in two races for JR Motorsports across two different cars is only reinforcing Earnhardt Jr.’s confidence in Pulliam’s ability as the two prepare for the opening round of the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing at South Boston Speedway.
“I’m pretty excited to continue working with Lee,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s had a good impact on our company and his story resonates with the NASCAR fan. I have no doubt that he and Caden [Kvapil] will represent us well on and off the track chasing the historic [Virginia] Triple Crown [presented by FloRacing].”
Earnhardt Jr. and Pulliam are also ecstatic to carry the NASCAR Channel colors for the entirety of the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing. Established in 2025, the NASCAR Channel offers a variety of content that includes original programming, race replays and live events that will include the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville later this year.
The NASCAR Channel is available on Xumo Play, Tubi, Prime Video, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, FLS and Tablo TV.
As the motorsports industry in the United States continues to evolve, Pulliam emphasized the importance of drivers like him getting the recognition they deserve in the modern era. He sees the NASCAR Channel as a great way to accomplish that goal, but he also feels honored to have NASCAR branding on his car for three of the most prestigious Late Model Stock events.
“That’s a tremendous deal to have the NASCAR Channel on board,” Pulliam said. “I’m super stoked about that and proud to represent them. That part of the sport is continuing to grow as far as people subscribing and watching racing. I hope to help promote it even further. I’m going to do all I can to get the NASCAR Channel No. 8 in Victory Lane.”
The Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing will serve as the NASCAR Channel’s first foray into race sponsorship. Dan Barker, the Senior Managing Director of Content Strategy and Distribution at NASCAR, admitted the idea materialized from a break-room conversation at the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, North Carolina.
Barker sees the NASCAR Channel’s partnership with Pulliam and JR Motorsports as a victory for everyone involved. He said it allows the NASCAR Channel to further sustain its exponential growth while simultaneously supporting a high-caliber short track competitor like Pulliam.
“Everything we do at the NASCAR Channel and in regional broadcasting is for the fans,” Barker said. “Lee Pulliam is one of the biggest names in late model racing and a huge fan favorite. It made sense to us to partner with Lee, FloSports and JRM around the Triple Crown and make sure that all race fans are able to watch those events for free.”
The alliance between Pulliam, JR Motorsports and the NASCAR Channel has a great chance to start on a perfect note in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, especially with how efficient Pulliam has been at South Boston during his career.
The 2013 South Boston track champion, Pulliam notably won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 six consecutive times from 2011-16. He also took home a checkered flag in South Boston’s season-opener this year, the first time he had won a race of any kind since 2019.
Pulliam has witnessed South Boston endure plenty of changes throughout his career, from the drivers that regularly race there to the track surface that was repaved in 2016. Many of Pulliam’s triumphs occurred on South Boston’s old surface, but he feels confident about his comfort level with the current pavement after his win there in March.
A 200-lap race around South Boston is going to be much different than a local show; there will be more emphasis on a patience alongside increased risks with so many cars entered. For the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown to go smoothly, Pulliam intends to work closely with Shaffer to ensure his car has plenty of speed in time for qualifying.
“[South Boston] is tough race track,” Pulliam said. “The key is knowing where to position yourself through the race. It’s so tough to pass nowadays with the cars being so equal. I feel like track position is a premium and qualifying will be a big deal. Sometimes the top comes in, sometimes [everyone] will be down on the flat.
“There always seems to be a big wreck in [the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200] at some point, so you have to try to avoid that so you have something to fight with at the end.”
Pulliam is not concerned about speed, as JR Motorsports enters as the reigning Virginia Triple Crown and Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 champion with Connor Hall. Combined with the fact that he will have a proven Late Model Stock winner in Caden Kvapil as a teammate, Pulliam envisions a great weekend at South Boston.
As he works with JR Motorsports throughout the weekend, Pulliam still has to double as an owner for his own operation. Lee Pulliam Performance is fielding two cars for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson, one driven by Carson Brown and the other by Queen, who will attempt the first two legs of the Triple Crown in a Pulliam car.
Nothing would make Pulliam happier than to see the top four spots of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 get swept by JR Motorsports and Lee Pulliam Performance. There are a lot of responsibilities for Pulliam to shoulder, but he knows streamlining his focus will be the best avenue for both teams to finish well Saturday.
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 is only the first of three chapters. The Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing is the big prize up for grabs at the end. Health-wise, Pulliam feels he has never been more ready physically and mentally to square up with the best drivers in the Late Model Stock discipline.
Fueled by a desire to prove he is still at the top of his game despite a prolonged absence from racing, Pulliam is determined to reward the faith JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Channel and everyone else has in him.
“I’ve got a lot of fire and tenacity to go get it done and be successful,” Pulliam said. “[It’s all about] a never-give-up attitude. I love this stuff; I love driving race cars. It was my passion; it still is my passion. For me, it means even more this time around, because I went so many years without driving at all. It’s just really special to me.
“I’ve been the guy that’s had to watch everybody take the green flag for a long time, and I felt like I belonged out there in all those races. That’s a tough pill to swallow at times, but I’m using it as motivation this round. It’s a very hungry Lee Pulliam, I’ll tell you that.”
A lot may have changed for Pulliam since the last time he won a Triple Crown, but the driver who developed a reputation as a hard-nosed, spirited Late Model Stock competitor still embodies those qualities today.
With a great team and a rejuvenated mindset at his disposal, Pulliam has everything necessary to add onto his storied legacy.