The unusual decision to permit Corey Day’s team to work under the red flag and receive four laps back came after a “lengthy” discussion among NASCAR officials.
“It was, ‘Hey, what do we do here? Does it feel right that we give Corey Day his four laps back?’ ” NASCAR Vice President of Racing Communications Mike Forde said on the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast. “And it wasn’t unanimous. There was some, ‘Well, what have we done before?’ We try to be consistent.”
Day’s No. 17 Chevrolet was damaged by a loose sewer cover on the first lap of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series street race at Naval Base Coronado.
There have been other instances in which cars were damaged by debris (such as Jeff Gordon’s Chevy being hit by a loose chunk of concrete while leading at Martinsville Speedway in 2004) in which no dispensation was granted.
“In this case, we felt the big thing was this was a temporary course, and it wasn’t built for racing,” Forde said. “And so, some of those other ‘racing deals,’ it didn’t exactly match what happened here. This came up on a city street, and (Day) didn’t really do anything wrong.
“It was just horrible, horrible luck. If we can sort of fix that and give him his luck back, we felt that it was the right thing to do.”
NASCAR will have further discussions about how to handle similar situations in the future, possibly tweaking the process in which Day got his laps back. The No. 17 circled the track four times under caution to ensure its fuel consumption was relatively equal. To avoid burning laps under yellow, Forde said NASCAR might consider keeping the field stationary while a driver circled the track.
But NASCAR will keep a high standard for suspending the rules as it did in Day’s situation.
“Instead of a cover going through the radiator, what if it’s a piece of ballast from another car,” Forde said. “That’s bad luck, too, but I think we probably will look at that as a little more of a legitimate racing deal that you’ve seen before hundreds of times throughout all levels of racing, and it’s a bummer for that competitor, but it’s kind of part of the game.
“A cover coming off on a street race on a naval base is not typically part of the game, so that’s why we made the decision we did.”
After the cover came loose, NASCAR rewelded a cover in Turn 6 during the red flag and added a fifth weld to other covers around the course before Sunday’s Cup race. A second welding truck was added Sunday because it took longer than expected to repair the cover.
NASCAR cited its EIRI clause — “Except in rare instances” — to suspend its rules for working under the red flag and to give Day his laps back.
“We don’t do it often and don’t like doing it often,” Forde said. “It’s for very unique circumstances. Things arise where you have to say, ‘You know what? This doesn’t feel right. Logic needs to prevail here. Even though the rules say one thing, in this case, we need to kind of tweak our rules.’ ”
Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 59th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— A safety adjustment for Cup cars on short tracks that will remove bumper foam to add crushability to the front ends on impact;
— How NASCAR aided the Naval Criminal Investigative Service after a fan entered the race track Saturday;
— Whether cautions could be shortened if NASCAR returns to the San Diego street course;
— The wall repairs that necessitated red flags in NASCAR’s three races last weekend.
Click on the embed below to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA Today Co. and, for the past 10 years, at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He has also covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and the Rolling Stones, in partnership with Goodyear, today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration celebrating two cultural icons built on performance and life on the road.
Launching ahead of the July 10 release of “Foreign Tongues,” the Rolling Stones’ highly anticipated new studio album, the collaboration brings together the worlds of racing and rock ‘n’ roll through officially licensed merchandise, special-edition collector vinyl, original content and a one-of-a-kind fan experience in Chicago.
At the center of the campaign is an immersive NASCAR show car transformed into a Rolling Stones listening lounge, giving fans an opportunity to experience music from “Foreign Tongues” inside a custom-designed vehicle that blends racing culture with the band’s legendary aesthetic. The activation will travel to key Chicago locations leading into NASCAR’s Chicagoland Speedway race weekend.
“For generations, NASCAR and the Rolling Stones have captivated fans through unforgettable live experiences and a shared spirit of performance,” said Megan Malayter, NASCAR Vice President of Licensing and Consumer Products. “While one takes place on the race track and the other on the stage, both are fueled by passion, energy and life on the road. This collaboration brings those worlds together in a unique way, giving fans exclusive content, limited-edition collectible vinyls and immersive experiences that celebrate the connection between racing and rock ‘n’ roll.”
The collaboration includes:
NASCAR x the Rolling Stones merchandise collection featuring co-branded apparel, headlined by the signature NASCAR racing jacket.
Two limited-edition NASCAR-themed collector vinyl editions of “Foreign Tongues.”
A custom NASCAR listening lounge show car appearing throughout Chicago, leading into the NASCAR Chicagoland race weekend (July 4-5).
Original content highlighting the parallels between professional drivers and touring musicians.
The campaign launches with a hero film featuring NASCAR drivers Jesse Love, Connor Zilisch and Carson Hocevar alongside creator and driver Cleetus McFarland. Set to music from “Foreign Tongues,” the film reimagines the drivers as a touring rock band, drawing connections between life on tour and life on the NASCAR schedule. Blending racing imagery with rock ‘n’ roll storytelling, the film serves as the creative centerpiece of a campaign designed to bring fans inside the worlds of both NASCAR and The Rolling Stones.
Fans in Chicago will have the opportunity to experience the NASCAR x The Rolling Stones Racing Record Player, a listening experience that is fueled by rock ‘n’ roll, at select locations ahead of race weekend, including Navy Pier, Plaza of the Americas and the Chicagoland Speedway Fan Zone.
“Foreign Tongues” arrives July 10, via Capitol Records and follows the band’s Grammy Award-winning album “Hackney Diamonds.”
For more information and to shop the NASCAR x The Rolling Stones collection, visit NASCARShop.com or https://rollingstones.lnk.to/Nascar, or find it trackside during NASCAR’s Chicagoland race weekend.
Tune in Sunday as the NASCAR Cup Series shifts to TNT Sports platforms for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 live from Sonoma Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET. The race also marks the first race of the 2026 In-Season Challenge, where Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are the top two seeds, respectively. In addition to TNT Sports, the race will also air live on HBO Max, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series hang west for another week as they head to the winding hills of Sonoma Raceway. For both series, it’s the final road-course race of the 2026 season. See how qualifying groups will be divided this weekend in Wine Country.
There wasn’t much else for Shane van Gisbergen to say after being taken out of Sunday’s Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado early — he knew the impact immediately.
“A real shame. Red Bull Chevy was unreal and fast once the track kind of rubbered up,” the No. 97 Trackhouse Chevrolet driver said, per the manufacturer. “Just a real shame.”
That was the sting of a high-profile weekend ending in the wrong place at the wrong time on a Stage 2 restart wreck. The No. 97 had speed, with van Gisbergen starting from the pole, leading early at Qualcomm Circuit and remaining among the obvious contenders on a track type where he has quickly become the Cup Series’ clearest measuring stick.
Then disaster struck, as a Lap 32 restart stack-up sent van Gisbergen into a multicar crash that ended what had looked like one of his best chances to score big points and instead left him with a season-worst 38th-place finish. The result was damaging on its own. The timing made it worse.
For a driver whose cleanest path into the Chase runs directly through road and street courses, San Diego was supposed to be a slam-dunk points haul. Instead, SVG left with a single point, his third consecutive finish of 30th or worse and a very different postseason picture than the one he carried into the weekend. Per Racing Insights, van Gisbergen was projected to score 45 points at San Diego — but after scoring just one, his probability to make the Chase dropped from 67% to 20%.
Now comes Sonoma, where the vibes have historically been laid-back, but this weekend will be anything but.
Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Wine Country is not quite a mathematical must-win for van Gisbergen, who enters the weekend 17th in the Chase standings and just five points behind Ryan Preece for the final provisional position. But it is something close to a must-convert moment after an extremely costly San Diego setback. Sonoma is the final road-course race on the 2026 Cup Series schedule, giving SVG one last chance this season to use his clearest advantage before the series shifts back to ovals and drafting tracks for the rest of the regular season and beyond.
That makes the situation more urgent for him, specifically, than the cutline alone suggests.
Van Gisbergen dropped three positions in the standings after San Diego and lost 15 points to the cutline. He had held a provisional Chase position after each of the previous five races before Sunday’s DNF and has fallen from 12th to 17th over the last three races. His recent slide is even sharper when measured against the bubble, as the New Zealander was 44 points above the cutline after Nashville on the final day of May. Barely three weeks later, he is now five points below it.
In the 2026 Chase format, a win is worth 55 points, but victory no longer provides an automatic postseason berth. That distinction matters here, particularly since he’s already visited Victory Lane this season. A Sonoma win would not simply erase the standings math by itself like his playoff appearance last year, but it would certainly deliver the jolt San Diego did not. A massive points day, a likely move back above the cutline and a badly needed correction after one of his best opportunities slipped away would offer the necessary pivot. If that doesn’t happen, the pressure could build quickly.
That said, few drivers have built a stronger case to deliver that kind of rebound on cue.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Van Gisbergen has seven road-course wins in just 15 Cup Series starts, including six victories in the last eight such races. Since the start of 2025, he has run inside the top five for 79% of laps and inside the top 10 for 90% of laps on road courses. In the Next Gen era, he leads all drivers in road-course wins, laps led and average finish.
The resume is already historic and still rapidly building. With a win Sunday, van Gisbergen would become the first driver to have each of his first eight Cup Series victories come on road courses — and he enters as the defending winner.
In his only Sonoma Cup start to date last year, van Gisbergen started from the pole, led 97 of 110 laps and cruised to Victory Lane. He ran every lap inside the top 10 and became the first pole winner to win at the track since 2004.
Everything on paper says this weekend will once again be his to lose — it’s just that San Diego showed the other side of that equation and how quickly that possibility can turn. The No. 97 had the pace, but the race became messy around him. He can’t control what he can’t control, but that doesn’t make Sonoma any less of a crucial pivot point.
The Chase bubble remains tight enough that van Gisbergen does not need a miracle just yet. Just 18 points separate positions 14 through 19, and SVG is only five points out with nine regular-season races remaining over two-plus months. But one clean, heavy-scoring afternoon could change the tone immediately and reenergize a team that appeared set for back-to-back postseason appearances but suddenly finds itself under immense pressure.
Homecomings are often a chance to reflect. For Corey Day, Saturday’s return to Sonoma Raceway (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), 200 miles northwest of his hometown of Clovis, California, offers an opportunity to measure just how far he’s come during a rookie season filled with lessons learned at NASCAR’s national level.
Day has impressed the Hendrick Motorsports brass that put him in the No. 17 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car full-time in 2026. He started off his first full season with a bang, stringing together eight consecutive top 10 finishes between the second and ninth races at EchoPark Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, respectively.
“Corey’s progress this season has been impressive to witness firsthand,” Adam Wall, crew chief of the No. 17 Chevrolet, said. “His ability to show up at new tracks and get up to speed as quickly as he does shows how talented he is. The expectations were obviously high going full-time with this program, but the start we had to the season was more than I think any of us could have expected with someone so new to this.”
The results have been strong, but the optics were less favorable to begin 2026. Day clashed with JR Motorsports’ No. 1 Chevrolet at EchoPark and Circuit of The Americas, leaving Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch, respectively, on the wrong end of contact. Considering the alliance between Hendrick and JRM, it was essentially a quasi-teammate being wrecked off Day’s front bumper.
Day took ownership of both incidents, admitting he needed to be better.
“Last year, I was just fast enough to crash and get myself into trouble,” Day told NASCAR.com. “I didn’t really have the speed to wreck anyone else. I was getting passed, not passing people. The start of this year, I started with a lot more speed than I had. There were a couple of times where I didn’t know what to do with it and made a mistake.”
With more seat time and a chat with Rick Hendrick, Day has stopped overstepping his boundaries. Compared to 2025, he’s seen notable improvements across the board.
“Just comfortability in the car,” Day said of the biggest improvement. “I can fire off for Lap 1 of the race or practice and know what the car is going to do and you can already feel what it’s going to do into Turn 1 before I get to Turn 1. Before, I was behind the race car. There was no anticipation of what the car was doing; it was driving me, per se. That’s been a big thing.”
2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson knew that with an entire offseason, Day would be a viable threat in 2026.
“He’s done great,” Larson told NASCAR.com. “I feel like the performance side of it has gone as I hoped and expected. I thought last year, I know the potential in Corey, so I was like, ‘Man, he’s not running as good as I thought he would.’
“This offseason, I was like, I think he’s going to adapt this year because you get to have consistency with your team, you are going to be higher in the (qualifying) metric. Everything has gone better.”
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Day’s potential within the Hendrick ranks could be traced back to another Hendrick Motorsports icon. The Days — Corey’s father, Ronnie — crossed paths with Hendrick vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon on the sprint-car scene. That was the path Day was chasing until Larson gave his nod of approval to the powers that be at HMS, believing in the upstart’s natural ability.
“When you have a guy like Kyle who is racing on the track with [Day] and saying those types of things, it certainly gets our attention when we start looking down the road at up-and-coming drivers,” Gordon told NASCAR.com in a conversation last fall. “It’s not that we were planning for that, but when somebody comes along that has that type of talent, you start looking at it a little bit differently of what’s possible.”
The 2026 season has been highlighted by a pair of victories for the No. 17 team, as Day surprised himself at Talladega Superspeedway, the site of his first triumph. He followed it up three weeks later, passing regular-season championship leader Justin Allgaier in the closing laps at Dover Motor Speedway while using the high line.
“Talladega was my first [win], but Dover was my first real oval win, for sure,” Day noted. “It felt really good. That was such a team win. There was a little attrition, but I still owe it to my guys. You can’t have a shot to win those races at the end without a great car.”
The trajectory is positive, with additional improvement still attainable. In three of the last seven races, Day has had an incident on the opening lap of the race, resulting in DNFs at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. Last weekend at Naval Base Coronado, he collected a track cover on the opening lap, though he rallied to a top-10 result.
“I still get caught off guard once every race and make a mistake,” Day said. “I think that’s going to happen throughout your whole career; I don’t think anyone can be perfect. Some race craft stuff, my road-course ability has got some work to do. My speedway stuff, even though I won a race, I really don’t know what I’m doing yet. Still a lot to work on.”
After signing a developmental deal with Hendrick in December of 2024, he zagged across the country, akin to a graduating high school senior moving away for their freshman year of college. But it’s been a robust start to his NASCAR tenure for the 20-year-old, ranking third in the standings, 14 markers below reigning champion Jesse Love for a distant second to Allgaier. And by the time The Chase rolls around, Larson believes the No. 17 team could play spoiler to Allgaier.
“I feel like he’s probably the second-best team right now to Allgaier, with much more potential within himself and the team still learning,” Larson said. “Obviously, Justin has so much experience, and that’s why he can outrace some of these people and knows what he feels. I think when Corey learns more of that, he’s going to be ready once The Chase comes and hopefully be able to challenge Justin for the championship.”
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.”
Before he stepped away from driving, Lee Pulliam had amassed a stellar short-track resumé that included four NASCAR Local Racing Series national titles, two ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victories and two Virginia Triple Crown championships. (Photo: Sara D. Davis / NASCAR via Getty Images)
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.”
Lee Pulliam is teaming back up with JR Motorsports for the Virginia Triple Crown after he finished fifth with the team for his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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.
Lee Pulliam possesses a stellar record at South Boston Speedway, which includes winning the facility’s prestigious Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 six consecutive times. (Photo: NASCAR)
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.
NASCAR officials issued a penalty to the No. 23 23XI Racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series following last weekend’s action at Naval Base Coronado, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday.
Rear-tire changer Adam Hartman and jackman Nathan Ricketts have been suspended for the next two events, running through Chicagoland Speedway on July 5, after a detachment of Bubba Wallace’s right-front wheel on Lap 18 in Sunday’s Anduril 250 on the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado, causing a caution and violating Sections 8.8.10.4.A&D in the NASCAR Rule Book.
Despite the caution and subsequent two-lap penalty, Wallace finished the race in second, his best finish so far in 2026.
The Cup Series competes at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), commencing the 2026 In-Season Challenge.
SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Connor Hall says winning South Boston Speedway’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 the past two years was special. How about three in a row?
“I feel like three would just be the cherry on top,” Hall said. “I feel that would be a pretty big statement.”
The possibility of winning the race for the third straight year has lured Hall to return to South Boston Speedway for the 20th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on Saturday night, June 27. He will be driving the No. 22 Nelson Motorsports entry, the same one he drove to victory in his first triumph in the event.
“Joining back up with Nelson Motorsports was a no brainer,” Hall remarked. “The biggest goal was winning the 200 because I feel like other than Lee (Lee Pulliam, who won the race six years in a row) I’m the only person that maybe has an opportunity of winning it three times in a row.
“I thought it would be something cool to go after,” added Hall, “so that led me to asking Barry (Nelson Motorsports team owner Barry Nelson) and things happened right.”
Nelson said having Hall back behind the wheel is a great fit for his team.
“Connor’s almost like family,” Nelson pointed out. “He wanted to come back and have me provide a car for him to race at South Boston. I said ‘I’m in for that.’ I told him I’ll do what I could to help him.
“It just feels right,” Nelson added. “We’ve had a lot of success, and a lot of laughs, and cried a little bit.”
Connor Hall drove the Nelson Motorsports No. 22 to victory in the 2024 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, a feat he hopes to replicate Saturday. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)
Hall’s first win in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 came when he was racing full-time with Nelson Motorsports. Nelson feels Hall has as a great shot to give his team another Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 win.
“I’ve always said I don’t go to a race track, and I don’t think I can win,” Nelson pointed out. “I’m a competitive person. I coached baseball for 20 years with college kids. I never walked into a baseball field that I don’t think I can win. You’ve got to have that attitude. You’ve got to be prepared and have the right attitude, the right pieces and the driver. It’s a combination of things.”
Hall’s 2024 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 win with Nelson Motorsports was a dramatic one. A tire issue after qualifying forced Hall to start at the rear of the field. He rallied throughout the race, picking off one car after another, and ultimately edged Trevor Ward for the win.
“It was just one of those days where everything went right,” Hall explained. “We had a really, really good car and got to the top. I think I got to fifth or sixth by halfway and was able to relax a little bit and go to work. The car was turning well, and I was able to make it work. Things went the right way and we found ourselves up front.”
Hall was enveloped in an entirely different race in the 2025 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. Driving the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, the two-time NASCAR national champion started last year’s race in the top five and had to battle several drivers including Matt Waltz and Tate Fogleman throughout the 200-lap event.
“Last year was just a completely different style of race than the year prior, so that was fun for me,” Hall remarked. “It felt like Craftsman Truck Series racing. I was running the top on one end and the bottom on another, and all over the place just trying to take away lines and what not.”
Hall’s focus is on winning the first two races of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown presented by FloRacing – the June 27 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway and the July 25 running of the Hampton Heat 200 at his home track, Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway.
“Our effort is on the first two races of the Triple Crown,” Hall noted. “I don’t know if I will be able to make the third race. That’s to be determined at a later date. Right now, I’m going to try to win both 200s, and then see where we stand going into Martinsville.”
Connor Hall won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 for the second time last season while driving for JR Motorsports. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Hall pointed out that fans will not want to miss the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
“South Boston’s one of the best facilities in the country for short track racing,” he noted. “They do a lot for fan hospitality and making sure it’s a great event, a great time, whether you are a fan or a driver. It’s just super racy by the end of it, and I think it’s a really fun race to watch and see how it all shakes out.”
The 20th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on Saturday night, June 27 is the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown presented by FloRacing, and is South Boston Speedway’s showcase event.
Headlining the four-race Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 event is a 200-lap race for the track’s Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division paying $10,000 to win. The winner will receive a guaranteed starting position in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in September.
Also included are a 40-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 20-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division.
There will be an on-track driver autograph session, and a colorful fireworks show will light up the night sky after the final race of the night.
Adult advance tickets are priced at $20 each. Adult admission at the gate on race day is $25. Seniors ages 65 and older, veterans and military personnel, first responders, healthcare workers and students with ID may purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate on race day. Kids ages 12 and under are admitted free.
The June 27 race day schedule has pit gates opening at 11 a.m., frontstretch spectator gates opening at 11:30 a.m., and practice beginning at 1 p.m. Backstretch and Turn 4 parking gates are set to open at 3:30 p.m. Qualifying will start at 3:35 p.m., and an on-track driver autograph session will be held from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies are set for 6:30 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Goodyear will bring its proven road-course tire setup to Sonoma Raceway this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series continue their West Coast road-racing swing.
The Goodyear Racing Eagle tire packages for this weekend’s events at Sonoma are identical to those used last weekend at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado. But the 1.99-mile, 12-turn Northern California road course presents a much different challenge with its elevation changes and flowing permanent-course layout.
The Cup Series tire package was introduced at the start of last season and has already been used this year at Circuit of The Americas, Watkins Glen International and San Diego. The current 15-inch road-course tire for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series was introduced at Sonoma last year and has been used at every road-course event since.
Unlike Goodyear’s oval-track tire packages, the same tire specification is used on both sides of the car. Teams in both series will also have wet-weather tires available if needed.
“The Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setups for this weekend are very familiar to teams, especially after running them last weekend in San Diego,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “While Sonoma is very different from San Diego, with significant elevation changes and a more traditional permanent road course layout, these tire setups have consistently performed on road courses, so we expect the same this weekend.”
Tire allotments for each team competing this weekend:
Cup Series: 7 dry-weather sets — 5 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying that transfers to the race and 1 for practice. Teams will also have 6 wet-weather sets available.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: 5 dry-weather sets — 3 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying that transfers to the race and 1 for practice. Teams will also have 4 wet-weather sets available.
