Amidst a talented field for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, Lanie Buice has a perfect opportunity to shine bright amongst the stars.
The 2023 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series finds herself in a top-tier Late Model Stock Car for the crown-jewel event. She is teaming up with four-time Weekly Series champion Lee Pulliam to pilot his No. 55 Toyota, which pairs her with 2022 South Carolina 400 winner Brenden “Butterbean” Queen.
Buice has never been more confident ahead of a race. With her own experience at Florence along with the combined knowledge of Pulliam and Queen at her disposal, Buice believes she can be competitive through all 250 laps Saturday evening.
“This is a great opportunity,” Buice said. “It’s one-of-a-kind, honestly. I’m super excited to work with the Lee Pulliam guys and be teammates with Brenden. Everyone knows he’s a great driver, and he’s going to be doing some great things next year, as well. I’m excited to work up close with these guys and see what I can do.”
Lanie Buice’s performance in last year’s South Carolina 400 against drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Josh Berry and others caught the attention of many in the Late Model Stock industry. After methodically saving her tires, Buice proceeded to work her way through the field during the second half of the race, positioning herself in third behind eventual race-winner Kade Brown. The charge proved to be slightly premature, as Buice exhausted her tires and ended up falling outside of the top five.
Finishing a stellar South Carolina 400 run in 13th was disappointing for Buice, but she used the momentum from that night to curate a solid first year in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. Buice’s success in a Rev Racing Late Model Stock includes top fives at tracks like Hickory Motor Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park in North Carolina.
Eager to showcase her refined skills on a national stage, Buice reached out to Pulliam to inquire about a seat for the South Carolina 400. After a couple conversations, both sides came to an agreement that would see Buice pilot Pulliam’s second car in the event.
On every occasion he has seen Buice compete, Pulliam has noticed how methodical and patient she is behind the wheel. Those qualities, combined with her ability to keep a car in one piece, is why Pulliam believes Buice is an ideal fit within his program.
“When I got the chance to meet Lanie Buice, it was pretty evident her determination to be successful matches the determination we have here to be successful,” Pulliam said. “Her attitude is in the right direction, and I feel real positive about this.”
Pulliam is no stranger to guiding female competitors to success in racing. Julia Landauer won a track championship at Virginia’s Pulaski County Motorsports Park driving one of Pulliam’s cars. Amber Balcaen and Jessica Dana have also found Victory Lane under the Pulliam banner.
Buice took Pulliam’s entire history with Late Model Stocks into consideration when she first contacted him. Being able to lean on one of the discipline’s greatest competitors even for just one race is something Buice knows will only be beneficial for her career in the long term.
“A lot of females have shined being a part of the Lee Pulliam team, along with other drivers that he has had come along with him,” Buice said. “It’s definitely an inspiration, but I’m super excited to see what I can learn. It’s a great opportunity to develop myself, so I’m super excited to see where this can go.”
Buice got her first glimpse into the passion and commitment permeating at Lee Pulliam Performance when she first visited the shop a few weeks ago to get her seat fitted. When speaking with Pulliam, Buice was encouraged to stay focused and capitalize on everything she already knows about competing at Florence.
Pulliam sees a lot of potential in Buice as a competitor and wants to give her a car capable of winning the South Carolina 400. With how determined Buice is to absorb information, Pulliam is confident Buice can execute a flawless tire conservation strategy that can put her up front with the rest of the contenders.
“The thing about Lanie is that she is willing to listen, learn and do whatever you tell her to do behind the wheel,” Pulliam said. “Hopefully I can be key in helping her conserve tires and note when she needs to ride. I feel like she’s already done a good job [at Florence] since she ran top five for most of [the South Carolina 400 last year] before she lost tire at the end.
“We’re going to try and be on the opposite [side] this year so we can be going forward during those final laps.”
Buice’s own observations with tire management during the 2023 South Carolina 400 provided her a blueprint on how to approach this year’s endurance event at Florence that has only been bolstered by Pulliam’s influence.
A key component of Buice’s plan involved studying Queen’s conservative strategy, particularly when he won the South Carolina 400 in 2022.
“[Brenden] actually laid back earlier in the race and didn’t quite have the track position,” Buice said. “By the end of the race, he had saved so much, he was able to drive past everybody. I think that’s something I might look for this time, or I might do something similar to last year. I guess we’ll have to stay tuned.”
Saving tires is only one aspect of success in the South Carolina 400. An entry list consisting of more than 50 cars puts additional emphasis on Buice locking her way into the field with a top-20 qualifying performance, a goal that will only be made tougher by the presence of Earnhardt Jr., Berry and many other Late Model Stock stalwarts.
Going up against so many strong drivers with varying years of experience is not intimidating to Buice in the slightest. Instead, she is motivated by the challenge the South Carolina 400 is providing and intends to stay composed as the strategy evolves throughout the night.
Pulliam saw how close Buice was to shocking the Late Model Stock world during the South Carolina 400 last year. If he and his team can be perfect on every front, Pulliam envisions Buice earning a milestone victory for herself, his operation and short-track racing in general.
“[Lanie Buice winning] would be huge,” Pulliam said. “I think that would be an incredible accomplishment for her and for me. It’s very much doable, so we’ve both got to work very hard. A great team is going to be behind her, and we’re all going to give 100 percent. I feel like she’s going to give 100 percent, too.”
Buice knows Pulliam will provide a great car for her second South Carolina 400 start, but she is also staying pragmatic before the green flag. The field for Saturday’s race will be one of the toughest Buice has faced in her career, which is why she is focused on avoiding trouble and improving upon her 13th place run last year.
“I’m just focused on doing the very best that I can,” Buice said. “A win is definitely something I think everyone wants to achieve, and it’s definitely doable. The opportunities are endless at Lee Pulliam, but at the same time, I’ve got to do my job. That’s the most important thing.”
A daunting weekend awaits Buice at Florence, but she has everything needed to put together another strong South Carolina 400 run and keep building a reputation as one of the most promising female competitors in the southeast.
