Two years ago, Lee Pulliam considered himself retired. He thought he was content being a car owner and a father, with his national NASCAR window seemingly closed for good. Today, the Virginia short-track legend has a full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride lined up for 2027, and he’s crediting one man specifically for reopening that door.
On The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Pulliam explained how the deal that got him here traces directly back to the opportunity Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports gave him at Martinsville.
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“It’s what I worked my whole career for. It’s all come full circle, and a big part of it was you and the opportunity that you provided me to run in Martinsville. After Martinsville, you know I had quite a bit of people interested in me after that performance,” Pulliam said.
That Martinsville performance came in March 2026, when Pulliam made his O’Reilly Series debut in JRM’s No. 9 Chevrolet, with Dale Jr. himself on the pit box, coaching him over the radio. Pulliam led 40 laps, overcame an early pit-road penalty and finished fifth, turning heads across the garage.
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That helped set the stage for a contract. Pulliam will drive the No. 87 Chevrolet full-time for Peterson Racing in the 2027 O’Reilly Series, after two tune-up starts for the team this fall at Las Vegas (Oct. 3) and Martinsville (Oct. 31).
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“It is a pleasure for our young organization to welcome an accomplished racer like Lee,” Peterson Racing general manager Chris Seibel said.
Pulliam’s résumé backs up Seibel’s words. He’s a four-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017), a two-time winner of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville, and the owner of six straight South Boston Speedway victories in the track’s Thunder Road 200.
Behind the scenes, Pulliam credited Danny Lawrence for connecting him to Peterson Racing, an RCR technical alliance team.
“Danny said hey I think I got an opportunity. The guy that’s an alliance team with us and I think you would be a great fit for the team,” Pulliam said. “So Danny introduced them to me and just kinda went and it got rolling.”
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This wasn’t the first time Dale Jr. had bet on Pulliam. Months before the Martinsville shot, in November 2025, Earnhardt put him in JRM’s No. 88 Late Model for the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National. A runner-up finish that came after Pulliam had also finished second in that year’s ValleyStar 300.
“Having Lee Pulliam in our car for the Thanksgiving Classic is special for me and our team,” Earnhardt said at the time. “He is one of the best drivers and team owners in the sport.”
For Pulliam, the mentor connection is personal. He said ahead of his Martinsville debut: “In my opinion, Earnhardt is the biggest name in the sport, and you don’t take it for granted. It is absolutely an honor to do it.”
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