Connect with us

Late Model Stock Cars

South Boston disagrees with NASCAR decision to penalize Lee Pulliam, Philip Morris

South Boston Speedway recommended no penalties for the multi-time NASCAR champions …

Martinsville Speedway

South Boston Speedway disagrees with part of the penalties delivered by NASCAR as it pertains to the incident between Lee Pulliam, Philip Morris and crew chief Forrest Reynolds.

Morris received a $1,000 fine and is on probation until December 31. Also, any attempt by Reynolds to participate in a NASCAR event as a crew member of Morris’ No. 01 team will result in further penalties levied to Morris.

It has also been indicated to Reynolds that he is on suspension through the end of the season for all NASCAR sanctioned events, even though he does not currently own a NASCAR license as a crew member. He will not be allowed to return until he applies for a license, something he will not be eligible to do until 2020.

NASCAR also levied a $1,500 fine against Pulliam and suspended him until April 17. If the fine is not paid, the NASCAR suspension will continue. Pulliam will be on probation until December 31. The South Boston Speedway season does not resume until April 20.

South Boston Speedway officials emphasized that this was a NASCAR penalty, and not one imposed by South Boston Speedway, and that the track is disappointed with the ruling.

“We disagree with the penalty handed down to Lee Pulliam,” said Cathy Rice, general manager of South Boston Speedway. “We are disappointed with the penalty and there will not be a track penalty for Pulliam or Morris.”

The track recommended no penalties for Pulliam or Morris. Officials asserted that Pulliam acted in self-defense and Morris was not responsible for the actions of his crew chief.

OBSERVATIONS: The ‘viral’ altercation from South Boston Speedway

During a red-flag period in the second of two 75-lap Late Model races, Reynolds ran onto the racing surface between the first and second turns, threw a two-way radio that hit the windshield of Pulliam’s race car and then crawled head-first into the passenger side of Pulliam’s car.

Pulliam started his car and took off, ejecting Reynolds onto the surface of the race track. No one was injured in the incident.

The incident came after Morris and Pulliam had an on-track altercation that resulted in Morris’ car wrecked forcing the red-flag period.

If you like what you read here, become a Short Track Scene Patreon and support short track journalism!

Read more Short Track Scene:

Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. marshall haines

    April 4, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    i agree with track 100%

  2. James Chapman

    April 5, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    I completely disagree with the racetrack on this. This incident could have ended up with a serious injury or death.

    Reynolds absolutely deserved to be penalized for his stupid decision of entering the racing surface and confronting a competitor. With that said, what amounts to suspension for the remainder of the season is exceptionally harsh in my opinion. I have no problem with Morris being penalized $1000 for the actions of his team member.

    My issue is with the extremely light penalty given to Pulliam for intentionally starting his car and then driving away in a dangerous accelerating manner with someone else reaching inside the car. A two week suspension (which really means nothing given the season doesn’t resume until after the suspension) and a fine of $1500 is way to light for an action that could have potentially killed someone, even if that person was being stupid.

    I can say that outside of a racetrack, if that happened on the street the prosecutor would take a serious look at criminal charges for both individuals.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Archive

Advertisement

More in Late Model Stock Cars