SOUTH BOSTON, VA – Three-time and defending NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Lee Pulliam has not dominated 2016 the way he has dominated in past years, but he’s not frustrated at all.
Pulliam has tallied up dozens of wins over recent years, at a pace of one or two wins a week. This year, however, Pulliam has only scored five wins to date. Luck has not been on Pulliam’s side, but he’s been competitive and racing for wins.
“I’ll be honest, I haven’t been frustrated,” Pulliam told Short Track Scene. “We wanted to win some races here but we’ve been fast. As long as I’m fast, I’m happy. We’ve won five races. Most people don’t win five races in their career so it hasn’t been that bad. People are just used to us winning 30 races a year and we haven’t raced as much. There’s a lot going on. The cars are fast and that’s the main thing.
“We’ve had a shot to win 15 races. When I don’t have a shot to win races, that’s when I’m going to be frustrated. As long as the car is fast, I’m pretty happy.”
Pulliam has raced for the national championship over the course of the last five seasons, but this year, he’s taking a step back from points racing as car counts continue to decline at every track except South Boston Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park.
“Car counts have just been terrible everywhere but South Boston,” Pulliam remarked. “We’ve been committed to running other places with sponsorship and stuff. Just part of it. You can get kind of burned out sometimes chasing points. We’re just going to regroup and go after it hard next year.”
One of the things that has helped boost South Boston’s car count is the track’s two-tire rule. Instead of racing on four new tires, teams race on two new and two scuff tires, reducing costs for competitors. Pulliam admittedly is not a fan of South Boston’s two-tire rule.
“I think the two tire rule is just tough to police,” Pulliam explained. “The racetrack has almost an impossible job to police it. You fall out one week and you come back and wear the field out. It’s just a lot of work. I think the track’s doing the best job they can with it. A lot of racers don’t like it. It’s different. I’d rather just have four tires and everybody be on an even playing field and let’s go race.”
Pulliam continues to race on a weekly basis but doesn’t plan to travel as much as he has in the past.
“As of right now, we’ve got a lot going on,” Pulliam stated. “I’ve got a little girl that’s going to be here any day so I’m focusing on some more important things right now. We’re racing every week somewhere and that’s plenty for me and my guys. Just thankful to drive for Travis and Eddie Kiker, just keep it fun for everyone and not burn everyone out.”
The biggest victory of the year could come any day for Pulliam. His wife, LeAnne, is pregnant with the couples’ first child which is due any day. For Pulliam, it’s a new chapter in his personal life that he’s looking forward to – having a family.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Pulliam commented. “I guess it could happen any day. She’s doing well. Four weeks from due date so, really excited about it. Looking forward to it. New chapter, you know. Going to be cool to be a dad. We’ll have to see how everything goes.”
Pulliam is competing in Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway, the biggest race of the season at South Boston Speedway. Pulliam five consecutive wins in South Boston’s summer highlight.
