Lee Pulliam smashes track record in Martinsville 300 practice

Had practice counted for qualifying, Lee Pulliam would have set a track record on Friday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.

The four-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion posted a sub 20 second lap, eliciting surprise and shock from many within the paddock, while also establishing himself as the favorite to win a third grandfather clock on Saturday night.

He lap of 19.984 knocked Layne Riggs off the top of the charts.

“Last week, we were okay, but we needed to be better,” Pulliam said. “So, my guys went to work and we made all our team’s cars better. We didn’t unload quite as good as I wanted to but we made it better and better. It’s not perfect but I do think we’re good enough to get in the top-20 and that’s the main goal.”

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Pulliam wants to be in the top-20 because that’s how many will automatically be taken from time trials into the 40-car main event. The rest will be entered into a pair of heat races in which the top-10 will advance into the main event.

“I think it’s going to take a little bit more than what we have to set it on the pole,” Pulliam said.

Peyton Sellers was third quick with Josh Berry and Dustin Rumley completing the top-five.

“The conditions were a little bit different from last week,” Berry said. “We were off a little bit from the start of the practice. We made good adjustments during that midway mock run. Lee just laid down a hell of a lap. We just need to be a tick better but I think we’re right there especially after a couple of laps.

“We’ll see what we have here tonight because it’s hard to tell with this format and the draw.”

Qualifying will take place around 8:15 ET time with the qualifying order based on practice times in reverse order of slowest to fastest in this final practice session.

1. Lee Pulliam – 19.984
2. Layne Riggs – 20.029
3. Peyton Sellers – 20.042
4. Josh Berry – 20.095
5. Dustin Rumley – 20.127
6. Bobby McCarty – 20.133
7. Trey Crews – 20.149
8. Craig Moore – 20.155
9. Sammy Smith – 20.158
10. Tommy Lemons, Jr. – 20.170
11. Kres VanDyke – 20.185
12. Jake Crum – 20.200
13. Timothy Peters – 20.208
14. Bubba Pollard – 20.221
15. Trevor Noles – 20.224
16. Travis Swaim – 20.226
17. Taylor Gray – 20.228
18. Brenden Queen – 20.235
19. Mike Looney – 20.236
20. Jason York – 20.243
21. Dexter Caipe, Jr. – 20.246
22. Trevor Ward – 20.256
23. Justin Carroll – 20.260
24. Ryan Wilson – 20.273
25. Brandon Pierce – 20.273
26. E. Falk, III – 20.280
27. Jamey Caudill – 20.292
28. Brennan Poole – 20.317
29. Chad McCumbee – 20.324
30. Jeff Oakley – 20.327
31. Jonathan Findley – 20.328
32. Colin Garrett – 20.337
33. Brandon Clements – 20.341
34. Matt Leicht – 20.344
35. Zack Clifton – 20.351
36. Kyle Dudley – 20.365
37. Jacob Heafner – 20.386
38. Bruce Anderson – 20.386
39. Stacy Puryear – 20.400
40. Justin Hicks – 20.403
41. Camden Gullie – 20.404
42. Mike Darne – 20.406
43. Nik Williams – 20.410
44. Kevin Leicht – 20.430
45. ChaseDixon – 20.481
46. Davin Scites – 20.486
47. Annabeth Barnes Crum – 20.409
48. Tyler Matthews – 20.503
49. Derrick Lancaster – 20.519
50. Jason Barnes – 20.522
51. Ryan Millington – 20.527
52. Lucas Williams – 20.528
53. Austin Thaxton – 20.560
54. Steve Zacharias – 20.566
55. J. Mackey – 20.571
56. Grayson Cullather – 20.575
57. R. Waldrop – 20.582
58. Jimmy Wallace – 20.606
59. Matt Waltz – 20.663
60. Kyle Southern – 20.681
61. Dylan Ward – 20.746
62. Eric Winslow – 20.803
63. Owen Smith – 20.816
64. James Sweeny – 20.827
65. Amber Lynn – 20.930
66. Bobby Gillespie – 20.968
67. Daryn Cockram – 21.288
68. Mack Tatum – 21.583