Lee Pulliam made good on his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Series debut last Saturday at Martinsville.
Piloting the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, the 37-year-old paced the field for 40 laps and crossed the finish line fifth at the conclusion of the 250-lap race.
Although there was controversy with Pulliam missing a shift on a late restart that triggered a multi-car crash, it was an impressive first start for the North Carolina native.
On Wednesday of this week, Pulliam appeared as a guest on “The Dale Jr. Download” to reflect on the race. As he discussed with his one-off team owner, the race meant a lot to not just him, but his family.
Lee Pulliam on his daughter: ‘She’s my biggest supporter’
Lap after lap, Earnhardt Jr. watched Pulliam pour his heart into his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut.
Yet, the moment that stuck with the JR Motorsports owner was before the race.
As discussed on the podcast, the 51-year-old recalls Pulliam sharing a moment with his young daughter on pit road, where the two shared an emotional embrace.
Earnhardt Jr. told Pulliam he knew why he was emotional, but what stood out to the car owner was that his driver’s daughter understood how much the race meant.
“It was really profound for me to see your daughter recognize in that moment how important this was for you. … That’s got to feel so good as a dad. Forget the race, forget how important this is in your life to be able to experience this one thing. You’ve got to feel so good as a dad to have a daughter that recognizes how important that was for you and how happy she was to see you get to do it,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Holding back tears, Pulliam discussed how his daughter was old enough to understand how much the race meant to him.
“She saw that fire in me. She’s been my biggest supporter. … When we had that post-race meeting Monday morning, let me tell you how aware she is. When I left, she’s like, ‘Daddy, you’re not going to get in trouble are you?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, baby.’ I said, ‘I think they were really impressed with my racing.’”
Pulliam went on to say he would probably be “critiqued” on his restarts, but ensured his daughter it was OK. When Pulliam embraced his daughter during the pre-race, he told his daughter it is why you never give up on your dreams.
Pulliam’s O’Reilly Series future unclear
Saturday’s NFPA 250 at Martinsville was a one-off appearance for Pulliam with JR Motorsports.
As of now, there are no concrete plans for Pulliam to return to the O’Reilly Series in 2026 and beyond.
Pulliam is best known for being a four-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I national champion. He has two victories in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, a series co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It was a quality day for JR Motorsports overall at Martinsville. While Pulliam posted a fifth-place finish, it was Justin Allgaier nabbing the checkered flag. It was Allgaier’s third win of the 2026 season.