Dale Earnhardt Jr delivers popular and surprising – Sports News
Dale Earnhardt Jr. delivered information relating to the O’Reilly Auto Parts collection race at Martinsville (Image: GETTY)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shocked racing followers by giving Lee Pulliam a well-earned and overdue shot in NASCAR.
On Tuesday, Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports introduced that Pulliam will pilot the workforce’s No. 9 Chevrolet within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway subsequent month. Pulliam is an indie racing darling and an all-time great in Late Model Stock Car racing.
Having made his debut for JR Motorsports at Thanksgiving final yr, Pulliam has obtained the call-up again. It’s a true feel-good story given his file in racing and his failure to get the chance to thrive on the subsequent degree, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. delivered the information on his Dale Jr Download podcast. It comes after he defined his spouse’s ideas on a potential Daytona 500 driving return
Pulliam is a driver who ought to have been in NASCAR a whereas in the past. A two-time winner at Martinsville within the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, he’s additionally a four-time National Champion within the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts, successful the title in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
He can be a two-time champion of the Virginia Triple Crown, however regardless of his file, Martinsville will probably be Pulliam’s first begin in any of NASCAR’s three National Series. Earnhardt Jr. was delighted to share the information on his ‘Dale Jr. Download’ podcast.
Lee Pulliam is a four-time National Champion within the NASCAR Local Racing Series (Image: GETTY)
“Lee Pulliam is going to be making his O’Reilly Series debut driving the No. 9 Folsom Fence Supply Chevy on March 28 at Martinsville Speedway for JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. stated. “Lee’s a winner of over 175 late model stock car races, four-time national champion — just so many track championships.
“Done a lot of great things at the grassroots or regional level in late model stocks. He’s that guy like, you know, that did enough but never got looked at. He never got the call. We have remained friends with him through the cars tour, we often pit side-by-side.
“Lee quit driving. Lee gave up driving to own his car and put drivers in it, like Butterbean and so forth. His father was ill, and he promised his dad he would give it another shot at Martinsville, go try to run 300 and win it again. He’s won it three times, I believe.
“I called our team. I said, ‘Let’s make this work. However we have to do it. Let’s figure it out.’ We ran Lee in our late model stock at Southern National at the end of the year during the Thanksgiving Classic. Lee’s gonna run a few more races this year to sort of get his mind and body back in shape and in racing form, in the late model stock and cars tour.
“This is every racer that ever did everything right, won all the races, accomplished all the things that would be deserving — but it never came.”
The JR Motorsports entry won two races in 2025; Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez took checkered flags at the Chicago Street Circuit and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, respectively. Pulliam has a remarkable track record at Martinsville and hopes to take advantage of the opportunity.
“I’m so thankful, it’s been a long journey and much awaited opportunity,” Pulliam posted on social media. “So thankful to each person along the way that helped make this possible. Never give up on your dreams. Can’t wait to battle with this [JR Motorsports] team.”
Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports have utilized their platform to give successful racers further down the ladder a shot in NASCAR. Josh Berry was also a Late Model Stock Car standout who won his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event with JR Motorsports at Martinsville in 2021.
Berry now competes full-time in NASCAR for Wood Brothers Racing. Pulliam might pull off a comparable turnaround when he drives for JR Motorsports on the NFPA 250 at Martinsville on March 28.
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