NASACAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin liked what he saw when Lee Pulliam finally got his shot with JR Motorsports and has put out a call for more drivers like him to get similar opportunities.
Underdog stories still matter in NASCAR, and this Saturday, March 28, Pulliam made his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Martinsville Speedway. He built his name in Late Model competition winning four NASCAR Weekly Series national championships and collected major short-track wins across Virginia and the Southeast.
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Martin reacted to a recent emotional interview of Pulliam, where he teared up reflecting on his ‘deam’ coming true.
“More of this please [NASCAR] [Steven Taranto] we need to see underdogs like [Lee Pulliam] fighting for what they love,” Mark Martin wrote on X.
Pulliam spent years chasing bigger opportunities, and had to rebuild his path when the national route stalled in 2014. The legendary Late Model driver came close with Hattori Racing Enterprises in the K&N Pro Series East, but a crash at Bristol ended that chance. After that, he returned to late models and turned that setback into a long run of success.
“I’ve had a long hard journey to get to this spot and man, its surreal reallly. It’s everything I could’ve dreamed of and more. A lot of hard work, and a lot of good people that led to this spot,” Pulliam said.
Pulliam has won four NASCAR national championships in weekly racing, took two ValleyStar Credit Union 300 wins at Martinsville, and built one of the strongest late model records in the country.
“I will be pulling for Lee Pulliam” – Mark Martin thanks JR Motorsports and owner Dale Jr. ahead of Martinsville O’Reilly race
Qualifying was cut short by weather after six cars ran, so the lineup was set by metric. Justin Allgaier got the pole position and Pulliam will start the race from 12th place in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
The NSACAR O’Reilly race is set for Saturday at 3:30 pm ET on The CW. Mark Martin said that he will be cheering for Pulliam and thanked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports for giving him a chance.
“Today at 3:30 ET [The CW] I will be pulling for [Lee Pulliam] and thank you [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] and [JR Motorsports] for giving Lee a chance. Y’all are paying it forward 💯,” Martin wrote on X.
Pulliam returned to Martinsville in 2024 and backed it up with a runner-up finish in 2025. JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. noticed and helped open the door for the O’Reilly ride, and Pulliam will debut in NASCAR with crew chief Philip Bell at Martinville this afternoon.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam
