Lee Pulliam is now the driver with the hot hand at South Boston Speedway.
The four-time former NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champion swept Saturday night’s pair of 75-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division races, the main event of the Davenport Energy NASCAR Late Model Twin 75s racing program.
Saturday night’s sweep gave Pulliam three wins in a row and a total of five victories this season at “America’s Hometown Track.”
The Alton, Virginia resident started on the pole and scored a flag-to-flag win in the first 75-lap race, edging former NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia by 1.317-second.
Due to an invert of the top finishers of the first race, Pulliam started eighth in the nightcap but quickly sped to the front of the pack. A caution on lap 13 allowed Pulliam to restart the race on the front row beside race leader Mike Jones of South Boston, Virginia.
Pulliam and Jones battled hard for the lead for nine laps before Pulliam was able to make the pass for the lead on lap 22. The race’s third caution flag set up a second side-by-side restart for Pulliam and Jones. A good launch on the restart allowed Pulliam to clear Jones, and once in front, Pulliam never relinquished the lead.
Sellers took over second place from Austin Thaxton of South Boston, Virginia on lap 47 and set sail after Pulliam. Pulliam began inching away from Sellers in the closing laps and edged Sellers by 1.209-seconds at the finish.
Thaxton finished third in both races. Jeb Burton of Halifax, Virginia, driving a team car to Sellers, finished fourth in the first race with Daniel Silvestri of Great Falls, Virginia rounding out the top five finishers.
Thomas Scott of Efland, North Carolina finished fourth in the second race, with Burton rounding out the top five finishers.
Four caution flags dotted the first race, and three caution flags slowed the pace in the second race.
Danny Willis of South Boston, Virginia slipped past teenager Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina with seven laps to go and held on to win Saturday night’s 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race.
Willis edged Borst by a slim .313-second margin at the finish to score his fifth win of the season and lead the division in wins for the season.
Borst finished second with Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia, J.D. Eversole of North Chesterfield, Virginia and teenager Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia complete the top five finishers.
Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia rallied from his fifth starting position to take the lead from Johnny Layne of Nathalie, Virginia on the seventh lap and went on to win the 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock Division race.
A late caution period set up a seven-lap dash to the finish, with Crews taking the win over Randy Hupp of Halifax, Virginia by .574-second. The win was Crews’ seventh victory of the season.
Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia, Justin Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia and Jimmy Wade of Halifax, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Division points leader Kevin Currin of Chase City, Virginia took the lead from Tyler Stanley of South Boston, Virginia on the seventh lap and held on to win the night’s 15-lap Budweiser Hornets Division race.
The win was the third of the season for Currin, and it allowed him to pull into a tie with Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia for the most wins in the division this season.
Layne finished second with Andrea Ruotolo-Sarnataro of South Boston, Virginia finishing third. Stanley finished fourth and newcomer Bobby Talbard rounded out the top five finishers.
Six action-packed races are slated when NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, August 24, with the 7 p.m. running of the NASCAR Late Model 100 racing program.
