Road Leads To The Top For Pulliam; Wins First NASCAR National Title

NASCAR PR Report
From Hometracks.nascar.com

Daytona Beach, FL(September 20, 2012) — Lee Pulliam’s meteoric rise from raw rookie to national prominence is complete.

Pulliam, 24, of Semora, N.C., won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship in just his sixth year of racing and fourth year in asphalt Late Models.

“I wanted to be part of racing for years and years,” Pulliam said. “After I graduated from high school I went to work to save money to buy a race car. I wanted that really bad. We finally got a Limited Sportsman in 2007, went racing and made the most of it.”

Pulliam rolled up 22 wins, 30 top fives and 32 top 10s in 36 starts to run away with the national championship. He out-distanced runner-up Keith Rocco, 794-748.

Pulliam’s wins were spread among four tracks including 10 at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., nine at South Boston (Va.) Speedway, two at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C., and one at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C. He placed third in points at Motor Mile and South Boston running a partial schedule at each.

He also won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia championship.

“We congratulate Lee Pulliam on winning the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “His talent, determination and poise in the heat of battle helped win one of NASCAR’s most coveted titles.”

Pulliam will be guest of honor at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“I was just a little kid wanting to be a race car driver one day,” Pulliam said. “That’s what came to mind when George Silbermann called to congratulate us and tell us we won the national championship. With all that’s happened over the past year, it’s a miracle and a blessing to get back on top. This year, that little kid’s dream came true.

“When I finished third in points last year I stood on the stage behind two national champions, Philip Morris and Keith Rocco. I respect them and look up to both of them. I’ve raced with Philip a lot. He’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Late Model driver in the country.”

Rocco of Wallingford, Conn., finished second in the final standings for the second straight year and third time in four years. Rocco had 14 wins, 26 top fives and 32 top 10s in 43 starts racing his asphalt Modified at Connecticut’s Thompson International Raceway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl. He won his fifth straight state title and has finished in the top five nationally seven consecutive seasons.

“With what Lee has been through it’s great to see them rewarded with a championship because they worked so hard to come back this year,” Rocco said.

Rocco dislocated his wrist and broke a bone in an accident during practice at Thompson July 29. He had surgery and missed an entire weekend of racing.

“I’m happy we were able to pull off second place this year,” Rocco said. “The whole month of August was tough. We had about four weeks racing three nights a week where I was starting races then making a driver change.”

Only four points separate the rest of the top five. CE Falk III finished third with 728, followed by Nate Monteith with 726 and Ryan Preece with 724

Falk, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va., had 16 wins, 25 top fives and 27 top 10s in 30 starts at South Boston, Motor Mile, Southern National, Caraway and Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va. He finished second to Pulliam in the Virginia standings, and was fourth in the nation a year ago.

Monteith, 30, of Blountville, Tenn., also won his second consecutive asphalt Late Model track and state championships at Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway with 10 wins, 23 top fives and 27 top 10s in 33 starts. He also made starts at Southern National and Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway.

Preece, 22, of Berlin, Conn., ran against Rocco at Stafford and Thompson and also competed at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway. He had 14 wins, 33 top fives and 40 top 10s in 48 starts.

The top 10 drivers in final national point standings earned “locked-in” spots to the NASCAR Late Model feature field for the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway Feb. 18-19, 2013. The two nights of racing, which will also include the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours, will be run on the .4-mile oval on the backstretch at The World Center of Racing.

Connecticut’s Ted Christopher (Thompson, Stafford, Riverhead) finished sixth, followed by Duane Howard, who won his fifth dirt Modified track championship at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa.; Deac McCaskill, asphalt Late Model track championship at Southern National; Elko (Minn.) Speedway Super Late Model driver Adam Royle; and Tim Brown, who won a record ninth Modified Division championship at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

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