FAIRLAWN, VA :: Lee Pulliam’s 23rd and 24th wins on the 2013 season on Friday night made winning the NASCAR Whelen All American Series (NWAAS) National Championship a virtual certainty. The wins on Friday night at Motor Mile Speedway were his 15th and 16th full field victories. 18 full field victories would secure the National Championship.
Pulliam started the evening hot, winning the pole with a 16.063 second lap. He would lead the field to the green flag for the first of two 125 lap races. The race ran caution free with Pulliam leading wire-to-wire to score the victory over Dennis Holdren and Garrett Campbell.
“We needed this win bad,” Pulliam stated. “We worked extremely hard this week. Hedgecock Racecars gives me a lot of support and Kowalski Racing Engines work extremely hard. Everybody wants this deal. Everyone works so hard to make this deal happen and I’m just glad to be here.”
After the top eight cars were inverted, it only took Pulliam 30 laps to get to the lead in the second race. He raced side-by-side with Tommy Lemons, Jr. in the race but finally secured the lead and went on to win the second 125 lap race, which also ran lean, mean and green from start to finish.
“This is incredible,” Pulliam remarked after winning the second race. “Goosebumps right there. We’ve worked mighty hard for this. We had so many races slip away right at the end. Beginning of the year, we broke a wheel and wrecked with Tommy. Then we broke a hub at South Boston while leading one night. We broke a fuel pump. We lost by a couple inches last week at Caraway. We’ve had so many that could have finished the deal. These two are really important right here. I’ve just got to thank God. I am extremely blessed to have this opportunity and nobody’s having more fun than me right now.”
Pulliam’s main competition in the championship fight, Deac McCaskill, was a non-factor at Motor Mile scoring finishes of 11th and eighth. McCaskill would need to win seven full-field races in order to win the championship – assuming Pulliam does not clinch on Saturday at South Boston Speedway.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Pulliam said when told of McCaskill’s scenario. “Deac’s a heck of a competitor. He’s made me work for it and get up on the wheel. He’s also clean though. We’ve rubbed a little bit. He rubbed me up one night to get a win but, all in all, I couldn’t be racing with a better person for the NASCAR championship. I’ll be glad when we can all have fun, sit down and joke again. It’s been a lot of stress on both of us and we’ve both been working hard to win. It’s just one of those things. It’s a coveted title and everyone does all they can to get it.”
McCaskill was frustrated after the race, knowing the championship had slipped away.
“Southern National seems to be the only place I can get around,” a frustrated McCaskill explained. “We knew coming in to this year was going to be tough. It’s really frustrating me. We just can’t figure this place out. A top 10 car is about all we had tonight. Hopefully we can hang on to second.”
When told of the scenario that would have to play out for him to win the championship, McCaskill said, “That isn’t going to happen”.
“I’m not disappointed in the season we’ve had,” McCaskill continued. “It’s been an awesome year. I accomplished my goals. I’m really proud of that. I’m just really disappointed in the way we performed tonight. We struggled around this racetrack tonight. We’ve got to make some really big changes to make it better.”
Pulliam will attempt to clinch the NWAAS National Championship on Saturday evening at South Boston Speedway where he will compete in twin Late Model races. The track has placed a $2,500 bounty on Pulliam. In order to clinch, Pulliam would need to win both races and 20 or more cars would need to start in both races.
RACE22.com will have Live Coverage of Saturday’s twin Late Model races at South Boston Speedway as well as the PASS South Super Late Model Series race. Coverage will be presented by Five Star RaceCar Bodies and JRi Shocks.
