FAIRLAWN, VA :: The only thing threating to beat Lee Pulliam Saturday night was the weather.
The two-time defending WHELEN All-American Series national champion swept the CMC Supply/BAIRD Drywall TWIN 75s presented by 94.9 Star Country in dominating fashion following a three-plus hour rain delay that nearly postponed the evening’s program.
“It was just the same ‘ole same ‘ole,” sighed Matt Bowling, who placed second to Pulliam in the pair of features. “We had a good piece, but it was a second place car tonight. We still don’t have anything for the no. 5 car.”
Pulliam captured the Price’s Body Shop Pole Award and led rag-to-rag in the opener, besting Bowling by 1.11 seconds to capture the checkers in a race slowed by three cautions. David Garbo placed third, with Tommy Lemons, Jr. and Peyton Sellers rounding out the top five.
Saddled with a sixth-place starting spot following the inversion to begin the finale, Pulliam quickly marched through the field, surpassing Justin Johnson for the point on lap 15. The maneuver proved to be the pass for the win, as Pulliam coasted uncontested through two caution periods to snare the victory.
“It’s a lot of fun when you can go out there and have a run like that,” Pulliam exclaimed. “This is the best we’ve been up here in a while, and it just feels good.”
The nightcap ended under caution when Mike Looney and Peyton Sellers tangled while racing for second exiting turn two. The incident rendered Sellers’ no.7 entry immobile on the back straightaway after the door-to-door contact sheered away the driver’s side door panel.
Arguably the only car capable of challenging Pulliam for the victory, Looney had rocketed from sixteenth at the outset of the feature. Sidelined early in the first race by a reported broken hub on the right front, Looney enjoyed far fresher tires than the competition in the latter feature. The white-flag incident was the result of several laps of close-quarter racing, with Sellers managing to keep Looney at bay.
“It was just hard racing; we were both going for the spot,” Looney explained. “He had been pinching me off…you never know, we could’ve gotten a green-white-checkered and had a shot to win this thing.”
Looney placed third, while Sellers was relegated to fourteenth. Sellers was not reached for comment. Tommy Lemons, Jr. and Garbo placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Sellers’ misfortune, coupled with Pulliam’s victories, tightens up the Bull & Bones Late Model division track standings considerably with one event remaining on the schedule. Entering the night with a 30-point buffer on Pulliam, Sellers’ advantage evaporated in a colossal 34-point swing Saturday night. With two races left, Pulliam is in command by a miniscule margin of four markers.
Reedy Wins in Limited Late Model Feature
Bryan Reedy forestalled a hard-charging Scott Lancaster to claim his first win of the season in the Collision Plus Limited Sportsman division. The win marked Reedy’s first victory lane appearance since April 26th, when Reedy’s win was negated by a post-race inspection infraction. Karl Budzevski rounded out the podium.
Race Results
Late Model Stock Car #1 – 75 Laps
1. #5 Lee Pulliam
2. #83 Matt Bowling
3. #8 David Garbo
4. #27 Tommy Lemons Jr
5. #7 Peyton Sellers
6. #44 Justin Johnson
7. #8 Deac McCaskill
8. #12 Ryan Wilson
9. #1 GR Waldrop
10. #42 Craig Stallard
11. #54 Dalton Sargeant
12. #2 Dennis Holdren
13. #96 Andrew Thomas
14. #25 Derrick Lancaster
15. #17 Devin Steele
16. #24 Philip Sisson
17. #23 Payton Ryan
18. #2 Mike Looney
19. #99 Bruce Anderson
20. #51 Kyle Dudley
21. #50 Garrett Bunch
22. #1 Jamie Sweeney
Late Model Stock Car #2 – 75 Laps
1. #5 Lee Pulliam
2. #83 Matt Bowling
3. #2 Mike Looney
4. #27 Tommy Lemons Jr
5. #8 David Garbo
6. #54 Dalton Sargeant
7. #44 Justin Johnson
8. #51 Kyle Dudley
9. #1 GR Waldrop
10. #8 Deac McCaskill
11. #42 Craig Stallard
12. #12 Ryan Wilson
13. #17 Devin Steele
14. #7 Peyton Sellers
15. #24 Philip Sisson
16. #96 Andrew Thomas
17. #2 Dennis Holdren
Limited Sportsman – 50 Laps
1. #17 Bryan Reedy
2. #22 Scott Lancaster
3. #26 Karl Budzevski
4. #11 Steven Weeks
5. #1 Daryn Cockram
6. #30 Tam Topham
7. #9 Charlie Watson
8. #21 Travis Hurt
9. #13 Richard Caldwell
10. #99 Matthew Eades
11. #14 Ryan Repko
12. #18 Dylan Saul
13. #27 Taylor Ransom
14. #0 Jerry Godbey
15. #7 Preston McGhee
16. #10 Brad Foy
17. #25 Stacy Terry