For a long time it looked as though Lee Pulliam, a four-time NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, was done racing. Or at least done with the driving part of racing. He went from winning races seemingly every week to helping other drivers win races. Drivers like Corey Heim, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, Brandon Pierce, and Julia Landauer all won races driving for Pulliam while he turned wrenches on the cars instead of turning the steering wheel.

Then suddenly, in 2024, he returned for a special one-off race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished 12th, but that wasn’t good enough. So he made another one-off start at Martinsville in 2025. He finished second by a fender. That reignited Pulliam’s fire, so he made another start at Southern National Motorsports Park last November and finished second again. Now, the fire is an inferno. Which means, Pulliam is back.

Okay, he’s not back on a full-time basis. But he’s back on a much more frequent basis than two starts in six years. Pulliam, 37, will make four starts between February and March this year, and he’s leaving the door open for more as the year goes on.

“I’ve gone a long time without being behind the wheel, and to have run second in the two races I ran last year left a fire in me to get back into victory lane,” Pulliam told FloRacing. 

Pulliam will make his first start of 2026 in February’s Icebreaker at Florence Motor Speedway. He also plans to make starts in the first two CARS Tour races of the season at Coastal Plains Raceway on February 21, and at Southern National on February 28. Pulliam has not made a start with the CARS Tour since 2020. The fourth race on Pulliam’s calendar for now is the 100-lap season opener at South Boston Speedway, a place where Pulliam has won numerous races, championships, and even has a grandstand section named after him.

Pulliam will drive a car sponsored by Folsom Fence Supply, Best Repair Company, and Carolina Drilling, and Mincey’s Graphics, four companies owned by people that Pulliam said he considers to be family.

“I’ve been great friends with the Folsom family for years now, and introduced them to short track racing,” Pulliam explained. “Our friendship has been rock steady for years, and we are going to do all we can to sell some fence for them this season. The Staton family with Best Repair Company have become like a part of our family, and it’s been a blessing to have built such a close friendship. John is a racer himself and understands the ups and downs of the sport and reminds me that the best is yet to come. Jason Tutterow and Carolina Drilling have also stepped up to be a part of this journey. I’ve helped Jason on his Modified and have met some awesome people through that, so it’s really neat to have his company on our race car as well. And Mincey’s Graphics has sponsored the graphics on my car for years, and I look forward to continuing that relationship as well.”

Part of the reason Pulliam is running these opening races is to help his Lee Pulliam Performance program start as strong as possible this season. 2025 was admittedly a bit of a struggle for both cars with Lanie Buice and Doug Barnes Jr. failing to win a race last year, one year removed from Queen winning the championship. With teenager Carson Brown stepping in to be the full-time driver on the CARS Tour this year, Pulliam said they hope to start off stronger.

“With having Carson in the lineup and myself running the opening races, it just helps me ensure that our cars are as good as they can be,” Pulliam explained. “With how many years of experience I have under my belt, I feel like I’ll be able to help make our program stronger than it already was. It’s a good way to build some data and know as a driver what we need to work on to improve our cars each week.”

But that’s also not the only reason. He wants to win. He’s won plenty of races at all four of these race tracks that he’s going to in February and March. And to make sure that happens, Pulliam has been putting in a ton of work behind the scenes. He’s changed his diet, and he’s been hitting the gym much more frequently. Pulliam has always taken good care of his race cars and his family, but now he’s putting in more time to take better care of himself.

“I had really not done a good job of that in recent years,” Pulliam explained. “I think as a successful driver I have missed the opportunity to compete behind the wheel, so I haven’t taken care of myself like I should. I really started to get after it following Martinsville and have been eating right and working out hard each week. I felt super sharp in the two races I ran, and I feel even sharper today. It’s been a lot of effort into getting as physically and mentally prepared as possible for the opportunity to get behind the wheel again. If we lose, it won’t be because I fell out of the seat. That’s for sure.”

Pulliam was quick to say that these are the only four races he has scheduled this year. Right now. But, he also said that the possibility does exist for more at some point throughout the year.

“We are definitely leaving the door open to doing select events throughout the year,” said Pulliam. “We have a special driver that will be in the second car at select events that will be announced at a later date. But I’m hoping to make some more starts at different venues throughout the season as it fits into our schedule. Of course, if we go out and win one of these opening races that will only make the flame burn stronger. It’s been since September of 2019 since I last drove a car into victory lane. I’ve won a lot as a crew chief and as an owner since then. But I want to feel that feeling as a driver again mighty bad.”