Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw his driver, Lee Pulliam, make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with JR Motorsports on March 28, 2026, at Martinsville Speedway. The 250-lap race featured a major late incident when Pulliam triggered a 19-car wreck with 17 laps to go.
He was running near the front and lined up on the outside for a restart when his car slowed, causing a stack-up behind him.
Despite the damage, Pulliam stayed in the race and finished fifth. He started 12th, led laps, and showed speed throughout the NASCAR event at Martinsville Speedway. After the race, Pulliam accepted full responsibility and explained what happened.
Misshift Causes Multi-Car Crash at Martinsville Speedway
Pulliam ran inside the top group late in the NASCAR race and had a chance to fight for the win. On the restart, his car did not launch as expected, resulting in contact behind him.
“God, I hate that. God, I am sorry,” Pulliam said on the radio. “I hate when people do stuff like that and I hate that I was the one to do it.”
He explained the mistake after the race.
“I think just lining up beside those guys. They could launch a lot harder than me, and I was trying to be aggressive and just made a mistake. I just hate it. Tore up some racecars there,” he said.
Pulliam said his lack of experience and tire condition played a role.
“I mean, it’s probably my inexperience, mostly. I think having older tires, and then a combination of me not ever doing this, man, I just hate it, and needed to do a better job. Was trying to clean my tires up hard, and I just could not get going from second to third gear.”
The crash, involving nearly 20 cars, including Carson Kvapil, brought out a red flag. Pulliam’s car had rear damage but continued in the NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Supports Lee Pulliam after NASCAR Incident
Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke to Pulliam on the radio after the crash and offered support.
“I know you didn’t want that to happen, but don’t worry about it. Sh*t like that happens,” Earnhardt said. “I love what you’re doing. Enjoy this.”
After the race, Earnhardt advised Pulliam on how to handle the situation.
“I said you’re going to have about 10, 15 minutes to talk to the media and tell the rest of your story today, and you might not ever get to tell it again. Don’t spend 15 minutes apologizing for that mistake. Tell everybody you made a mistake, you’re sorry and move on.”
The two met in the garage after the NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway.
Pulliam Takes Responsibility and Completes a Strong Debut
Pulliam apologized to the drivers involved and accepted blame for the wreck.
“Man, I just first off, real quick, I’d like to apologize to everybody we tore up there. I just couldn’t get going with the older tires there, and it’s just a little bit of inexperience. But just so thankful to be here and do this,” he said.
He also spoke about the overall experience in his first NASCAR start.
“What an incredible experience, man. To drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr., do this, and compete and lead the second-most laps today. It’s pretty special. I had a hell of a lot of fun. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Driver Faces Late-Race Drama in Martinsville Speedway Debut