SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — It was a day fit for a king – two kings, in fact.
Lee Pulliam had gone six-and-a-half years without a win as a driver, but that changed Saturday afternoon at South Boston Speedway.
The late model legend came back to his home track and looked as if he’d never left, nailing a perfect final restart to take the lead, and ultimately, the victory in Saturday’s 100-lap Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division feature.
It was a long time coming for Pulliam.
The second king? Well, he just keeps on winning.
Ron Silk of Norwalk, Connecticut became the new King of the Modifieds Saturday afternoon when he topped a strong 31-car field to win the third annual 125-lap SMART Modified Tour King of the Modifieds race.
Silk’s fast car and ability to nail three restarts over the final 26 laps of the race gave the two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion the win, the $20,000 prize that went it and the king’s crown and robe, capping off an incredible 2026-opening URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day.
Pulliam’s victory was an emotional one as this was his first race at South Boston Speedway since September 7, 2019.
“It’s hard to fully describe,” Pulliam said of his 53rd career win at South Boston Speedway. “I was pretty emotional taking the checkered flag and definitely emotional taking the victory lap. I wanted to see every single fan. That’s what makes this thing so special – racing here at home. It was really cool to pull off this win in front of our home fans.”
Pulliam, of Alton, Virginia, led twice in the race, taking the lead from teenager Conner “C-Weed” Weddell of Centerville, Maryland with 12 laps to go when Weddell spun the tires on his car on the race’s final restart and edged Weddell by .960 seconds at the finish.
“I was smiling when I had the chance there,” Pulliam remarked. “I knew I had to get a good start. He just made a little mistake there.”
Weddell was close to having a win in hand. He held a solid lead over Pulliam and the rest of the field and likely would have won the race if the race’s second caution flag had not flown.
Trevor Ward finished third after winning the pole and leading the first 29 laps of the race. Landon Pembelton finished fourth and Josh Oakley rounded out the top five.
Once in front, Silk pulled away from Stephen Kopcik of Newtown, Connecticut and edged Kopcik by 1.101 seconds to win the 125-lap SMART Modified Tour race for tour-type Modifieds.
“This feels great,” Silk said. “This was a big event, packed grandstands, a great racetrack here at South Boston and a great field of cars. To come out on top feels really good.”
Former NASCAR standout Elliott Sadler, who has won in all of NASCAR’s three top national series, rallied from 15th place to fifth place in the final 30 laps to earn a top-five finish in his first Modified race.
“It was definitely fun to be here,” Sadler said. “It’s always good when you’ve got a great car. Man, what a crowd. I’m so proud of these fans for showing up. They saw some great racing. Lee Pulliam won the Late Model race. I’m a big fan of his and it’s so cool to see him do it at home. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
Former NASCAR star Ryan Newman finished third, Jack Baldwin and Sadler rounded out the top five.
Shayne Lockhart won the Modified Division race and Bobby Griffin won the Sportsman Division in the 35-lap race for the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club.
