While there is an award for the most popular driver in NASCAR, there isn’t one for the most popular team owner. But if there were such an award, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would win that as well. An example of why that would be the case was on display after the O’Reilly race at Martinsville.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. proved his class in his post-race response and gesture to Lee Pulliam

At the end of the race at Martinsville, Lee Pulliam, who made his long-overdue O’Reilly debut, got out of his car and took it all in. He finished 5th in a race he truly had a chance to win. But his first race wasn’t without controversy as he became the cause of a massive pileup on the front straightaway after a misshift on a restart.

Perhaps all of these were the reasons that Pulliam was full of emotions after the race. But he wasn’t alone or on his own because his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., embraced him and shared a beautiful moment with his driver.

In fact, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been nothing but warm towards Pulliam throughout the race. Even after the massive crash caused by the debutant, the JRM boss remained calm and appreciative. The post-race radio exchange reflected this as Pulliam thanked Earnhardt for the opportunity and apologized for the wreckage, his boss said, “Do it again in a heartbeat. Loved every minute of it.”

Earnhardt had also reassured Pulliam about the common nature of such incidents, asking him not to think too much about it, even though he didn’t want it to happen.

Ahead of the start of the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. praised Pulliam for his superior racecraft and his experience over the rest of the field at Martinsville. “He should be able to get in there and get it done. He’s done a great job today. He’s at a little bit of a deficit on tires, but we’ll just kind of see how this works out. I’m proud of him, and I know he’s got a lot of people pulling for him. Hopefully, he can come out of here with a great result,” he claimed.

Fortunately for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Lee Pulliam, the 37-year-old finished in 5th place as Justin Allgaier took the win and made it five in a row for JR Motorsports.

Lee Pulliam had his dream come true at Martinsville

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. reassured his driver that it was okay, Lee Pulliam took the opportunity after the race to apologize to drivers whose races he compromised because of his misshift on that restart. He claimed in a post-race interview with CW Sports that he couldn’t get going because of the older tires, and it was also ‘a bit of inexperience’ on his part.

Having made his long-awaited return to the track after retiring previously, Pulliam thanked the crew at JRM Motorsports for their contributions.

“What a dream come true to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Man, the whole experience has been pretty… pretty special for me,” said Pulliam. “Something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. And just thankful for everybody that led to this moment.”

After a decent showing in his return, it remains to be seen if Lee Pulliam gets more starts with JR Motorsports. He certainly has the experience, and with Earnhardt Jr.’s support, Pulliam could be a regular feature during race weekends.