Lee Pulliam Stands On Top Of Whelen All-American Series National Standings; Keith Rocco Back In Top Five

The beat goes on as it has all season long at the top of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national short track standings.

It’s all Lee Pulliam.

The Semora, N.C. driver and 2012 national champion, remained at the top of the national standings again this week.

Pulliam has 13 victories and 19-top five finishes over 21 starts this year at South Boston (Va.) Speedway, Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C. and Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C. Pulliam’s exploits have earned him 696 points under the Whelen All-American Series scoring system.

Deac McCaskill of Raleigh, N.C. is second in the national standings with 686 points. McCaskill has eight victories, 15 top-fives and 18 top-10’s over 19 starts between South Boston Speedway, Southern National Motorsports Park and Motor Mile in Radford, Va.

Tommy Lemons Jr. of Troy, N.C. is third nationally with 597 points. Lemons has three victories, 15 top-five’s and 17 top-10’s over 19 starts at South Boston, Caraway, Motor Mile and Southern National.

Under the point structure for the NASCAR All-American Series, a race winner receives two points for every car in the event up to 20 cars. Second place receives two fewer points and so on through the field. Race winners receive an additional five points. For example, if 20 cars are in the field, the winner receives 45 points, second place 38 and third 36. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 35 points, second 28 and third, 26.

A driver’s best 18 results through the Sept. 15 closing date count toward their state and national point totals. Champions are decided on overall point total. Once a driver reaches 18 starts, their point total increases incrementally as they replace poorer runs with better results.

Keith Rocco of Wallingford jumped from sixth in the national standings to fifth last week.

Rocco, the 2010 national champion, competes full-time in an SK Modified at Thompson International Speedway, the Waterford Speedbowl and Stafford Motor Speedway. Rocco has six victories, 11 top-five’s and 14 top-10’s in 17 starts, good for 548 points.

Ryan Preece of Berlin, who competes in an SK Modified at Stafford and Thompson and in a Tour Type Modified at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, remained in seventh in the national standings despite a win in the SK Modified feature at Stafford last Friday.

Preece now has five victories, 11 top-five’s and 13 top-10’s in 15 starts, good for 497 points.

Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry, who runs Thompson and Waterford, jumped from 14th to 12th nationally with 370 points. Ted Christopher of Plainville, the 2001 national champion, dropped from 16th to 18th with 352 points.