Connor Hall’s second straight triumph in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway was far less eventful compared to his charge from last place in 2024.
But it was more sentimental.
With a strong second-half performance in Saturday’s 200-lap feature, Hall brought home the first Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 victory in the history of JR Motorsports’ Late Model Stock program. Aware of the gold standard that has long followed JR Motorsports, Hall wanted to add onto their prestigious legacy when he joined the team during the offseason.
Hall’s chapter in JR Motorsports’ story is still being written, but he said the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 victory is indicative of the early chemistry the team possesses.
“It’s pretty cool to give [JR Motorsports] a first,” Hall said. “Between Carson [Kvapil] and Josh [Berry], I think they checked off the rest. It’s a huge blessing to be able to run in [the No. 88] and represent the Earnhardt family. I’m still kind of learning because I’ve only been down there really five months and I’m trying to make the best of it.”
Synergy was imperative from Hall and JR Motorsports as the diligently worked to find speed in their No. 88 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet throughout the weekend at South Boston.
In the two practice sessions Saturday, Hall did not post a time quick enough to crack the top 10. The initial lack of speed did not intimidate Hall in the slightest. He put his trust in crew chief Bryan Shaffer and the rest of his team to get the car right in time for qualifying.
Hall’s confidence proved to be grounded. He set the third quickest time of the 38 cars entered in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, which provided him optimal track position for the grueling night ahead.
Several potential contenders such as Peyton Sellers and Trevor Ward, the top two in South Boston’s Late Model Stock standings, saw their evenings get derailed early due to on-track accidents. With no carnage within his vicinity, Hall could keep his focus centered on chasing down polesitter Matt Waltz for the victory.
Waltz was a familiar face to Hall stemming from his days as a regular at Langley Speedway, so Hall knew the veteran racer would pull no punches in their shared pursuit of a Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 win. Hall stayed patient with Waltz until 80 to go when he made what he believed was the decisive pass for the lead.
Momentum appeared to shift back toward Waltz on a later restart when he utilized the bottom line to power his way around Hall for the lead. A caution for the two separately stopped cars of Bobby McCarty and Justin Carroll was displayed before a green flag lap was completed, moving Hall back to the spot by rule.
Waltz never got another solid chance at Hall’s advantage. He was tasked with fending off Darren Krantz Jr. for second while Hall capitalized on the perfectly timed caution to secure another Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 checkered flag.
“Anytime you get the lead back, it’s a break,” Hall said. “Matt was strong and I think we were the better car by the end of the race, but at that point, it was a little more 50-50. I’d be lying if I was cool, calm and collected about losing the lead with 40 laps to go.”
Excelling in marquee Late Model Stock events has become common practice for Hall over the past several years. Along with his two Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 wins, Hall’s list of achievements includes victories in Hickory Motor Speedway’s Fall Brawl and the prestigious Hampton Heat at Langley back in 2019.
Being in South Boston’s Victory Lane with fireworks as a backdrop provided Hall some time to reflect on how his Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 wins came together. Each event saw Hall face some sort of adversity, but on both occasions, Hall relied on his experience and that of the people around him to find his way towards the front.
“[The two wins] are nice in their own way,” Hall said. “Last year was so awesome with the story of coming from the back, but this year, I wasn’t near the top of the speed chart all weekend really. We stuck to our guns and focused on the race. It’s nice to run in the top three all night and come home with a clean race car and a win.”
Now that he has conquered the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 once again, Hall is setting his sights on another item he and JR Motorsports have yet to cross off on their respective bucket lists: the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
Hall has plenty of reasons to be optimistic ahead of the next Virginia Triple Crown race in the Hampton Heat, being a past winner and track champion. While Hall would love to perform a sweep of the three Virginia Triple Crown races with JR Motorsports, he also intends to enjoy every step of the journey regardless of the outcome.
“The older I get, the more I’m learning to be a lot more appreciative of trying to live in the moment and just be happy,” Hall said. “We’re going to go to Langley and try to finish one spot better in the Hampton Heat. I thought I was going to give Kvapil a run for their money at Martinsville last year but had that plug wire fall off.
“We need to be smart, bring a great race car to the track and do what JR Motorsports does.”
Winning races has always been a part of JR Motorsports’ identity as a driver. Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 proved the organization is primed to keep visiting Victory Lane with Hall as their driver.
Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200
Unofficial Results
Sentara Late Model Stock Car 200-lap Feature
1 88H Hall, Connor
2 2W Waltz, Matthew
3 77K Krantz Jr., Darren
4 71 Eatmon, Parker
5 15 Millington, Ryan
6 04 Bassett, Ronnie Jr
7 8 Fogleman, Tate
8 88B Barnes, Doug Jr.
9 2P Pierce, Brandon
10 41 Howard, Woody
11 44 Jones, Conner
12 4 Brown, Kade
13 01G Gullie, Camden
14 11 Isles, Buddy Jr
15 22 Loftin, Carson
16 61 Hicks, Justin
17 00 Burrow, Chase
18 01B Beane, Thomas
19 57 Huffman, Landon
20 77W Ward, Trevor
21 91 Carroll, Justin
22 77S Stallings, Blake
23 51 Layne, Toby
24 17S Silvestri, Daniel
25 26 Sellers, Peyton
26 7 Sparks, Jeff
27 50P Pittman, Raymond
28 5 Shafer, Jonathan
29 08 McCaskill, Deac
30 6 McCarty, Bobby
31 0 Pembelton, Landon
32 19 Cann, Jessica
33 05 Bailey, Mason
34 1 Grady, Andrew
35 47 Music, Ryley
36 17M Myers, Jason
37 3 Williams, Trey
38 50M McKenzie, London
