Connor Hall swept both halves of a Twin 50 for the Late Model Stock division on Saturday night at Langley Speedway but the story was all the chaos that unfolded around him in the process.
Hall has now won two consecutive twin feature doubleheaders in as many weeks at his lifelong home track two weeks in advance of the annual CARS Tour race.
“Yeah, it’s cool,” Hall said after winning the first twin. “2007 was my first lap around this place. To be able to pay homage, come back here and have fun, whatever you want to call it. I grew up a Hampton resident my whole life and Langely Speedway will forever hold a place in my heart. Super excited for what’s next.”
Hall now resides in the greater Charlotte area and works at Niece Motorsports, where he also races part times in the Craftsman Truck Series.
His second win came while his car was blowing steam and drivers wrecking behind him.
“We went from 200 to 340 in two and a half laps so I think we lost a water pump cooler or something so just tried to hang onto it and fortunately, we had a big enough gap,” Hall said.
“Obviously, it’s a really cool thing to get the job done in front of the home town crowd … looking forward to the CARS Tour race.”
Meanwhile, both halves of the twins were a bit of a chaotic wreck fest.
On lap 14, Michael Rogers tagged Craig Eastep. Eastep got Rogers back for this on the final lap of the second twin.
On Lap 42, Chris Horton Jr. got spun by Ryley Music. It was pretty egregious and race control sent Music back to the rear as well for it.
On Lap 47, Donovan Edwards was spun by Cody Bryant with Horton and Music also spinning out together to avoid it.
Just before this incident, rookie Ayden Millette used the bumper to try to take the lead but Hall simply drove away.
“These young guys are super hungry just like I was when I was a kid,” Hall said. “They’re taking a shot when they think they can get it. I don’t fault them at all. Just super excited to get a win on my home field.”
Millette had damage that seemed to affect his car in the closing laps, including late in the first 50 when he spun Cole Bruce on a restart.
In the second Twin, there was this crash on Lap 2 at the front of the field that again involved Bruce and Millette but also collected Mark Wertz and Casey Wyatt.
Overall, just a messy night down in Hampton Roads.
Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
