Connor Hall has done about everything he’s needed to claim a NASCAR Weekly Series national championship.
After leading all 50 laps in the first of a pair of Twin 50s on Saturday at Langley Speedway, Hall went all the way to the rear of the field to maximize his national championship points. He was leading by Lap 11 and never looked back.
It realistically closes out his NASCAR national championship ambitions and goes a long way towards securing a long sought after track championship in his backyard too. The victories come two weeks after his first defeats of the season at Langley at the hands of six-time champion Greg Edwards and Hall responded like a likely national champion should.
“We made two really good adjustments,” Hall said in Victory Lane. “I tried something in qualifying and liked it and really tested it out during the first race. I liked it that first race so we doubled down for the second race. This thing is back to being really good.”
Cole Bruce started on the pole following an eight car invert and held on to finish an impressive fourth. Edwards and Ryan Matthews completed the podium for an identical 1-2-3 finish across both races.
Performance Plus Race Night Twin 50 No. 1
- Connor Hall
- Greg Edwards
- Ryan Matthews
- Cole Bruce
- Danny Edwards
- Dean Shiflett
- Woody Howard
- Casey Wyatt
- Ryley Music
- Jacob Derrick
- Chris Johnson
- Duane Shreeves
- Mark Wertz
- Todd Vanguilder
- Evan Van Leeuwen
- Jody McCormick
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The slow and steady unexpected march to a NASCAR Weekly Series national championship continued on Saturday at Langley Speedway for Connor Hall.
He opened the penultimate night of the season with a victory in the first of two Twin 50s in flag-to-flag fashion over track championship rivals Greg Edwards and Ryan Matthews. The triumph was his 13th of the NASCAR Weekly Series season at the Hampton, Virginia bullring.
The race was delayed by rain and the lineup set by current track points.
“Hats off to the speedway for keeping us here tonight and knowing the rain was going to clear out,” Hall said in Victory Lane. It’s always good to get a race in when you’re not sure if you’re going to. It’s also good to come back here and win two weeks after Greg humbled us.”
Edwards swept the most recent race weekend at Langley on August 26 — becoming the first winner this season who wasn’t Hall.
“We went back to the shop to get better,” Hall said. “We obviously did. It feels good we went to Hickory last weekend (in the Bobby Isaac Memorial) and had that race won until we lost the power. That was a week after Greg showed me around Langley the way he used to back in the day.”
Those results allowed Edwards to close within 30 points of Hall. While most of the focus has gone on the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship, Hall wants to make clear that the track championship is something that matters to him too.
This would be his first track championship at his home track, something he has never accomplished while the likes of Edwards and Mark Wertz were winning the title every year over the past decade.
“The track championship is equally as important,” Hall said. “I know that sound weird but we’ve come here so many years and broke down or crashed out when we had a chance to win one.
“As far as the national points, I think the win means we can start in the back and try to score max points.”
Hall opened the season by racing at Langley during his off weekends from CARS Tour competition but has now focused solely on NASCAR Weekly points once he fell out of championship contention on the tour. There is another 50 lap feature on Saturday at Langely. There will be an eight car invert but Hall is likely to start last to maximize his national point total.
Performance Plus Race Night Twin 50 No. 1
- Connor Hall
- Greg Edwards
- Ryan Matthews
- Woody Howard
- Dean Shiflett
- Danny Edwards
- Casey Wyatt
- Cole Bruce
- Mark Wertz
- Duane Shreeves
- Jacob Derrick
- Jody McCormick
- Chris Johnson
- Thomas Marks
- Todd Vanguilder
- Ryley Music
- Evan Van Leeuwen
