MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 30, 2025) – Connor Hall earned a huge victory on Saturday night, taking the Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway.
Not only did the native Virginian win the opening round of the Virginia Triple Crown, he earned the first in the prestigious event for JR Motorsports. His triumph in the No. 88 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet was his second straight at SoBo in the Virginia Triple Crown. Last year, before joining JRM, Hall won the opener after falling to the tail of the field at one point.
The series, which also includes the Hampton Heat in two weeks at Langley Speedway, heads to the Valley Star Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, where the state-wide title will be decided. Hall is a past winner of the Hampton Heat as well as a former track champion.
The ultimate goal is the Virginia Triple Crown, as it is one of the only major Late Model series championships that JR Motorsports has never won outright.
On Saturday, Hall posted the third-quickest time in qualifying after never entering the top 10 during practice. When the race began, Hall set out after polesitter Matt Waltz. Staying close to Waltz, Hall bided his time and made the pass for the lead with 80 laps remaining in the 200-lap event.
Waltz got around Hall later in the event, utilizing the bottom groove on a restart to take the lead back, but a caution that same lap for two stopped cars negated the pass and put Hall back in the lead. Waltz fell under a spirited charge from Darren Krantz and could not challenge Hall as he clicked off the remaining laps to earn victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Behind Waltz and Krantz, Parker Eatmon and Ryan Millington rounded out the top five.
“It’s pretty cool to give [JR Motorsports] a first,” Hall said after the race. “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.”
As for the race, Hall said it was a waiting game and all about making the right move at the right time.
“The racing was intense but we had good track position and we qualified third,” Hall said. “I just kind of fell into second, tried to make a pass here and there but realized I needed an adjustment to be the winning car. I waited until the halfway break to make it, Bryan (crew chief and team manager Bryan Shaffer) snugged us up some, and played more cat-and-mouse. I waited for a restart where I thought we were pretty even and made a power move to get to the lead.
“I managed the high and low side, and we had a restart with 50 to go and then it went green the rest of the way. I was able to manage the gap and try to save a little for the end in case we had a restart. They were racing pretty hard behind me.”
Being a native Virginian, Hall said winning two straight in the signature race at South Boston was a good example of what could happen in the remaining Triple Crown races.
“I think Langley is going to be a good one, between myself and the car, and so is Martinsville,” Hall said. “Hopefully it’s a good recipe. We’re very fortunate to keep the car clean.”
It’s a quick turnaround for Hall, Shaffer and the rest of the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats team will be the CARS Tour LMSC event set for this Wednesday at North Carolina’s Caraway Speedway. Last season, Hall was among the leaders before a wild late-race series of restarts. “We had them and a late-race yellow with two laps to go saw us get bowled out of the way,” he said. “I love Caraway and have always run pretty good there. Just looking to keep the momentum up and keep the points lead in the zMAX CARS Tour.”
