MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 4, 2025) – The rain-plagued zMAX CARS Tour Throwback Classic at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway took a while to complete due to persistent weather delays, but in the end the two-car JR Motorsports team posted a top-10 finish with Caden Kvapil and a 14th-place result with Connor Hall.
Rain started to fall following practice for the extra-distance event, leaving many to scramble for speed in qualifying due to the change in track conditions. Kvapil, who was a touch tight in the center of the corners during practice but had a lot of rear grip necessary for the tight confines of Hickory’s oval, saw the rain wash away the grip he enjoyed and qualified 18th.
During the race, the handling switched to the loose side from lack of grip and Kvapil ran near the top 10 for much of the event. He avoided a huge wreck in Turn 1 spawned by hard racing at the front of the pack with 10 laps remaining and would start seventh for the race to the checkered flag.
Running side-by-side for fifth over the final burst, Kvapil got bumped wide and dropped two spots to seventh in the final finishing order.
Hall, driving the No. 88 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet, started 25th in the main and spent much of the race mired in heavy traffic on the .363-mile Hickory oval. Over the course of the event, Hall fought a loose condition and battled for track position.
The multi-car pileup near the end of the race allowed Hall to make up some track position and he eventually finished 14th. Despite the tough run at HMS, Hall remains tied for the series lead in points heading into the Aug. 16 event at South Carolina’s Anderson Motor Speedway.
Mini Tyrrell won the $50,000 top prize for the annual event after a heated battle with Jared Fryar. Connor Jones was third, followed by Landon Huffman and Doug Barnes Jr.
Next action for the JRM Late Model squad will be Aug. 16 at South Carolina’s Anderson Motor Speedway.
Caden Kvapil, driver, No. 8 Carolina Carports/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet:
“Our Carolina Carports/Bass Pro Shops No. 8 Chevrolet had good speed all weekend but track position was key. We were in a good position to earn a top-five finish with 10 laps remaining, but contact late in the race put me back to seventh at the end. Thank you to my dad, Travis, and the rest of the crew for giving me a great car as well as Dale, Kelley, LW, and Bryan for making this possible.”
Connor Hall, driver, No. 88 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet:
“It wasn’t the night we were looking for in our Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet, but we are still in the hunt for the series championship. I’m just trying to be better all the way around, and we have some races coming up where I feel we’ll be the car to beat. We’re in the thick of the points battle and that’s a good thing. We have room to work and we’ll do just that at Anderson in a couple of weeks.”