Connor Hall felt like South Boston Speedway had not been a good track for him. In his only previous start in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at the .4-mile oval he finished 15th in 2022.
It appears Hall’s mind may have changed.
The 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion wrestled the lead from Trevor Ward for the final time with 17 laps to go and drove to a 1.123-second win over Ward to win the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 Saturday night at South Boston Speedway and capture the first leg of the 2024 Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
Hall’s victory, his first career win. At South Boston Speedway, was worth $10,500 as he took home the $10,000 winner’s prize and the $500 Anderson Outdoor Solutions Hard Charger Award for the driver who gained the most positions from their initial feature starting position.
“I’ve always joked that this place has kind of been my kryptonite,” Hall remarked. “This was going to be one of the harder places for me to find my way. Other than qualifying, I think it went about as good as we could hope.”
Hall arguably had the best car in the field all night, although his 23rd-place qualifying effort may not have reflected that. He drove his way up to seventh place by the halfway break at lap 100 and worked his way up to third place by lap 138.
The stage break at lap 150 allowed Hall to restart the race beside Ward. The pair battled each other hard for most of the last 50 laps of the 200-lap race before Hall took the lead with 17 laps to go and sped away.
“Trevor is a heckuva racecar driver, a very respectful racecar driver,” Hall pointed out.
“He’s one of my best buds at the racetrack, so be able to do it with him was bad to the bone.”
Ward, who won last year’s Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, and earned the $250 Southside Disposal Stage 3 Leader Award, took solace in his strong outing.
“I feel like I pushed it too hard to try to get the lead back at the end,” Ward explained. “I felt like it was my only shot. Looking back at it, I’m wishing I had gotten back in the groove and see if I could run with him.”
Kaden Honeycutt of Aledo, Texas who led 99 of the first 101 laps, and won the $500 Sparks Oil Company/Sunoco Halfway Leader Award and the $250 GutterworX Stage 1 Leader Award, finished third with two-time former NASCAR national champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia edging Kade Brown of Fulshear, Texas for the final spot in the top five.
Last year’s South Boston Speedway champion Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina finished sixth with pole winner Kyle Dudley of Roanoke, Virginia, Brenden Queen of Chesapeake, Virginia, Deac McCaskill of Raleigh, North Carolina and Blake Stallings of Danville, Virginia rounded out the top 10 finishers.
There were five lead changes among four drivers with Honeycutt leading once for 99 laps, Ward occupying the top spot twice for 60 laps, Hall leading twice for 38 laps and Dudley leading once for two laps.
Nathan Crews Wins 40-Lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division Race
Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia earned his third win in a row, driving away to a 2.682-second win over Eric Winslow of Keeling, Virginia in the 40-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race that was part of Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
Crews started seventh but needed only 11 laps to move into the lead. Once in front, Crews was not seriously challenged as he opened up a comfortable lead and sped to the win.
Zach Peregoy of Clarksville, Virginia finished third and equaled his best finish of the season. Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia and Jason Pittman of Chester, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Johnny Layne Captures Fourth Win Of The Season In The 20-Lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Race
Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia captured his fourth win of the season and his second win in a row Saturday night, edging B.J. Reaves of South Boston, Virginia by .496-second in Saturday night’s 20-lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division race at South Boston Speedway.
Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia, Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia and Kendall Milam of Keeling, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Cameron Goble Takes Win In The 20-Lap Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division Race
Cameron Goble of Ringgold, Virginia started on the pole, led every lap and won Saturday night’s 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division that was part of the Thunder Road 200 at South Boston Speedway.
The win was Goble’s fourth victory of the season.
Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia trailed Goble by .650-second at the finish but his finish was not declared official Saturday night. Landon Milam of Keeling, Virginia, Jordaine Penick of Meherrin, Virginia, and Max Sangillo of Farmville, Virginia followed the top pair across the finish line.
Next Race At South Boston Speedway
NASCAR racing will return to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, July 13, with the Boone Tractor Race Night presented by Billy’s AC Service event. The first race will start at 7 p.m.
The six-race card will be highlighted by twin 65-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division. Twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division will round out the night’s racing action.
The Saturday, July 13 Boone Tractor Race Night presented by Billy’s AC Service event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will run from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:30 p.m. Qualifying is set for 6 p.m., pre-race ceremonies are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and the first race of the night will start at 7 p.m.
Advance tickets for the July 13 Boone Tractor Race Night presented by Billy’s AC Service event are priced at $12 each. Advance tickets may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
Tickets at the gate on race day will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day.
Fans and competitors can find the latest news and updates from South Boston Speedway on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours, and through the track’s social media channels.
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