Connor Hall regained his vise-like grip on Langley Speedway’s Late Model Division on Saturday night, winning two more 50-lap races in his hometown of Hampton.
Two weeks prior, Hall’s 11-race victory streak — including 10 Langley Late Model 50-lappers in a row — ended as Brenden “Butterbean” Queen won the track’s most prestigious annual race, the Hampton Heat 200. But Saturday, with Queen not in the field of 17, Hall regained the upper hand.
He zoomed to victory in the 50-lap opener, outpacing Greg Edwards by 0.962 of a second in a race that lasted less than 19 minutes.
Ryan Matthews was a distant third, 7.036 seconds behind Hall, who began the night 31 points ahead of second-place Edwards.
In the encore, which took 14:17, Hall moved up to edge Zach Bruenger by 244-thousandths of a second. Edwards was a distant third, 6.245 seconds behind.
Saturday’s second twin race expanded Hall’s already massive points lead in a season that began with him saying he wasn’t planning to compete for the championship.
In other divisions:
Legends: Devon Courtney won a 25-lap thriller by 99-thousandths of a second over Tommy Jackson, who entered the night with a 17-point season lead. Courtney began the evening sixth in points, 37 behind Courtney.
Colby Flowers was third in the field of 14 as the 25-lap race took just more than 11 minutes and 10 seconds.
Grand Stock: Bill Eaker slipped past Tim Wilson by a mere 64-thousandths of a second for a triumph, and third-running Paul Lubno was just 108-thousandths behind Eaker on the 30th and final lap.
Wilson and Lubno began the night tied for the standings lead, but Eaker — eight points behind them before the green flag — gained his first victory of the year. Nine drivers began a clash that took less than 16:42 to decide.
Super Street: Sammy Gaita captured a 40-lap victory, outpacing Landon Abbott by 0.377 of a second in a race that took up almost 13 minutes. Jimmy Adkins was in third place, 937-thousandths behind the winner in a field of 14 competitors.
Points leader Gordon Weeks III placed seventh, while his nearest pursuer, Dale Nichols, was fifth. Gaita took the green flag third in the standings but gained his division-leading fifth win of the year.
UCAR: Christian Keller won a 25-lap race by 0.738 of a second over Charlie Bryant to garner his third triumph of the season.
Tyler Borden took third in an event that included 12 drivers and lasted more than 23:37.
Points leader Hayden Sheldon placed seventh, enabling Bryant to close what had been a nine-point gap entering the race.
Pro Six: Just seven drivers competed for 25 laps, and Travis Wall continued his 2023 dominance with a 1.320-second triumph over Atley Wiese. Trey New placed third, 2.379 seconds off the lead.
Wall has won five of the six races in the class this year, though Wiese began the program just three points behind him.
Bandolero: Brian Rundstrom Jr. prevailed in a race that lasted 17 laps, two beyond the scheduled distance, and took more than 20 minutes.
Coming into the evening with a 16-point lead, he beat runner-up Bryson Nichols by 329-thousandths of a second and third-place Tristan Burnelli by 0.849. It was Rundstrom’s sixth victory in the division’s seven races of 2023.
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Saturday’s leaders in Hampton, with car numbers in parentheses.
Late Model 50 #1: (18 starters); 1. (77) Connor Hall; 2. (21) Greg Edwards; 3. (51) Ryan Matthews; 4. (29b) Chase Burrow; 5. (41) Woody Howard.
Late Model 50 #2: (17 starters); 1. (77) Connor Hall; 2. (24) Zach Bruenger; 3. (21) Greg Edwards; 4. (91) Justin Carroll; 5. (26) Danny Edwards.
Pro Six 25: (7 starters); 1. (44) Travis Wall; 2. (78) Atley Wiese; 3. (55) Trey New; 4. (39) Jaxon Bone; 5. (67) Chris Bechtel.
Legends 25: (14 starters); 1. (17) Devon Courtney; 2. (87) Tommy Jackson; 3. (33) Colby Flowers; 4. (11) Cody Carlton; 5. (5b) Charlie Beals.
Super Street 40: (14 starters); 1. (21) Sammy Gaita; 2. (70) Landon Abbott; 3. (71) Jimmy Adkins; 4. (44) Colby Vance; 5. (8) Dale Nichols.
UCAR 25: (12 starters); 1. (6) Christian Keller; 2. (88) Charlie Bryant; 3. (36) Tyler Borden; 4. (99) Crystal West; 5. (18) Brent Burgess.
Grand Stock 30: (9 starters); 1. (29) Bill Eaker; 2. (17) Tim Wilson; 3. (14) Paul Lubno; 4. (22) Mike Parker; 5. (8) Ethan Hartman.
Bandolero 15: (10 starters); 1. (88) Brian Rundstrom Jr.; 2. (80) Bryson Nichols; 3. (18) Tristan Burnelli; 4. (99) Ryleigh Rondeau; 5. (38) Penelope Carlisle.
