The Virginia Triple Crown is a prestigious award in Late Model Stock Car Racing. Each season, the title goes to the driver with the best combined average finish across three races: one at South Boston Speedway, another at Langley Speedway, and the finale at Martinsville Speedway. On Saturday, September 27, Connor Hall claimed his throne as the 2025 Triple Crown Champion, taking home not just the trophy but also the $20,000 prize purse.
But who is Connor Hall, and how did a kid from Hampton find himself racing under the Earnhardt family name at JR Motorsports?
Growing up, Hall was a “ball sports guy.” He played soccer, baseball, and lacrosse. Being from the Hampton Roads area, the water has always been a large part of his life. “I grew up fishing a lot; my dad and mom came from the boat business so that part was pretty much a given,” Hall said.
Although coming from “the boat business” may be a bit of an understatement. Hall’s father, Earle, enjoyed a 30-year career in powerboat racing. And a very successful one at that. In a span of three years, he and his partner won seven world and national titles in Unlimited Hydroplanes.
Unlimited Hydroplane racing is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve never seen one of these sci-fi-looking watercraft, imagine a big jet ski, crossed with an airplane that throws water 60 feet in the air in its wake.
Naturally, Hall’s dad wanted him to continue the family legacy in boat racing, but something else was steering him towards automobiles. In Hall’s words, “My mom is from Hickory, North Carolina, so she grew up around car racing a bunch,” he explained, “[she] figured that karting would be safer than boat racing.” And as mothers usually are, Mrs. Hall was right. “You know, boat racing, at the level my dad was at… you witness a lot of deaths and injuries, so I think, you know, she was happier to see me on the four tires side of things rather than water and propellers.”
When Hall was eight years old, he woke up on Christmas morning and found a go-kart waiting for him under the tree. That spring he started competing with the Langley Kart Club, which led to Arena Racing at the Hampton Coliseum. After graduating from his kart, Hall spent a year and a half in a Legends Car before the Hall family sold everything and bought a Late Model Stock Car.
Hall made a name for himself in Hampton Roads, competing almost exclusively at Langley Speedway for about six years. He told me that he had “aspirations of wanting to go further and beyond,” but was limited by situational factors at the time. With those aspirations in mind, the Hall family decided to take the show on the road and start racing at other tracks, eventually joining the CARS Tour. He called that decision “the defining moment” in his racing career. It exposed him to new and influential people who had the resources to help him buck those limiting factors that had been holding him back.
That’s where Chad Bryant entered the picture. Bryant, a crew chief in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series, had recently purchased the Cunningham Motorsports ARCA team from the man himself, Briggs Cunningham. After meeting Hall sometime around 2019, Bryant offered Hall a seat in his ARCA car at Daytona International Speedway.
Hall had been to Daytona as a kid to watch races, but he had never actually driven there before. He finished 11th in the 2019 Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona, and after that, it was off to the races—both literally and figuratively.
Cut to the 2024 Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway: Hall found himself standing on pit road once again, but this time was different. This time, he stood there as a NASCAR Regional Series National Champion, a Daytona finisher, and a one-time NASCAR Truck Series competitor. Oh, and standing next to him is Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hall was racing for Autos by Nelson at the time, whom he planned to continue racing with into 2025. Autos by Nelson was a well-funded team that had helped Hall push his career forward, but he couldn’t have imagined the shove his career was about to get. In the long and anxious period between practice and qualifying, Dale Jr. and Hall got to talking. “After chatting with him for a couple minutes he kind of insinuated that there was maybe a chance for an opening in 2025, and then long story short I ended up driving down to Charlotte… and that’s when they offered me the job.”
Now, Hall works full-time at JR Motorsports as the driver of the No. 88 Bass Pro Shops Late Model Stock Car.
I asked Hall, “So that’s like the dream come true then?”
“Yeah, I would say so,” he earnestly replied.
As you can imagine, racing for JR Motorsports is different than racing for a team where your dad helps you put gas in the car. I asked Hall what was different about JR Motorsports, “Well one: the level of professionalism,” he told me, “And I’d say two: probably just the environment, you know obviously, to get to work for a group of that capacity is pretty cool.”
If you don’t know, race car drivers tend to be pretty superstitious people. There are unwritten rules in racing—things you just don’t do because they’re bad luck. You don’t eat peanuts on race day, you don’t carry fifty-dollar bills, and you most definitely do not wear green. Hall, though, says he’s gotten less superstitious as he’s found more success. “If you prepare properly and execute properly that’s where you find success—not making sure you’re wearing the right color shirt.”
Not many people see something through as long as Hall has, and those who do don’t often remain so humble. “This is my life rather than a part of my life,” said Hall. Aware of how cliché that may sound, he added, “I’ve just always kind of felt like I was meant to be a racer.”
Print Version
The Virginia Triple Crown is a prestigious award in Late Model Stock Car Racing. Each season, the title goes to the driver with the best combined average finish across three races: one at South Boston Speedway, another at Langley Speedway and the finale at Martinsville Speedway. On Saturday, Sept. 27, Hall claimed his throne as the 2025 Triple Crown Champion, taking home not just the trophy but also the $20,000 prize purse.
But who is Hall, and how did a kid from Hampton find himself racing under the Earnhardt family name at JR Motorsports?
Growing up, Hall was a “ball sports guy.” He played soccer, baseball, and lacrosse. Being from the Hampton Roads area, the water has always been a large part of his life.
Hall’s father, Earle, enjoyed a 30-year career in powerboat racing. And a very successful one, with him and his partner winning seven world and national titles. Naturally, Hall’s dad wanted him to continue the family legacy in boat racing, but he was steered towards automobiles.
“My mom is from Hickory, North Carolina, so she grew up around car racing a bunch,” he explained, “[she] figured that karting would be safer than boat racing.”
When Hall was eight, he started competing with the Langley Kart Club, which led to Arena Racing at the Hampton Coliseum. After graduating from his kart, Hall spent a year and a half in a Legends Car before the Hall family sold everything and bought a Late Model Stock Car.
Hall made a name for himself in Hampton Roads, competing almost exclusively at Langley Speedway for about six years. He told me that he had “aspirations of wanting to go further and beyond,” but was limited by situational factors at the time. With those aspirations in mind, the Hall family decided to take the show on the road and start racing at other tracks, eventually joining the CARS Tour. He called that decision “the defining moment” in his racing career. It exposed him to new and influential people who had the resources to help him buck those limiting factors that had been holding him back.
That’s where Chad Bryant entered the picture. Bryant, a crew chief in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series, had recently purchased the Cunningham Motorsports ARCA team from the man himself, Briggs Cunningham. After meeting Hall sometime around 2019, Bryant offered Hall a seat in his ARCA car at Daytona International Speedway.
Hall had been to Daytona as a kid to watch races, but he had never actually driven there before. He finished 11th in the 2019 Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona, and after that, it was off to the races—both literally and figuratively.
Cut to the 2024 Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway: Hall found himself standing on pit road once again, but this time was different. This time, he stood there as a NASCAR Regional Series National Champion, a Daytona finisher, and a one-time NASCAR Truck Series competitor. Oh, and standing next to him is Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In the long and anxious period between practice and qualifying, Dale Jr. and Hall got to talking. “After chatting with him for a couple minutes he kind of insinuated that there was maybe a chance for an opening in 2025, and then long story short I ended up driving down to Charlotte… and that’s when they offered me the job.”
Now, Hall works full-time at JR Motorsports as the driver of the No. 88 Bass Pro Shops Late Model Stock Car.
I asked, “So that’s like the dream come true then?”
“Yeah, I would say so,” he earnestly replied.
As you can imagine, racing for JR Motorsports is different than racing for a team where your dad helps you put gas in the car. I asked Hall what was different about JR Motorsports, “Well one: the level of professionalism,” he told me, “And I’d say two: probably just the environment, you know obviously, to get to work for a group of that capacity is pretty cool.”
Not many people see something through as long as Hall has, and those who do don’t often remain so humble. “This is my life rather than a part of my life,” said Hall. Aware of how cliché that may sound, he added, “I’ve just always kind of felt like I was meant to be a racer.”
