HAMPTON, Va. – Friday afternoon at Langley Speedway provided Late Model Stock teams nearly five hours to shake down their cars before tackling the second leg of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown: Saturday's prestigious Hampton Heat.
Although the marquee event is known for its extreme summer temperatures, the extended practice was unseasonably cool, with the high only reaching 78 degrees Fahrenheit. That trend is expected to continue into tomorrow evening’s 200-lap Late Model Stock feature, so race conditions will not be much different from what teams experienced Friday.
More than 30 drivers took time during the session, with the entry list consisting of numerous Langley regulars going up against the heavyweights of the Late Model Stock discipline. While the local heroes look to claim their track’s biggest prize, others look to use Saturday to build momentum in their pursuit for the Virginia Triple Crown.
Below are some key storylines following Friday’s on-track activity heading into Saturday's Hampton Heat.
[caption id="attachment_520073" align="alignnone" width="2499"]Connor Hall sets fastest lap on Friday, eager to earn second Hampton Heat win
For all the accolades Connor Hall has earned at Langley over the years, he only has one Hampton Heat triumph on his resumé, which occurred in 2019.
Hall won that race with the blue No. 77 Toyota he affectionately calls "Smurf," the same car he brought to the Hampton Heat this weekend. With nine victories at Langley this year, Hall believes he can back up setting the quickest time in Friday practice and finally earn another Hampton Heat win if he stays ahead of everyone else on strategy.
“I think our car has been super competitive this year,” Hall said. “We’ve been super close with the three seconds in a row and four seconds since we won. We obviously understand what it takes to run up front, but there’s so many more factors to win this race than a [local] 50-lapper. There’s so much more chess match to the evening.
“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, maybe alter a thing or two, and be one spot better.”
[caption id="attachment_520072" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Matt Waltz ready to defend last year’s Hampton Heat victory
Entering the Hampton Heat as the event’s most recent winner put Matt Waltz’ mind at ease while making laps around Langley on Friday.
Despite this, Waltz came away from the afternoon searching for more speed after placing 24th on the running order. The results have been mixed for Waltz across the handful of starts he has made in a Late Model Stock this year, but the 2017 Langley track champion remains optimistic he will be fast enough to defend his Hampton Heat checkered flag.
“The last race here at Langley we ran, we ended up second to Connor [Hall], so that was a little positive,” Waltz said. “We haven’t had the speed, and we’ve been trying to go through this thing as hard as we can to find out what we’re looking for. We’re trying to get it to where it’s comfortable, fast and something I can last 200 laps with.”
[caption id="attachment_520071" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Brenden Queen chasing Hampton Heat history
One driver was noticeably absent from Friday’s Hampton Heat practice session at Langley: Brenden Queen.
The three-time Hampton Heat winner was occupied with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park the same evening. While Queen was in Indianapolis, eight-time Langley track champion Greg Edwards turned laps in his No. 03 Dodge, all while getting his own car dialed in for tomorrow’s race.
When Queen does arrive at Langley, he will be pursuing a pivotal milestone in the crown jewel race. A victory Saturday night will put Queen atop the Hampton Heat all-time wins list with four, breaking a tie he has held with C.E. Falk III since 2024.
[caption id="attachment_520068" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Lee Pulliam looks to shake off poor start to Virginia Triple Crown
The last time Lee Pulliam attempted the Hampton Heat at Langley was back in 2019, when he finished sixth after leading 36 laps.
A past Hampton Heat winner in 2015, Pulliam enjoyed a decent practice session on Friday after placing 13th of 32 cars in his No. 8 NASCAR Channel Chevrolet. Despite this, Pulliam has faith in his JR Motorsports crew to get the car to his liking for the 200-lap feature so he can properly rebound from an early crash at South Boston Speedway.
“To have the honor to be able to drive for JR Motorsports and do it at such a prestigious event is something I don’t take for granted,” Pulliam said. “I’ve run two Hampton Heats and had a shot to win both of them, but there’s a lot of cool memories here over the years. A special place and a special team to drive for.”
[caption id="attachment_520067" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Trevor Ward looks to solidify Virginia Triple Crown points lead
With Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winner Kaden Honeycutt not participating in this year’s Hampton Heat, Trevor Ward enters Saturday evening as the driver highest in the Virginia Triple Crown points.
Ward surprised many when he won both the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway and the Virginia Triple Crown in 2023, two milestones he looks to claim again this year. Although Langley is not a track he regularly competes at, Ward is determined to add a Hampton Heat victory to his list of short track accomplishments.
“We’ve been [to Langley] four times total and had two top 10s out of the four,” Ward said. “We’ve got a new car we’re bringing out for this race that hasn’t had a lap on it. Obviously, it’s a little nerve-wracking because we want to keep these points going for the Triple Crown and top it off at Martinsville.”
[caption id="attachment_520066" align="alignnone" width="2560"]Langley points leader Woody Howard starts weekend on strong note
It has been 17 years since Woody Howard won his lone Hampton Heat at Langley to date, yet the veteran racer showed on Friday he is more than capable of earning another one.
Howard, who currently holds a 13-point lead in Langley’s track standings, only trailed Connor Hall in practice times on Friday afternoon. The last thing Howard wants is to follow Hall across the start-finish line in Saturday’s 200-lap feature, but that is only fueling his motivation towards becoming only the third driver to win the Hampton Heat multiple times.
“It’s probably an advantage for us that we race [at Langley] on a regular basis,” Howard said. “We’ve been trying to chase Connor [Hall] every week and we’re working hard to catch him. I feel like we’re in a good place. [The Hampton Heat] is as tough as it’s ever been, but if we pull off a win Saturday, it would be right up at the top of my list for wins in late model racing.”