RICHMOND, Va. — On Aug. 10, 2024, Connor Hall experienced one of the coolest moments of his life.
His eyes lit up when asked about it: “I’ve never felt anything like that.”
NASCAR national series drivers often wear cool suits to combat scorching conditions like the heavy, post-tropical storm humidity that accompanied 90-degree temperatures Saturday at Richmond Raceway. Hall, the defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion and one of the best Late Model Stock Car racers in the country, had never experienced the relief of a cool suit. He raved about the feeling in spite of the additional 15 pounds of weight on his body.
One might have a hard time getting Hall to show the same enthusiasm about the fact that a top-10 finish in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut was pretty cool, too.
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Hall, the 27-year-old from nearby Hampton, Virginia, can sometimes present himself as stoic. He’s measured in how he reacts to both accomplishments and failures as a race-car driver.
So the smiles, hugs and fist bumps he delivered after climbing out of his No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet on Saturday night were natural; he was elated to score a 10th-place finish in his first Truck race. Yet Hall balanced that emotion with the feeling that he could have performed better.
“If we ran this race again tomorrow,” he thought, “I could run top five.”
For each point of criticism Hall levied against himself at Richmond, a friend or team member delivered an easy retort.
Hall bristled after mistakes he made on his first two pit stops of the race, miscues that cost his team precious track position on the 0.75-mile oval. “No amount of practice can prepare you for your first live pit stop,” he said. Hall then was reminded that he delivered a perfect stop on the third and final pit sequence of the race, gaining four positions ahead of the event’s final 25 laps.
Said crew chief Darren Fraley on the radio after that stop: “The next time you pit in your career, pit like that.”
Hall regretted communicating so adamantly about the loose nature of his race truck after practice Saturday. He felt the team’s corrections as a result of his feedback led to a tight ride throughout the 250-lap race. He was reminded how his astute communications during the main event allowed the team to make the adjustments that made a top-10 run possible.
Hall reflected on those mistakes with a what-could-have-been attitude. He was reminded that, before Saturday, he had never turned laps in a Truck Series ride — and that he ended the night as the highest finishing rookie.
Late Model Stocks to @NASCAR_Trucks
📈 @connorhallweb pic.twitter.com/3KotaiKptG
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) August 11, 2024
The fact of the matter — one Hall realizes when he reflects on the positives of Saturday night — is that his Truck Series debut could not have gone much better. He ran top-10 average lap times in practice, and he made up for his own error in qualifying during the race, working his way through a field of more experienced competitors after starting 21st.
And yes, during that run, he did allow himself to soak in the moment.
“When Connor Jones and I were racing for 10th and 11th, I was like, ‘I’m racing a truck right now,'” Hall said. “I know that sounds really cliché; I sound like a race fan. All of the sudden I was like, ‘I’m in the middle of this. I’m running pretty decent. And if I can make it a couple more spots, I’ll be right outside the top five.'”
Mentally, Hall spent the rest of his time in the truck on Saturday night learning. After each caution flag waved, he was quick to begin asking his team questions.
How can I do better on the restart? What can I do differently to make that pass? What’s the best way to attack pit road if we have to stop under green-flag conditions? Is it normal to feel these vibrations when braking? What’s the ideal engine temperature?
The inquiries were no surprise to those who know Hall. His attention to detail is part of the reason he’s a national champion Late Model driver who’s again first in Division I points this year.
He’s hoping his meticulous nature will mesh with his motivation to make NASCAR racing his long-term career — plus some support from sponsors — to land him a full-time ride in a national series in 2025 and/or beyond.
If nothing else, on Saturday, he proved to himself he belongs on such a stage. That message was reinforced by the likes of stock-car racing great Chad Bryant, a friend and mentor of Hall who was the first to greet the driver when he climbed out of his truck at Richmond.
Many others, including team co-owner Bill McAnally, congratulated Hall with enthusiasm strong enough for the driver to momentarily focus on what he had just accomplished.
On a hot day and night in Richmond, for Hall, that was pretty cool.
