JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — JR Motorsports has grown accustomed to starting each zMAX CARS Tour season in Cook Out Victory Lane.
Two of the last three season-openers featured Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s iconic No. 8 taking home the checkered flag. Carson Kvapil was the driver on both occasions, but Saturday’s opening race for the CARS LMSC Tour required JR Motorsports to keep the status quo in place at the third different venue with a new driver.
Connor Hall faced minimal issues in helping JR Motorsports continue setting that efficient benchmark in Saturday’s National Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram 225 at New River All American Speedway. A near-flawless performance from Hall enabled him to prevail in his debut LMSC Tour race with the storied organization.
Joining Hall in Cook Out Victory Lane was Jade Avedisian, who made history as the first woman to win a CARS Tour event since the series’ inception back in 2015. Avedisian achieved the historic milestone after the original CARS PLM Tour winner T.J. DeCaire was disqualified due to an infraction in post-race inspection.
New River All American Speedway was the site of Hall’s first CARS LMSC Tour triumph back in 2022.
A lot has transpired for Hall since that maiden victory, but he found himself back in New River’s Victory Lane on Saturday, this time piloting a JR Motorsports car. The closing laps of the race created some apprehension for Hall, but he was more than thrilled to kick off a potential championship run on a perfect note.
“I would have liked to see it go green,” Hall said. “I knew Bobby [McCarty] had a real good short run car, but I didn’t know what those guys [behind me] were going to do. The racing on the tour this year is a whole different ballgame as far as the respect level, but I’m just pumped and I’m excited to get the year going with these guys.”
Hall already had a victory with JR Motorsports on his resume prior to making the trip to New River. He made his debut with the organization during the Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway last November, where he fended off Landon S. Huffman in a thrilling battle to the checkered flag.
Saturday was slightly more procedural for Hall, who had to be conservative with his tires while simultaneously maintaining soldi track position from the pole. Despite facing challenges from Bobby McCarty, Kade Brown and others, Hall’s composure never wavered, even when he was required to hold his advantage on a late restart.
With how delicate tire conservation can be at abrasive tracks like New River, Hall knew his car would have to be perfect to stay in contention all evening. If he and JR Motorsports can continue putting together strong outings just like they did on Saturday, Hall believes the LMSC Tour championship will run through them.
“After what I saw in the [PLM Tour] race, I thought track position here was so crucial,” Hall said. “The exit of the corners are so sharp that the guy on top can pinch the guy on the bottom down so bad, but I can’t say enough about this car. There’s a lot more that goes into this program than people realize and I’m thankful to be a small part of it.”
