CORDELE, Ga. — The zMAX CARS Tour’s inaugural appearance at Cordele Motor Speedway on Saturday evening was dominated by Connor Hall and Mini Tyrrell.
Entering the Byron Outdoor Superstore 225 as the only two winners on the 2025 CARS LMSC Tour season, Hall and Tyrrell showcased all the characteristics at Cordele than earned them their early-season triumphs.
The two stalwart competitors stayed within each other’s sightlines all evening, each one refusing to concede any ground.
By the time the checkered flag waved on the 125-lap feature, Hall emerged victorious over Tyrrell for his second LMSC Tour victory in three races. Hall was joined in Cook Out Victory Lane on Saturday evening by Tristan McKee, who survived an eventful PLM Tour race for his fourth career win in the division.
For the opening half of the Byron Outdoor Superstore 225’s Late Model Stock feature, Connor Hall found himself tailing Mini Tyrrell.
Hall could only observe as Tyrrell consistently bested him on restarts by utilizing the top line. Realizing his No. 88 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet could make speed on the same groove, Hall altered his gameplan and gained the upper hand over Tyrrell, earning the distinction as the first CARS LMSC Tour winner at Cordele Motor Speedway.
“I don’t exactly know what clicked, but I guess watching Mini [Tyrrell] drive away from me the [previous] 50 laps made me decide to move up,” Hall said. “I’m really glad we did, because this was a completely different race car when we moved up. It’s super awesome to win the inaugural event here at Cordele. This is a first-class facility.”
Hall is no stranger to excelling at new tracks for the CARS Tour. When the series visited New River All-American Speedway for the first time in 2022, Hall brought home a checkered flag that evening by leading a race-high 58 laps.
Unlike New River, tire conservation was not at the forefront of the strategy Hall and JR Motorsports devised for their maiden voyage to Cordele. With the facility offering multiple grooves for racing, Hall had to be aggressive early to stay up front, especially with Tyrrell being equal with him when it came to overall speed.
Outlasting Tyrrell in unknown territory like Cordele only reinforced the belief Hall has in himself to win an LMSC Tour championship with JR Motorsports. There have been some challenges for Hall in his transition to full-time duties with the team, but he knows the strenuous work is going to pay off with long-term success.
“I’m misunderstood a lot,” Hall said. “I moved away from my hometown, my girlfriend and I live in separate states now, but I’m fully committed to making this work. I’m so thankful to Dale [Earnhardt Jr.], his family, Kelley [Earnhardt] and L.W. Miller for giving me an opportunity to drive this race car. I’m with the best group possible.”
After going nearly four years between CARS LMSC Tour victories, Tyrrell was on the cusp of earning his second in a row on Saturday at Cordele.
Tyrrell’s strong start to the Byron Outdoor Superstore 225 was curtailed by Connor Hall, who took advantage of Tyrrell getting loose in turn two on a restart with 42 laps to go. Although he tried everything feasible to take control of the lead again, Tyrrell ended up settling with a disappointing but solid second place finish.
“We had a ton of speed at the beginning,” Tyrrell said. “I slipped up off turn two on that one restart and that’s when Connor [Hall] took the lead from me. I just couldn’t quite accelerate super hard on the outside out of turn two like I could. It was a combination of the tire going away and just the way [Cordele] is out there.”
Landon Huffman, Landen Lewis and Conner Jones completed the top five.
Pro Late Models
The season-opening CARS PLM Tour feature at New River All-American Speedway ended in disappointment for Tristan McKee, as he finished runner-up to Jade Avedisian after leading 96 of 100 laps.
Determined to shake off the frustrations from New River, McKee showcased speed and composure in the inaugural PLM Tour event at Cordele Motor Speedway. McKee kept his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet out of trouble before making the race-winning pass on Colin Allman with 23 laps remaining.
“I was trying my hardest right there,” McKee said. “We didn’t quite have the best car, but I made use of the top, which came in after that [long run]. I made the pass for second and was kind of riding until the last red flag. My car was really good and this is a group effort, so I’m really thankful.”
McKee needed to exercise patience during a PLM Tour event that lasted nearly two hours. As several strong cars fell out of contention due to various issues, McKee maintained solid track position inside the top five while waiting for a chance to make a run for the lead.
A missed shift from leader Keelan Harvick during the penultimate restart of the night briefly stymied McKee’s momentum, but he gradually worked his way towards the second position behind Allman. Isaac Kitzmiller’s spin bunched the field back up for one more restart, where McKee easily dispatched Allman to pull away with the victory.
Now maintaining an average finish of 1.5 through the first two PLM Tour events, McKee feels confident in his outlook for 2025 with the support of Spire and Matt Piercy at his disposal. If his team builds on their early-season strengths, McKee said trips to Cook Out Victory Lane are going to be a common occurrence.
“I’m glad we got another one,” McKee said. “Whatever happened [at New River] happened, so it feels good to get another one. I definitely expect a lot more. We’re all working hard, so this [win] feels really good.”
