HAMPTON, VA. – After being away from the zMAX CARS Tour for the first five races of the 2026 season, Connor Hall’s return to the platform at his home track of Langley Speedway went about as efficiently as it could.
The 2023 Late Model Stock champion at Langley, Hall brought out his iconic blue Toyota for the Visit Hampton Virginia 125 that had visited Victory Lane at the track numerous times over the years. One noticeable difference on Hall’s car was the number, as he utilized the No. 12 instead of his usual No. 77 as part of a collaborative effort with Nelson Motorsports.
Hall had to endure challenges from polesitter Doug Barnes Jr. and eventually Landen Lewis on Saturday evening before taking control of the 125-lap feature. Several late cautions brought Lewis back into the equation and made fuel a concern, but Hall withstood the pressure and ended up celebrating another win in front of the local Langley crowd.
Regarding the CARS Tour, Hall’s triumph was his eighth in the Late Model Stock division, moving him solely into fifth on the all-time wins list and ahead of his long-time Langley rival Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen. Three of those checkered flags for Hall have occurred at Langley, with two of them being under the Nelson Motorsports banner.
Connor Hall remains stellar at Langley
Despite not racing as much compared to last year, Connor Hall still finds himself occupied with Late Model Stocks by overseeing Niece Motorsports’ burgeoning program.
Hall has embraced being a mentor to the younger competitors in Niece’s stable but admitted he was eagerly anticipating the chance to race in the CARS LMSC Tour this weekend. Prevailing at Langley was cathartic for Hall in many ways, especially since he got to provide the young core of Niece drivers a hands-on demonstration of his talent and experience.
“I’m tired of all these young kids in the race shop at Niece calling me unc,” Hall said. “I had to come show them unc’s still got it a bit. I race with such a great group of guys. [It’s great being] teammates with Landen [Lewis], Parker [Eatmon] and a bunch of these other guys out here. To be able to come out on off weekends and play together, it’s super fun.”
Prior to the Visit Hampton Virginia 125, Hall had shaken off some rust in the same blue Toyota he affectionately calls ‘Smurf’. The four local Late Model Stock events held at Langley during the month of May all ended with Hall parking ‘Smurf’ in the track’s Victory Lane.
Reactions to those victories were mixed from the Langley crowd, as Hall’s adventures at the facility during this career had garnered him plenty of admirers but also detractors. Yet the efficiency Hall displayed in Langley’s local class and later the LMSC Tour was crucial towards him earning his current opportunity with Niece.
The cheers for Hall were noticeably louder as he climbed out of ‘Smurf’ in Cook Out Victory Lane on Saturday night. Hall has appreciated everything Langley has offered over the years, from the fan reception to his duels with Queen, and was grateful to add another chapter to his storied legacy there against the best in the LMSC Tour.
“It’s like anything in life, you’re always going to have people that doubt you and you have people who support other drivers, it is what it is,” Hall said. “You’re going to see it at [the Hampton Heat], there’s plenty of [Butterbean] fans out here. I understand. It’s part of the rivalry and it makes short track racing great.
“I think people are starting to realize I’m just a good ol’ boy who wants to do some CARS [Tour] racing. I just want to win races and drink a little beer after.”
Strong start to 2026 continues for Landen Lewis
The onslaught of yellow flags in the closing stages of the Visit Hampton Virginia 125 kept giving Landen Lewis plenty of chances to usurp Connor Hall for the lead.
Lewis had led earlier in the evening but was unable to match the pace of Hall, who settled into a comfortable rhythm out front. Not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, Lewis raced Hall aggressively but respectfully, which ultimately ended with him earning a solid points night in the runner-up position.
“At the end of the day, I didn’t want to be that guy to wreck [Hall],” Lewis said. “I’m starting to mature at my old age where I’m tired of fixing race cars. [I’m thankful for] everyone that helps us out on my opportunity with Kevin Harvick Inc. I want to thank Kevin and DeLana [Harvick] for everything they do for me.”
Saturday’s outing at Langley was far more satisfying for Lewis compared to his trip there in 2025. Lewis managed to lead a race-high 53 laps that night, but his race came to a premature end shortly after the halfway point due to a mechanical failure, which was one of the few low points during Lewis’ championship campaign.
Lewis currently finds himself in an unorthodox position to defend his LMSC Tour title. He missed the season-opening event at Southern National Motorsports Park due to a conflict with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, but he entered Langley fifth in the LMSC Tour standings with four top fives in four starts
With other Truck Series starts expected to overlap the LMSC Tour schedule, Lewis intends to keep knocking down efficient results and stay within striking distance of the championship lead. By continuing his streak of top fives at Langley, Lewis will erase some of his points deficit, but more victories will be imperative going forward.
For now, Lewis finds himself content with second and that both his and Hall’s car stayed intact during their fight to the finish. Given that he and Hall are both employed at Niece Motorsports, Lewis wanted to build respect with his teammate as they embark on their own respective paths into NASCAR.
Caden Kvapil maintains points lead with third place finish
Although qualifying has not been a strength of Caden Kvapil and JR Motorsports in 2026, they continue to excel in race conditions.
Kvapil was tasked with climbing from the 15th starting position in Saturday’s Visit Hampton Virginia 125, only to find himself in third at the end of the night. Despite this, Kvapil believed he could have performed better in his first trip to Langley Speedway but was more than satisfied to come home with a solid points night.
“All night, we just kind of struggled with the car,” Kvapil said. “We got up to the top five and were content with where we were at. That last long run, I thought we were going to go to the checkered and I was going to be fine with it. A lot of chaos at the end, but luckily, we were able to stay out of it for the most part.”
The only race Kvapil has qualified inside the top 10 for this year was at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, a race he won from third. Poor qualifying has not been a detriment to Kvapil this year, as he prevailed in the season-opener at Southern National Motorsports Park after starting in 29th.
Staying consistent in the face of adversity is why Kvapil continues to build on his advantage in the CARS LMSC Tour standings. There were a couple close calls for Kvapil as he charged towards the front on Saturday, but by avoiding trouble, he heads into the summer with three consecutive third place showings and only one finish outside the top five.
Finding a long-term solution to qualifying remains a missing piece towards a championship run for Kvapil that looks more promising with each week. Kvapil is not worrying himself too much about the qualifying woes, as the first six races have proven he and JR Motorsports will be capable of winning races no matter where they start.
“We were able to stay with the front two [of Hall and Lewis], but I think they were in a class of their own the whole night,” Kvapil said. “The car really came to life the last two or so restarts. Definitely not the night we were looking for. Obviously, a third’s not bad. I’m a little disappointed, but I guess it’s good to be mad at third.”
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The zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour is staying in the Commonwealth of Virginia for their next event, which will be the Mini’s Mission 125 presented by W.G. Speeks at Dominion Raceway on June 13. FloRacing will have live coverage of all the on-track action.
For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter) and scrolling through photos on Instagram at cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC at 704-662-9212.
LMSC results:
- 12 Connor Hall
- 29 Landen Lewis
- 88 Caden Kvapil
- 5B Carson Brown
- 77 Treyten Lapcevich
- 22 Carson Loftin
- 4 Parker Eatmon
- 51 Donovan Strauss
- 5 Chase Burrow
- 71 Jake Bollman
- 22B Chase Burgeson
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 15 Jace Hale
- 2W Matthew Waltz
- 44 Conner Jones
- 7 Aiden King
- 9 Ayden Millette
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 2 Brandon Pierce
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr.
- 77H Landon S. Huffman – OUT
- 95 London McKenzie – OUT
- 05 Mason Bailey – OUT
- 41 Ryan Matthews – OUT
- 16C Trey Crews – OUT
- 62 Derek Kraus – OUT
- 4G Matt Gould – OUT
- 47 Ryley Music – OUT
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. – OUT
- 42 Chris Horton Jr. – OUT
