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Kyle Hall Battles Adversity For Fifth-Place Finish At Old Dominion
For many drivers in 2007, Mother Nature has been their arch-nemesis, raining out racing events across the country. She has not been kind to many, including 16-year-old Kyle Hall. He has been trying to gain experience in his Late Model Stock Car this season, only to have race after race rained out. Going into Saturday’s 250-lap event at Old Dominion Speedway, Hall has only been able to compete in a single 100-lap race due to the weather complications. With 150 laps more than he has ever run, Hall used his racing skill and a positive mindset to wheel his Late Model Stock Car to a fifth-place finish.
“I was kind of nervous because I hadn’t driven the car in a while,” said Hall. “I was mostly worried about getting tired, since it was a long race. I was hoping to run the last few races to get used to the car and get stronger. To go straight from the 100-lap race right to the 250-lap race was big. We are not fully experienced with the car. I was a bit intimidated.”
The racing weekend didn’t start off the way Hall and the team wanted it to. When they unloaded to practice and qualify, the car didn’t quite react the way he wanted it to.
“Practice wasn’t the greatest,” explained Hall. “We just couldn’t get the car fast. I was nervous, because in the 100-lap race we had the car pretty decent. I didn’t know what happened to the car.
“We went out to qualify and we timed in 19th out of about 22 cars. I had no idea what was going on. So, we decided to go completely over the car again. We found some major problems with the car that we had to fix. The team said it would be like driving a brand new car. It helped boost my confidence, since we were so far off I thought it might have been the driver and not the car.”
When the race started, Hall quickly felt the changes in the car as he worked his way around traffic.
“It was evident the car was a whole lot better. It didn’t even feel like the same car. Coming out of four I was getting good runs and passing cars. Most of the time I was passing cars on the exit of the turn, but I was also able to pass going into the corner.
“Everyone was taking it pretty calm for the first 125 laps, including myself. I was only running about three-quarters throttle. Once I got up to a certain point, I decided to follow a few guys that were saving their tires.”
At the one-third point in the race, Hall had raced his way up into the top-five. Unfortunately, disaster struck twice throughout the event that jeopardized his chances for a solid finish.
“The one thing I could have done better is save my tires a little bit more in the first 125 laps of the race. My spotter, Dickie Boswell, kept telling me to save my tires. I was trying to do that, but even without pushing it hard I was passing cars and pulling away. I learned a bunch of stuff, though.
“I was really tired after the race. This coming weekend is a 75-lap race, so it should be a bit easier on me.”
Kyle Hall will return to Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, VA, for the 75-lap Late Model Stock Car race on Saturday, April 28th.
“Around lap 80, I was fourth and was trying to pass for third. I was up to the driver’s door panel going into the turn. I am not sure if his spotter didn’t say anything or what, because he came down on me and took us both out. I was able to come back up through the field and was sixth at the halfway point.
“Later in the race, a car that was trying to pass me hit the dip between turns one and two and shoved up the track a little, hitting me. I spun out again and backed into the wall. The car wasn’t too bad. It messed up some of the adjustments on the shocks and really affected the down force. So, I had to start from the back again and work my way back up. By the end of the race I had made it back up to the top five.”
With a large Virginia Tech logo on the hood of his racecar to honor those that lost their lives in the tragedy of last week, Hall completed his longest race with sheer determination and skill, finishing in the fifth position.
Hall carried the Virginia Tech logo on his hood as a tribute.
