One thing is certain. Young Kyle Hall has learned how to drive a racecar. He has mastered competing even when the car is not at its peak. Such was the case this past week.

On May 31, the 69 team prepared the First Command Financial/Guardian Pest Control Chevy Monte Carlo for Twin 75s at Southern National Raceway determined to finish among the leaders. After a enjoying a couple of previous wins, Hall and his team were ready to repeat.

Hall was pleased with the way the 69 was handling throughout the 3 practice sessions. Going into qualifying, Hall and his crew weren’t sure just how the car would perform due to the setup changes. During qualifying, Hall performed well and qualified third out of 15 cars.

Hall and the team, waiting for the start of the twin 75 lap races were anxious to compete for the win. At the start of the first race, Hall maintained third while challenging the second place car. However, the day turned sour when a competitor gave Hall a bump going into turn one, sending Halls car up the track and out of the groove.

Hall was able to save the 69 with some great driving, but without the groove, he dropped back to the seventh position. Driving hard, Hall was able to fight his way up to sixth and was trying to make a move around the fifth place car when contact was made, bumping Hall once again back to seventh place.

Showing patience and determination, Hall picked off cars one at a time. With only 5 laps remaining, Hall was in fifth making a run for fourth place. The car in third did a great job of blocking Hall and he finished the race in fourth.

The leader would later be disqualified, giving Hall a third place finish.

Since Hall finished fourth in the first 75 lapper, he would have to start fourth in the second 75 lapper. The team was focused to try and bring the 69 to the front of the pack. However, as soon as Hall took the green, he realized that his motor lacked the power available earlier in the day.

As everyone settled in for the 75 lap feature, Hall sat patiently in fifth and waited. Keeping his cool and driving smart, Hall saved his tires and began to run down the field. With only 20 laps to go, Hall was all over the fourth place cars bumper and quickly made a move to get around him. The chase was on. Hall was determined to get a third place finish. After trying a few different lanes, he made an aggressive move and was able to get around the car to take third.

Then, with only a few laps remaining there was a caution.

When green flag racing resumed, there weren’t enough laps for Hall to take second. Hall and his team were able to show that even with a hurt motor, they could contend for a win.