Hall’s 6.802-second run at 199.70 mph on his American Rebel Light/Matt Smith Racing Buell gave him his second win of the season and the fourth of his career, moving him into a tie for second in the points standings. It was also his first victory at Maple Grove, a timely breakthrough with only five playoff races left.
The Connecticut rider built momentum all day with a mix of poise and execution. After dispatching Kelly Clontz in the opening round, he sent a jolt through the class by knocking off two-time defending champion Gaige Herrera in the quarterfinals. He followed with a win against rookie Brayden Davis to reach the final, where he left first and pulled away as Smith encountered issues. The victory solidified Hall as one of the contenders for the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series title.
“They’re all special for me,” Hall said. “To do it in the Countdown, it’s great because there’s six races in the Countdown. You got to bring your A-game. We had a new tire on there that wasn’t working for us. We put the old tire back on, which worked out. We went four 80s in a row. The track was great. Thank you to the Koretsky family. Great track. And MSR, it’s great that they gave me this opportunity. Matt and Angie Smith gave me an opportunity to come out here and compete probably in the later stages of my career, and I’m just thankful for everything.”
Hall said his approach is rooted in perspective. “I really don’t get flustered and crazy,” he said. “I just keep thinking there’s way worse things I could be doing on a Sunday afternoon than possibly losing in a final in a national event on a Pro Stock Motorcycle. I keep pretty calm. It’s going to be what it’s going to be, go out there and do your job.”
The win marked Hall’s second in three months, following Norwalk in June, and showcased the turnaround in his career after going more than a decade without a victory. “We absolutely have a shot to win more,” Hall said. “We have the performance, we have the horsepower. Matt and Angie Smith are constantly working on this. It’s going to get better. It’s going to get faster. I wasn’t racing full-time during those years off, but now I’m so thankful for this at my age to be able to come out here.”
Smith’s runner-up finish was enough to move him into the points lead, his fourth final of the season and 85th of his career. He leads Herrera and Hall by just six points, with Richard Gadson only nine points back in fourth. The tight margin ensures the Countdown will remain wide open, though Hall insisted he won’t obsess over the standings. “I’m definitely not thinking that far ahead,” he said. “It’s race by race, and if the points add up in the end, they add up in the end. I’m not going to get caught up in who’s where and who’s doing what. We’re just going to take it race by race.”
Hall acknowledged he struggled at the U.S. Nationals but considered Maple Grove redemption. “In Indy, I just wasn’t myself, so I feel like I redeemed myself,” he said. “I felt like I did a terrible job at Indy. And I came out here and proved that I could do it. We won two this year, so it wasn’t a fluke. It was just consistency. I was comfortable all day, probably more comfortable today than I have been all weekend, and it showed.”
Looking ahead, Hall said Charlotte’s Four-Wide Nationals will bring another challenge. His current tire has been a reliable weapon, but it is near the end of its life. “Unfortunately, I think my tire is going to have to go into the Hall of Fame,” Hall said. “It has a lot of laps on it. We have a new tire that we tried and it just didn’t come around. I don’t want to let that tire go. I might take it off the bike and take it back to Connecticut with me, so nobody touches it. We’re going to try the new tire again in qualifying. Hopefully it comes around, because like Angie told me, I’ve got to let it go someday.”
