JACKSONVILLE, NC – When Nathan Hall began racing in the Bomber division last season, he never expected to be atop the national points standings in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
Heading into Saturday night’s School’s Out Shootout, which features twin races for the Swansboro Liquidations Bomber division, Hall finds himself leading the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division IV National (and Southeast Regional) standings. Now, Hall is motivated to keep the momentum going, win races, and clinch the national title.
“It’s really surreal,” Hall said. “I’m just glad the Bombers are starting to get the recognition we deserve and I thank Anthony and Tonya Goodyear for making it that way for us. When my wife (Amber) told me I was leading the national standings, I didn’t believe her at first. I said, ‘No way in hell.’ But then, it made me get together to try to force myself to stay in first place.”
Hall, 34, was originally from Indiana. After joining the United States Marine Corps, where he ended up achieving the rank of Sergeant before retiring in 2015, he moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina. While he had raced some on dirt tracks in Indiana, his motivation to go racing came after attending a Bomber race at New River All-American Speedway.
“I grew up watching dirt track racing and doing Demolition Derbies and a couple of races on dirt,” Hall commented. “I was away from it for 10-15 years. I went to go watch a race at Carteret, it got rained out, I came to New River, watched the Bomber class, and said I could probably build one. The next week I was building a car and it’s been green flag ever since.”
By virtue of his two wins on the season, Hall currently leads Atlantic, Iowa driver Adam Hensel, who races regularly at Adams County Speedway in Iowa, by just six points – and Hall has no plans to relinquish the top spot.
“Being able to get recognized with this only being my first full season would be a dream come true,” Hall stated. “It would prove I can do what I set out to do with a $600 car and prove you don’t need to make a million dollars to be a racecar driver.”
Hall’s first career win came on Saturday, March 4, 2023, during one of the preliminary features prior to the Solid Rock Carriers Battle of the Stars. Prior to that, it had been a challenging journey for him. Instead of giving up and walking away, Hall instead focused on working on the car, practicing more at the track, and gaining speed – which he would eventually do.
“That win felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders,” Hall explained. “I was down in the dumps my first few races. We were running 23-second laps, five laps down. I almost walked away. I decided to give it a shot this year and won the first race of the season, just by practicing and putting the work in.”
On Saturday night, Hall will have to bounce back from adversity once again.
In the most recent race on June 2, Hall was tangled up in an on-track incident and eventually had to relinquish a top-five position to come to pit road and make repairs on his car. While he would recover for a sixth-place finish, he is hoping to bounce back on Saturday with a third victory.
“I’ve just got to roll with the punches, keep the car in one piece, out front and away from the accidents,” Hall said. “Second and third is fun, being on the podium is fun, but first place feels so much better.”
The Swansboro Liquidation Bombers will compete in a doubleheader as part of Saturday night’s School’s Out Shootout, which also features twins for Late Models, Legends, Bandoleros, Champ Karts and U-CARs. Tickets for the race are available in advance on MyRacePass or at the gate on race day (cash only) for $10 for adults while kids five (5) and under are admitted free.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
