OBRL CUP SERIES S8 R7 Recap

30 March 2025
OBRL Presented by VCTRYLNSPRTS | Season 8 | Round 7
YesterYear Cup Series | Martinsville Speedway

On Sunday, March 30th, the OBRL YesterYear Cup Series rolled into Martinsville Speedway for round 7 of season 8, with drivers facing one of the toughest short tracks on the schedule. Andrew Kotska put down a blistering lap of 19.478 seconds to secure the pole, with Cortney Nelson joining him on the front row. The tight quarters of Martinsville always promise excitement, and this race was no exception.

As the green flag waved, Kotska got a great jump, but behind him, early cautions shook up the field. Contenders like Dan Hill and defending series champion Josh Robinson found themselves caught in the chaos, suffering damage that forced them to fight their way back through the pack. Dwayne McArthur made several aggressive attempts to wrestle second place away from Nelson, but Nelson held strong, keeping McArthur at bay. The battle behind them was intense, with drivers fighting hard for every inch of real estate on the half-mile oval.

On lap 26, McArthur’s persistence came back to bite him. Jerry Isaacs got underneath him in turn three, forcing McArthur up the track. That move created a bottleneck, and as the checkup rippled through the field, multiple drivers got turned around. Robinson, already struggling with damage, got caught up in the mess, suffering heavy front-end damage. He was able to make repairs under caution but restarted deep in the pack, back in 30th.

Shortly after the restart, the race claimed another victim. Nelson, who had been running strong, lost the rear end of his car coming out of the corner and spun, nosing into the inside wall. With Nelson out of the picture, Isaacs moved into second place, followed by Tom Ogle, who was quietly making his way forward. This caution prompted many drivers to gamble on pit strategy, coming in for fuel and tires in hopes of making it to the end. Kotska and Ogle, however, chose to stay out, banking on another caution later in the race.

As the race wore on, Martinsville proved to be merciless. The cautions kept coming, collecting more contenders—including Isaacs, who got tangled up with Darryl Wineinger in a crash that blocked the track and took out several others. By the halfway mark, drivers finally got the long green-flag run they had been waiting for. Ogle took advantage, moving into second place behind Kotska. With clean air and open track, the two leaders pulled away from the rest of the field, putting down some of the fastest laps of the night.

Despite the early damage, Robinson was making an incredible recovery, methodically picking off cars one by one. By the time the race entered its final stages, Robinson had clawed his way back into third, putting himself back in contention for a podium finish.

Kotska, knowing a pit stop might be necessary, began pushing his car to its limits, building as large of a gap as possible. He was slicing through lapped traffic with precision, but Ogle wasn’t letting him get away. Lap after lap, Ogle matched Kotska’s pace, keeping the pressure on. Just when it seemed like the leaders might have to make a green-flag stop, the caution flag flew with 35 laps to go.

For Kotska and Ogle, this was the break they needed. Having lapped a significant portion of the field, they could now pit for fuel and fresh tires without sacrificing track position. The crucial moment of the race came on pit road—Ogle’s crew delivered a flawless stop, getting him out ahead of Kotska.

With Ogle now in control of the lead, the final stretch of the race became a series of short green-flag runs broken up by cautions. Each time, Ogle nailed the restart, keeping Kotska in his mirror. Kotska did everything he could to mount a challenge, but Ogle had the advantage and wasn’t giving it up.

In the end, Ogle took the checkered flag, securing his first win of the season in dominant fashion. Kotska crossed the line in second, while Robinson, despite all the adversity he faced, brought his damaged car home in third.

With seven rounds complete, Robinson maintains a strong 50-point lead over Ogle in the championship standings. The OBRL now turns its attention to Darlington Raceway next Sunday, April 6th, with all the action going live at 8:00PM ET on the Virtual Grip Network!