Kotska Turns Sonoma into a Wine Country Cruise

The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series continued its road course swing with Round 20 at Sonoma Raceway, and it was once again Andrew Kotska putting on a clinic. Coming off a dominant win on the streets of Chicago, Kotska proved he’s the man to beat on technical tracks by securing his fifth win of the season in commanding fashion. The veteran driver led the all of the 50-lap event, navigating Sonoma’s blind corners, elevation changes, and treacherous off-camber turns with surgical precision. He was untouchable on pace, even turning a lap during the race faster than his own qualifying time, and crossed the line a stunning 18 seconds ahead of his closest competition.

Daniel Hill brought home second, unable to match Kotska’s speed but steady enough to stay clear of trouble. Behind them, Jerry Isaacs used pit strategy to leapfrog defending champion Josh Robinson for the final podium spot. Isaacs short-pitted one lap earlier than Robinson and laid down a perfect outlap, giving him the edge as pit cycles completed. Robinson, always a threat, had a clean run himself but couldn’t reclaim the position and settled for fourth, with Courtney Nelson rounding out the top five after a charge through the field. Nelson, who started from the rear due to a penalty, gained nearly ten positions in the opening laps and pulled off one of the saves of the season after a near-spin from curb contact midway through the race.

Several other drivers found trouble as the tricky road course claimed victims throughout the field. Tom Ogle had a fast car but struggled with consistency, suffering two odd slowdowns and eventually spinning into the wall, collecting Roger Hurley in the process. Dwayne MacArthur also endured a rough outing, catching a curb in the Esses and slamming the wall hard enough to blow smoke from his engine, effectively ending his night.

Despite the demanding nature of the circuit, five drivers managed to finish the race with zero incident points: Kotska, Hill, Isaacs, Allan Wannamaker, and Tom Emasie—no small feat at a track where the slightest misstep can end your race. Their clean driving stood out in a field full of off-tracks, spins, and wall contact.

With the series heading to the high-banked concrete oval of Dover International Speedway next week—the infamous “Monster Mile”—drivers will trade road course finesse for short track aggression. Kotska, with back-to-back wins and momentum in hand, will look to continue his run, but Dover’s unforgiving nature promises to shake things up as the season winds toward its final stretch.