Ogle Capitalizes on Hill’s Misfortune to Win at Bristol

The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series wrapped up the opening round of its 2025 playoffs under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the tight half-mile lived up to its reputation as “The Last Great Coliseum.” When the dust settled, it was Tom Ogle who emerged victorious, but the story of the night centered around Daniel Hill’s miscalculated pit stop that flipped the race on its head.

From the moment the green flag waved, Daniel Hill — better known by his “Black Cat” nickname — looked untouchable. Starting from the outside of the front row, Hill powered past polesitter Lloyd Moore on lap one and immediately built himself a cushion. An early caution on lap 10 for contact between Robert Guarisco and Todd Cousins briefly slowed the field, but Hill quickly reasserted control once racing resumed.

As the laps clicked off, the race settled into a long green-flag rhythm. The top lane became treacherous, with several drivers — including playoff favorite Andrew Kotska — scraping the outside wall. Hill, however, stayed smooth and in command, logging lap after lap at the front while his rivals wrestled for position behind him.

The night’s turning point came just past halfway. Jerry Isaacs committed to a two-stop strategy, pitting around lap 86, while Hill and others tried to stretch their fuel for a single stop. On lap 120, Hill finally ducked onto pit road with a comfortable lead — only for disaster to strike. Just two laps later, Clay Walker spun to bring out the caution.

Hill’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Trapped a lap down while the rest of the leaders pitted under yellow, he handed control of the race to Tom Ogle, who inherited the top spot and fresh tires all in one stroke. Ogle admitted after the race that he was stunned Hill pitted so early and knew instantly that fortune had swung his way.

Hill’s troubles didn’t stop there. On the restart, he was penalized for passing cars improperly during his wave-around, forcing him to serve a costly drive-through. It seemed his night was over, but in true “Black Cat” fashion, Hill refused to quit.

A caution for JP Rainey’s spin gave Hill the lucky dog, putting him back on the lead lap. From there, he clawed his way through the field, ripping around the high line and slicing past car after car. In the end, he salvaged a sixth-place finish — an impressive comeback considering he was multiple laps down after his pit road nightmare.

With Hill out of the picture for the win, the closing laps came down to Ogle versus Cortney Nelson. Nelson found speed on the bottom groove and relentlessly pressured the leader, shrinking the gap to just a few car lengths. Traffic added to the tension, but Ogle never flinched, keeping his line tight and his exits clean.

After 250 laps of short-track chaos, Ogle crossed the line first, securing his playoff advancement with a statement victory at one of the toughest tracks on the schedule. Nelson settled for second after a hard-fought effort, while Greg McDaniel rounded out the podium. Andrew Medlin and Dwayne MacArthur completed the top five.

The Bristol showdown also marked the cutoff for the Round of 16. Defending champion Josh Robinson and Mark Fisch were eliminated after not competing, while Ogle’s win and Hill’s recovery drive helped solidify the playoff picture heading into New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where the Round of 12 begins.