Hislop Dominates Martinsville, Punches Ticket to Phoenix Finale in Clutch Performance

Martinsville, VA — The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series rolled into Martinsville Speedway for the final playoff race of the round of 8 in the 2025 playoffs — a grueling 180-lap showdown that would determine who would advance to the Phoenix championship finale. The flat half-mile paperclip lived up to its reputation for punishing both patience and equipment, but on this night, it was all about one man: James Hislop, who entered the race 23 points below the cut line and needed nothing short of a win to stay alive. He did exactly that, delivering a masterclass in control, tire management, and timing to dominate from start to finish.

Coming into Martinsville, Sean Foltz and Jerry Isaacs were already locked into the finale thanks to prior playoff victories. Andrew Kotska carried an 18-point cushion above the cut line, while Tom Ogle clung to the final transfer spot by just six points over Daniel Hill, who ultimately failed to make the grid.

On the front row, Roger Hurley and Hislop set the tone early, while Ogle and Cortney Nelson lined up just behind them. For Ogle, the mission was simple — survive, stay clean, and hope circumstances fell his way.

From the drop of the green, the race settled into a steady, green-flag rhythm — a rarity at Martinsville. Hislop wasted little time stalking Hurley, finally taking command around Lap 16 with a bold move into Turn 1 that included just enough contact to make it memorable. Hurley’s car began to fade as Hislop pulled away, and before long, the #92 was setting a blistering pace at the front.

With long runs taking shape, tire conservation became the theme of the night. The outer groove grew treacherous with marbles, forcing drivers to hug the curbs and tiptoe through traffic. Hislop, ever calm, managed his tires to perfection, keeping Hurley and the rest of the field well behind.

By Lap 77, pit strategy loomed large. The consensus was clear — split the race roughly in half with a stop near Lap 90. Jerry Isaacs was among the first to blink, triggering a wave of pit activity. But timing proved cruel for some. Just as the cycle began, a caution flew after Dwayne MacArthur, Todd Cousins, and Isaacs tangled amid the chaos of fresh tires and heavy lap traffic.

The caution flipped the script. Some drivers caught the yellow perfectly, while others were trapped on track or down laps. The unluckiest of all was Tom Ogle, who had stayed out in hopes of a wave-around. Instead, he found himself two laps down after narrowly missing the pace car — a brutal twist that effectively ended his playoff hopes.

The final 25 laps were vintage Martinsville — elbows out, tempers flaring, and cautions breeding cautions. Hislop, however, looked untouchable. Each restart saw him launch flawlessly from the control position, building immediate breathing room while chaos erupted behind him.

At one point, Sean Foltz rolled the dice by staying out on older tires, briefly taking the lead before Hislop muscled back past. Meanwhile, McArthur and Cousins engaged in a fierce scrap for the Lucky Dog, with McArthur ultimately prevailing to regain the lead lap.

Greg McDaniel, who had been a serious threat early, faded dramatically past Lap 99 after overdriving the car. His night ended in heartbreak with a late spin on Lap 174 that relegated him to P20 — ending his championship aspirations.

The race’s conclusion came under a one-shot Green-White-Checker finish, extending the race to 181 laps. Hislop delivered one final statement, nailing the restart and immediately gapping the field. Behind him, Hurley and Chris Bates waged an intense fight for second, but neither had anything for the leader.

Hislop crossed the line unchallenged, completing a wire-to-wire masterpiece and punching his ticket to the Phoenix championship finale.

For Hislop, the win was the product of preparation and precision. “I probably ran about a thousand laps in practice this week,” he said. “I knew exactly what I needed out of the car tonight.”

Hurley, who finished second, credited his steady approach: “Don’t look in the mirror — hit your marks. That’s the only way to survive Martinsville.”

Bates, who surged from 15th to third, was candid in victory lane: “I messed up qualifying, plain and simple. I needed a yellow to have a shot, and somehow I got one.”

Rounding out the top five were Brian Lynch and Dwayne McArthur, both mounting impressive comebacks after being a lap down earlier in the race. Kotska’s steady 6th-place effort appeared enough to clinch the final playoff spot, while Ogle’s 12th-place result left him agonizingly short of the cut.

With Martinsville in the books, the OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series now sets its sights on Phoenix Raceway, where four drivers will battle for the 2025 championship crown in the desert.