Foltz Captures OBRL YesterYear Cup Championship at Phoenix in Strategy-Driven Finale

Avondale, AZ — After 35 races and 4,777 total laps logged this season, the OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup crowned its new champion Saturday night in a 175-lap finale at Phoenix Raceway. In a race defined by tire conservation, pit execution, and long green-flag segments, Sean Foltz sealed the deal and clinched the championship, using a perfectly timed green-flag pit call to out-maneuver early dominator Andrew Kotska and overcome a costly pit mistake from James Hislop.

The final four championship contenders were Foltz, Hislop, Kotska, and Jerry Isaacs — and it was Kotska who rolled in with momentum. He set quick time, earned the pole, and immediately established control of the event, reinforcing his reputation as a Phoenix specialist. Isaacs’ title fight took an early hit, however, when he was forced to serve a green-flag pass-through penalty on lap one, dropping him nearly a lap down before even settling into race rhythm.

The race settled into the long-run Phoenix environment everyone expected. Hislop was smooth and steady while running the top lane with precision, and Foltz quietly kept himself within striking range while focusing on managing tire life rather than attacking early. The first caution arrived just before the race reached the 50-lap mark when Tommy Emasie, on fresh tires and closing rapidly on Dave Matson, made contact and sent Matson hard into the outside wall — a break that allowed Isaacs to climb back onto the lead lap.

On the subsequent restart, Kotska dramatically lost clean air and found himself locked in a fierce battle with Cortney Nelson, who surged to the lead for several laps. Unfortunately, Nelson’s bid to stay at the front ended in heartbreak — contact with the wall caused front suspension damage severe enough to force him backward through the field shortly after.

As the race crossed halfway, pit timing and tire delta became the entire difference maker. Foltz waited patiently, then committed to his call — short pitting two laps earlier than his title rivals. It was the turning point of the season. While Foltz maximized his out laps, both Kotska and Hislop struggled: Kotska barely missed his pit mark and had to reset, and Hislop’s overshoot was far more costly, forcing him to back up significantly in the box and losing multiple positions during the cycle.

When green flag stops completed, Foltz emerged with more than four seconds of advantage — a margin he defended with discipline in the closing run. Kotska and Hislop both chipped away at the deficit inside the final 15 laps, but damage and dirty air stalled the run. Hislop mounted one final push and closed the lead down to a single second with three laps remaining, but the math — and the laps — simply ran out.

Sean Foltz crossed the stripe to win the Phoenix finale and secure the OBRL YesterYear Cup Championship — a title won not on raw pace, but on a decisive strategic strike at exactly the right moment.

Kotska completed an impressive season turnaround by finishing third in the finale, while Isaacs clawed back for a top-six finish despite his early penalty. But this night belonged to Foltz — whose patience, timing, and execution delivered a champion’s closing statement.