Esserie Outlasts Tire War at Rockingham After Early Mayhem

Rockingham, NC — If Daytona was a chess match in the draft, Round 2 at Rockingham Speedway was a fistfight with sandpaper gloves. The mile-long oval lived up to its “cheese grater” reputation, shredding tires and patience alike as the OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series brought its 2004-era Gen 4 machines to one of the most punishing tracks on the schedule.

The opening laps were pure turbulence. A 44-car field roared into turn one with ambition outweighing grip, and the result was a flurry of early cautions. Four yellow flags waved within the first 24 laps, including a restart accordion effect that stacked the field tightly and kept drivers on edge. Establishing rhythm proved nearly impossible as the high-horsepower stock cars skated across worn pavement that punished even the slightest overstep.

When the race finally settled into a meaningful green-flag run, Andrew Kotska seized control in his No. 47 and began building a gap that looked almost surreal. Lap by lap, his advantage ballooned until it stretched to nearly eight seconds over the field. While others wrestled sliding rear tires and fading fronts, Kotska carved precise arcs through the corners, making the chaos behind him seem distant. Derek Paulson and Dwayne “The General” McArthur anchored themselves inside the top five through the first half, though Paulson’s pace began to slip as long-run tire wear tightened its grip.

The race pivoted sharply around lap 75. A caution involving Roger Hurley and Jack Jagerman erupted at the worst possible moment for several frontrunners who had committed to pit road. The timing shuffled the deck dramatically, trapping Kotska a lap down and stripping him of the commanding lead he had so carefully built. Forced to take the wave-around, he restarted at the tail end of the lead lap while Eric Essary inherited the top spot and a golden opportunity.

What followed was a closing stretch that felt like two philosophies colliding. Essary, a veteran with a reputation for mechanical sympathy, focused on preserving his tires and maintaining clean exits. Kotska, now unleashed with nothing to lose, sliced forward through traffic with urgency, reclaiming second and setting his sights squarely on the leader over the final 20 laps.

The gap shrank in steady increments. Kotska searched high, then higher, hunting for grip where others feared it had vanished. Essary responded by mirroring his line, denying the challenger the clean air he needed to mount a decisive charge. The duel tightened with each lap, the margin measured in car lengths rather than seconds. On the final circuit, Kotska threw everything forward, brushing the wall in a desperate bid for momentum off turn four, but it was not enough. Essary held firm, crossing the line first to secure a hard-earned victory born from patience and precision.

Andrew Medlin, fresh off his Daytona triumph, quietly executed a smart strategy to claim third and continue stacking valuable points under the new consistency-focused format. Scott Negus guided his McDonald’s-sponsored machine home in fourth, while Christian Loschen completed the top five after navigating the early chaos.

Two races into the season, the YesterYear Racing Cup Series has already delivered contrasting tests of survival and skill. Next, the tour heads west to the speed and neon glow of Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Round 3, where raw pace will matter again but tire management will never be far from the conversation.