Kotska Outlasts the Field in Tire-Shredding Showdown

Andrew Kotska emerged victorious in a grueling 175-lap battle at Iowa Speedway, capturing Round 23 of the OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series with a masterclass in tire management and strategic pacing. The short track’s abrasive surface and mixed grip levels put a premium on patience, and Kotska delivered with a calculated performance that saw him edge out a hard-charging Josh Robinson by just two-tenths of a second at the line. The race was broadcast live on the Virtual Grip Network, with commentators John Heyn and Zach Chapman detailing the treacherous conditions drivers faced all night long.

From the drop of the green flag, it was clear that Iowa wasn’t going to be kind. The newly repaved turns one and two gave plenty of grip on the bottom line, but the rest of the track—including a notoriously bumpy front stretch—demanded absolute precision. Drivers were warned early that turn four would bite anyone too eager on the throttle, and that prediction came true for more than one competitor.

An early yellow forced everyone to rethink their tire strategy. With only a limited number of fresh sets available, drivers like Andrew Medlin and Tom Ogle gambled on taking tires early, while others, including Kotska and Daniel Hill, focused on the long game. As green-flag laps ticked by, tire degradation quickly became the story of the night. Most drivers reported major falloff after just 30 to 40 laps, turning every stint into a balancing act between raw speed and tire longevity. Broadcast insights highlighted how different racing lines—particularly running the bottom versus the top—could wear out either the right front or right rear more aggressively, giving drivers yet another variable to manage in real time.

As the race entered its final stretch, the drama only intensified. Josh Robinson, known for squeezing maximum life out of his tires, began closing the gap to the lead. With no late cautions to reset the field, the leaders were forced to wrestle their cars to the finish on worn-out rubber. Daniel Hill, who had been saving tires all race long, clawed his way into third place with a steady drive, while Tom Ogle, out of fresh sets entirely, managed to bring it home in fifth thanks to clean driving and well-timed pit stops.

The final laps were heart-stopping. Kotska, hanging on with everything he had, confessed in his post-race interview that his right front tire was down to just 1% when he crossed the finish line. It was the perfect mix of aggression and control, and it earned him one of the most satisfying wins of the season. “I had to keep adjusting my pace based on the gaps behind me,” he said. “If they were close, I pushed. If not, I backed off. I had nothing left when it ended.”

With the win, Kotska adds a major highlight to his season, conquering one of the toughest tire tracks on the schedule. The series now turns its attention to the flowing road course at Watkins Glen, where the challenge shifts from managing wear to mastering rhythm, curbing, and braking zones. If Iowa was about endurance and discipline, next week promises a different kind of chaos—one that the OBRL grid seems more than ready for.

Hill Hauls Trash and Trophies at the Brickyard

The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series made its annual pilgrimage to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 85 laps around the 2.5-mile Brickyard, and when the dust settled, it was Daniel “Trash Man” Hill who hauled home the hardware with a resilient, hard-fought victory.

Courtney Nelson in the #78 grabbed the pole, with Hill alongside in the #7, while last week’s Dover winner Greg McDaniel and several others were shuffled to the back due to penalties from their rough-and-tumble outings the week prior.

The race got off to a rocky start for some, as Lonnie Corey suffered a disconnect just minutes into the run. Strategy quickly became the talk of the day, with some teams eyeing a two-stop approach and others gambling on stretching fuel for a potential one-stopper if the cautions played in their favor. The first half of the race saw drivers fighting not just each other, but the notoriously finicky first and second turns of Indy. Multiple cars got loose, some due to the track’s low grip and others thanks to iRacing updates and packet loss gremlins.

The midway caution shuffled the deck when pit strategy came into play—some opting for two tires, others for four, and a few going for fuel only. That yellow also spelled heartbreak for pole-sitter Nelson, who had dominated the early laps but was collected in a chain-reaction incident during a check-up, ending his chances for a Brickyard win.

That opened the door for Daniel Hill to mount his charge. After an earlier setback, reportedly caused by a “net code” glitch that dropped him back in the pack, Hill put on a masterclass in recovery driving. Lap after lap, he sliced through the field, taking down heavy hitters and setting the fastest lap of the race with just seven laps remaining. When it mattered most, the Trash Man wasn’t just taking out the garbage—he was taking home the checkered flag.

Hill crossed the yard of bricks first, followed by Andrew Medlin in second and Greg McDaniel in third, marking back-to-back podium finishes for the Dover winner. Roger Hurley came home fourth, earning valuable points as the playoff picture begins to tighten.

With just a handful of races left in the season, Hill’s Indy triumph not only adds another trophy to his collection but also cements him as a championship threat heading into the final handful of rounds.

McDaniel Muscles to First Win as Dover Delivers Chaos

The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series rolled into the “Monster Mile” for Round 21 of Season 8, and Dover Motor Speedway lived up to its nickname with a race packed full of strategy, drama, and a wild late-race shootout that ended with Greg McDaniel scoring his first win of the season.

Josh Robinson, the defending series champion, started on pole and looked untouchable through much of the race, setting a blistering pace while managing his tires to perfection. Robinson led the majority of laps, while the field behind him split strategies. Several drivers, including Jerry Isaacs, opted for green-flag pit stops, stringing out the field as the race went caution-free through much of its early and middle stages.

In a rare twist for Dover, a couple of spins failed to trigger caution flags. Mark Fisch looped his car on lap 28, and James Hislop made heavy contact with the inside wall a few laps later, but the yellow never flew. The unusual green-flag conditions had crews on edge as strategies began to diverge, with Victor Lane gambling on old tires in hopes of a timely caution. That break finally came late in the race, bunching up the field and breathing life back into contenders like Luke Lane, who had earlier been a lap down but took advantage of the “lucky dog” to get back on the lead lap.

The final 15 laps transformed the race from a strategic chess match into a bare-knuckle brawl. A 13-lap sprint set the stage for chaos, and a green-white-checkered finish brought the crowd to their feet. Greg McDaniel made a daring power move on the outside lane to take the lead and held off Daniel Hill and Dwayne McArthur in the closing moments to secure his first victory of the year and a guaranteed playoff berth.

While McDaniel celebrated, he took a moment to acknowledge contact earlier in the race with Robinson, expressing regret despite commentators calling it a racing incident. For fans, though, the focus was firmly on the closing laps, as the mix of late cautions, differing tire strategies, and bold moves created one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.

With McDaniel now locked into the playoffs and just a few races left before the postseason, the tension in the OBRL paddock is at a fever pitch heading into next week’s round.

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.

Kotska Cruises at the Concrete Jungle

Chicago, IL – Week 19, July 6, 2025
The OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series rolled into the virtual streets of Chicago for Round 19 of the season, and what followed was one of the most technically demanding, physically punishing, and mentally exhausting races of the year. With no runoff, no full-course cautions, and no margin for error, the Chicago Street Course turned the field into survivalists — and when the dust settled, Andrew Kotska stood tall, returning from a brief hiatus to dominate the race and claim his fourth win of the season.

From the drop of the green flag, it was clear that racing the track, not the competition, would define this event. The Chicago layout, with its tight turns and relentless concrete barriers, punished every misstep. As one commentator aptly put it, “If you lock the brakes, you’re probably in the wall” — a reality that came true repeatedly over the 90-minute feature.

There were no full-course cautions, meaning every mistake came with full consequence. Those who clipped a wall or spun had to limp around the entire circuit or make a quick pit stop under green, knowing they’d fall multiple positions without the field ever bunching back up.

Among those who felt the sting of the street course early was Daniel Hill, nicknamed “the Trash Man,” who found himself sweeping his own race away after a spin on lap 9 and another costly incident later on. The damage eventually forced him off the track before the checkered flag.

Meanwhile, other drivers took a more cautious approach. Christian Loschen and Daryl Wineinger emerged as consistent podium threats, each navigating the narrow city circuit with grit and discipline. Their duel for second place was among the most exciting elements of the race’s second half, with Weininger eventually settling into third.

Several contenders succeeded in making it to the end without pitting, and their ability to do so while navigating the trickiest corners in sim racing — particularly Turn 1, the fountain complex, and the tight carousel — was a true test of patience and focus. Over-driving any of these sections often led to instant disaster. As fatigue set in, cars became more erratic, the rear ends lively, and tire falloff increasingly punishing.

At the front of it all was Andrew Kotska, who returned to the series with a purpose. His performance at Chicago was nothing short of surgical. After taking the lead early, he methodically built and maintained a gap, avoiding incidents and keeping his marks clean through each of the 12 turns lap after lap. While others scraped the walls or gambled with grip, Kotska managed the new tire model brilliantly, keeping the rear tires underneath him and executing a near-perfect race en route to the win.

“He just didn’t put a wheel wrong all night,” said one of the commentators. “You have to be precise and calm out there, and Kotska made it look easy.”

Behind him, Christian Loschen came home in second after a quiet but consistent run, followed by Daryl Wineinger in third. Tom Ogle and Jerry Isaacs rounded out the top five after solid efforts on one of the series’ most punishing tracks.

With Chicago in the rearview, the series heads to another road course — the sweeping hills of Sonoma Raceway. While not as punishing as Chicago, the track is expected to serve as a wild card round, potentially shaking up the standings with elevation changes, tire wear challenges, and limited passing zones.

The big question: Can anyone stop Kotska’s momentum? Or will Sonoma deliver another unexpected twist in this late-season stretch?