Hook Delivers a Rockingham Clinic for First B-Open Victory

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Shawn Hook had been close before.
At Bristol one week earlier, he led more laps than anyone in the field only to watch a potential victory disappear during a chaotic second half. At Rockingham Speedway, there would be no repeat.
Hook delivered his most complete B-Open performance of the season Thursday night, leading 102 of 140 laps and holding off a charging Jacob Durbin following a late caution to score his first victory in the MLSR B-Open Series presented by Ideal Family, LLC.
Durbin finished 0.281 seconds behind in second, while Jordan Zamagni-Mander completed a remarkable drive from 16th to third. Dustin Coggin and Adam Ramsey rounded out the top five.
The result capped a night that, for most of its distance, belonged to the No. 88.
Brandon Hunsinger started from the pole with Hook alongside, but it didn't take long for the front of the field to change hands. Hook went after Hunsinger early, working underneath the No. 18 before finally clearing him following a side-by-side fight through the opening portion of the race. Pasted text
Once Hook reached clean air, the tone of the race began to emerge.
Rockingham rewarded patience. Drivers who attacked too aggressively paid for it as the tires aged, while those capable of preserving the right rear began coming forward deeper into the run. Hunsinger remained a factor early and Chris Cornett steadily closed on the leaders, but both had moments that demonstrated just how narrow the margin was between speed and losing control.
Cornett, in particular, produced one of the saves of the night when his car snapped sideways after touching the white line. He gathered it without hitting the wall and continued, eventually becoming one of the strongest long-run cars in the field. Pasted text
But strategy would become nearly as important as tire management.
The first round of green-flag stops created dramatically different approaches throughout the field. Dustin Coggin committed early and briefly gained the advantage through the undercut. Hunsinger's stop became costly when a pit-road mistake led to a two-tire adjustment in an attempt to recover track position, while Cornett stretched his run far beyond several of the leaders.
The result was a field scattered across different tire ages and pit cycles.
Hook's approach proved far more effective.
When the cycle settled, the No. 88 worked his way back toward the front, while Durbin emerged as one of the few drivers capable of matching Hook's pace. Adam Ramsey also gained ground during the sequence and remained in the lead group as the race moved into its second half. Pasted text
The second green-flag cycle ultimately established the fight for the victory.
Coggin again triggered the stops. Hook responded quickly, bringing the No. 88 to pit road rather than stretching the run. Durbin stayed out longer before making his stop, while Zamagni-Mander, Ramsey, Cornett and others experimented with extending their stints.
Once everyone had cycled through, Hook was back in control — and this time he had an eight-second advantage over Durbin. Pasted text Pasted text
It looked decisive.
It wasn't.
Durbin began eating into the advantage.
As Hook encountered cars on fresher tires, navigating traffic became increasingly difficult. Some were attempting to unlap themselves; others were simply quicker on newer rubber. Each encounter cost Hook time and gave Durbin another opportunity to close.
The eight-second cushion steadily disappeared.
With roughly 10 laps remaining, Durbin had reduced the gap to less than a second and was closing quickly. Pasted text
Hook knew exactly what was happening.
“I got Jacob behind me catching me two, three tenths a lap, if not more, because of the traffic,” Hook said afterward. Pasted text
Durbin believed the long run was coming to him as well.
“I was definitely hoping we were going to go green the rest of the way,” Durbin said. “I was catching him quickly.” Pasted text
Then, after more than 120 laps dominated by green-flag racing, everything changed.
Hunsinger and Marc Andre Ciccariello were involved in an incident that finally brought out the caution with fewer than 10 laps remaining. The long-run battle disappeared instantly, and the leaders headed to pit road for what became the decisive stop of the race. Pasted text
Hook won the race off pit road ahead of Durbin, Zamagni-Mander, Ramsey and Coggin.
Now there would be no tire conservation. No long-run strategy. No eight-second advantage.
Just a sprint.
Hook nailed the restart.
Behind him, Durbin found himself under immediate pressure from Zamagni-Mander. Coggin was trapped behind the fight, while Beard, Ramsey and Cornett battled three-wide farther back. The traffic gave Hook exactly the opening he needed to establish a small advantage. Pasted text
Durbin recovered and began closing again, but there weren't enough laps left.
Hook took the white flag with approximately half a second in hand and completed the final circuit without giving Durbin the opportunity he had been building toward before the caution.
The No. 88 crossed the line first.
Durbin followed 0.281 seconds later, securing his best finish of the season. Zamagni-Mander finished third after starting 16th, matching his best result of the year. Pasted text
Coggin finished fourth after leading seven laps, while Ramsey delivered a clean, consistent fifth-place performance. Cornett recovered from his unconventional strategy to finish sixth after leading 16 laps. Defending Bristol winner James Beard was seventh, followed by Zack Domer, Ethan Thompson and Gary May.
For several others, Rockingham was far less forgiving.
Hunsinger's night unraveled after starting from the pole. A pit-road mistake, two-tire gamble and late incident left him 13th after leading six laps. Blake Hauschild battled connection problems and finished 12th, five laps down. Chris Etchepare was classified 14th after completing 126 laps. Pasted text
At the front, however, there was little doubt which car had set the standard.
Hook led 102 laps. No other driver led more than 16.
Even Hook acknowledged that Durbin likely had the better opportunity had the final run remained green.
“I felt like I had to undercut him there for the last pit stop,” Hook said. “I think I came out with like a nine-second lead or something. And then just the lap traffic on fresher tires, passing me by and holding me up a little bit, dirty air allowed him to get to me.”
Then came the caution.
“That last caution there definitely saved my race,” Hook said. “I think he definitely would have had me there if it wasn’t for that.” Pasted text
He still had to finish it.
After controlling the short run, managing the long run, executing through two green-flag pit cycles and delivering on the final restart, Hook finally had the B-Open victory that had eluded him.
At Rockingham, the No. 88 wasn't simply fast.
For 102 laps, it was the car everyone else was chasing.