Brandon Wilkinson, who a year ago was primarily focused on spotting Super Late Models throughout the Southeast, has now made a significant leap in his career. On Wednesday night, he achieved his first victory as a Cup Series spotter, guiding driver Ryan Preece and crew chief Derrick Finley to success during the latter half of the Cookout Clash.
Although the Cookout Clash is classified as a preseason exhibition event, it nonetheless features Cup Series drivers competing for their respective teams, which adds weight to this achievement. In Wilkinson’s eyes, this triumph holds substantial value.
“Yeah, this is a Cup win,” Wilkinson expressed on Wednesday. “It’s a Cup win on a short track, you know? That’s where Ryan and I grew up racing, tracks like this, so it’s really special.”
Wilkinson’s connection to Preece was facilitated by veteran spotter and friend Mike Herman Jr., who currently supports Chris Buescher at RFK Racing. Prior to this, Wilkinson had notable stints with Ty Majeski, who has links to Herman, and most recently, he worked with Gio Ruggiero in the Truck Series.
Preece valued Wilkinson’s calm and composed demeanor over the radio, which led to Wilkinson’s swift addition to the No. 60 team when RFK Racing was established last year. This decision proved fruitful during the race, as numerous variables needed to be communicated to Preece, including the choosing rule, wet track conditions, and competitors attempting to gain position.
“Honestly, we have a pretty good line of communication when it comes to the choose and I feel like we made calculated but aggressive decisions on the choose,” Wilkinson noted. “I was a little worried towards the end taking the top but it got a good launch after the track dried up.”
He continued, “So, we kept doing it. It was a challenge. We got wrecked on the first restart but kept picking em back off.” Despite the excitement of claiming his inaugural Cup Series victory, Wilkinson maintained his emotional steadiness.
“It’s a dream come true, but now the goal is to go into the Daytona 500 and get some redemption,” he remarked. “We came so close but right now, it’s really special to get a short track win together.”
Visual Recap from Bowman Gray
Images from the Bowman Gray race are available, capturing the intense moments and the atmosphere from this special event.
