Watkins Masters the High Banks: Last-Lap Chess Match Decides Daytona Thriller

Daytona Beach, FL — Matt Watkins executed a textbook last-lap pass to capture a thrilling victory in Season 9, Round 17 of the OBRL YesterYear Racing Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway. In a 100-lap chess match defined by extreme heat, heavy attrition, and disciplined drafting, Watkins conquered the high banks to secure his fourth win of the 2026 season.

The event commenced under grueling conditions, with the slick track surface reaching a blistering 118 degrees. Pole-sitter Bill Martin led the field to green alongside Jeff Lyden, with the high-powered Gen 4 Cup cars proving notoriously sensitive to momentum and dirty air as they wound up to speed. Martin controlled the opening circuits, but the field remained highly unstable as drivers wrestled for grip on the hot asphalt.

The fragile stability of the race shattered violently on Lap 10 when the “Big One” erupted in Turn 3. The massive chain-reaction pileup collected at least a third of the field, instantly destroying the cars of front-runners and title contenders alike. Among those swept into the carnage were Dwayne McArthur, Jack Jagerman, Greg McDaniel, and pole-sitter Martin. Championship points leader Tom Ogle was also heavily damaged in the melee, nursing his wounded machine to a 25th-place finish multiple laps down.

When racing resumed on Lap 14, Chris Bates inherited the lead of a severely thinned-out pack. Because the heavy Gen 4 cars make it exceptionally easy to lose the draft, the field naturally fractured into small, isolated breakaway groups. Bates put on a clinic from the front, controlling the pace until green-flag pit stops commenced around Lap 45. Leiden executed a flawless pit entry and exit during the cycle, utilizing the pit exchange to leapfrog Bates for the aggregate lead.

The strategic defining moment arrived during the final money stop around Lap 80. Roger Hurley delivered a lightning-fast 8.58-second stop—opting for a fuel-only or two-tire gamble—to rocket to the head of the field. Following the stops, a three-car “peloton” consisting of Hurley, Watkins, and Andrew Medlin broke away from the pack. The trio formed a highly disciplined, nose-to-tail line, working together perfectly to establish a commanding three-second gap over the chasing pack led by Lyden.

By the final five laps, it was a localized three-car war for the trophy. Hurley held the point through Turn 1 on the final lap, but the chess match exploded in Turn 2. Watkins timed his run perfectly, pulling to the high side to draw dead-even with Hurley. Watkins cleared him down the backstretch and, coming off Turn 4, threw a decisive block to slam the door on a surging Medlin. Watkins crossed the stripe just ahead of Medlin, while Hurley settled for third.