Watkins Takes Michigan Victory as Heat, Strategy and Chaos Shape Race 23

Brooklyn, MI — The OBRL YesterYear Cup Series arrived at Michigan International Speedway for Race 23 of the 2026 season, bringing 37 drivers to the two-mile oval for a high-speed, high-stakes 90-lap battle under a clear sky and a scorching 106-degree track temperature. With the regular season drawing toward its conclusion, every position carried added importance, and the combination of extreme heat, tire wear and Michigan’s wide racing surface promised a race where strategy would be just as important as raw speed.

Ben Sheppard started from the pole in his No. 69 machine, but the advantage was short-lived as Josh Robinson and Bobby Goetz immediately applied pressure when the green flag waved. Goats quickly established himself at the front, while the field settled into the kind of frantic, three-wide racing Michigan is known for. The first caution came on Lap 4 when Greg Hammond slammed his No. 88 into the inside wall through Turn 2, ending his night and also involving Lloyd Moore in the incident.

As the race settled into a long green-flag run, commentators described the tightly packed field as a “bees nest,” with drivers constantly jockeying for position and using the draft to gain momentum. The 106-degree track temperature made tire management particularly important, with the right-front tire taking a beating as the cars circulated the two-mile oval. Around Lap 33, the first cycle of green-flag pit stops began. Goetz came to pit road from the lead, while Matt Watkins and Cortney Nelson elected to stay out longer in an attempt to gain track position and potentially reduce the number of stops they would need. Eric Essary, who started at the rear of the field, also stretched his opening stint and briefly inherited the lead as the pit cycle unfolded.

The green-flag rhythm was eventually broken when a second caution flew following a heavy collision between Ben Sheppard and Jack Jagerman. Sheppard’s night came to an end in the Turn 2 incident, while Jagerman was able to continue. The ensuing restart on Lap 53 produced the biggest accident of the afternoon. Allen Wannamaker, running on older tires after staying out, became a bottleneck for the field, triggering a massive 10-car pileup on the backstretch. Cortney Nelson was among those caught up in the wreck, and after reaching the league’s nine-point incident limit, he was disqualified from the event.

With the field shaken up, the final quarter of the race became a battle between Bobby Goetz and Matt Watkins. On a restart with 17 laps remaining, Watkins nailed the launch and drove underneath Goetz to take the lead. Another caution, this time following a hard hit by Tom Ogle, set up a final 10-lap sprint to the checkered flag. Watkins, piloting the No. 20 “Bazooka bubblegum” machine, held his nerve as championship leader Dwayne McArthur and Josh Robinson chased him down. McArthur was particularly disciplined through Turn 2, but despite his best efforts, he could not find a way around Watkins.

Matt Watkins held on to score the victory, earning a crucial win as the championship picture tightened heading toward the playoffs. Watkins credited the performance to pushing a little harder than he had on previous trips to Michigan and executing the final restart perfectly. Dwayne McArthur finished second, followed by Josh Robinson in third and Bobby Goetz in fourth, while Eric Essary completed the top five. Scott Negus came home sixth, Sean Foltz seventh, Kevin Strandberg eighth, Bill Martin ninth and Lloyd Moore rounded out the top ten.

The OBRL YesterYear Cup Series now turns its attention to the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway for Race 24 before closing out the regular season at Auto Club Speedway. With the championship battle entering its final stretch, the Michigan victory could prove to be a particularly valuable piece of the playoff puzzle.