Story byMotorsport photoMatt WeaverThu, February 5, 2026 at 8:49 AM UTC·2 min readJust over a year ago, Brandon Wilkinson was still spotting Super Late Models full-time across the Southeast. Now, and while it doesn’t officially count, he is a first-time Cup Series spotter alongside his driver Ryan Preece and crew chief Derrick Finley after dominating the second half of the Cookout Clash on Wednesday night. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt doesn’t count because the Cookout Clash is a preseason exhibition race, but on the other hand, it’s also a Cup Series race full of Cup Series drivers competing for Cup Series teams. That counts.“Yeah, this is a Cup win,” Wilkinson told Motorsport. com on Wednesday night. “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.”Preece was connected to Wilkinson through longtime spotter and friend Mike Herman Jr.