Watkins Glen International

Anthony Dobbins steered the #60 machine to victory lane at Watkins Glen International on Friday night, claiming his second win of the season in the AAES O'Reilly's Series Round 7. Starting from the pole, Dobbins led 12 of 51 laps in a chaotic afternoon that produced six cautions, 17 caution laps, and 11 lead changes across a 23-car field. It was anything but a straightforward afternoon at the Glen, with the lead shuffling through multiple hands as the attrition mounted.

The most compelling subplot of the race came from the #54 of Maxwell Waite, who led a race-high 19 laps from his P3 starting spot before ultimately settling for third at the checkered flag. Waite's time out front was the most of any driver on the day, but Dobbins and the #23 of Steve Pierson — who led three laps of his own — were able to hold on when it mattered most in the closing stages. Pierson, who started second and finished second, secured his first series podium in what was a clean front-row showing for both he and Dobbins at the finish.

Rick Dewees in the #86 earned hard charger honors with the most impressive charge through the field, advancing eight positions from his 20th starting spot to cross the line 12th. Among a field where incidents were plentiful — Jake Ashton and John Cherry each accumulated 26 incident points — Dewees kept his car clean enough to thread through the carnage. Only four drivers finished the race with zero incidents, including Ted Gambill in the #22, who gained three spots from P11 to finish eighth.

In the standings battle, Danna Rhyne holds the points lead with 233 after a disastrous run in the #27 that saw him tumble 13 positions from sixth to 19th. That result allowed Ted Gambill — now just five points back at 228 — to close the gap dramatically heading into the next round. Tyler Starcher sits third at 211 points, while Anthony Raso's P11 result dropped him to fourth at 197. Dobbins' victory moved him to fifth in the standings with 189 points, and his ability to win while Rhyne stumbled makes the #60 camp a genuine factor in the points conversation as the season continues.