Nascar Driver Josh Williams Suspended For One Race After Viral Exit From His Car On Track At Atlanta

Nascar Xfinity Series driver Josh Williams became a sports sensation on Saturday afternoon in an unexpected way.

The underfunded Nascar driver went viral after he parked his car on the start/finish line and walked through the infield grass to the DGM Racing pit stall, led to a wide debate in the Nascar community this week.

Williams was suspended by Nascar for the upcoming race due to exiting his car during Saturday’s RAPTOR King of the Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He will miss Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 at the Circuit of The Americas.

Williams fell victim to an incident during the crash-filled Xfinity Series race. When his small team put bear bond (strong adhesive repair tape) on his car, it fell off because it couldn’t stick with the cold weather. The tape fell off on the track to cause another caution flag. Nascar told his team that he was disqualified from competing in the rest of the event, so Williams decided to park the car on the frontstretch as a protest to the call.

When a Nascar on Fox camera person approached him, he looked into the camera and said, “What are they going to do, fine me? I can’t afford to pay it.”

Williams issued this statement after his suspension was announced by Nascar.

Among Williams’ supporters was Cup Series driver and team owner Denny Hamlin, who tweeted he would pay any fine that Williams may receive. While Hamlin wanted Williams on his new Dirty Mo Media podcast, Actions Detrimental, a competing Dirty Mo Media Podcast actually booked him. Williams appeared on Door, Bumper, Clear on Monday, discussing the incident and the aftermath.

Williams, an underfunded driver who competes for a small team, instantly became a fan favorite for his unprecedented decision. Nascar’s Instagram reel of Williams departing from his car has over 500,000 views, making it one of the sport’s most viral posts this year. Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern also reported that Williams has more than doubled his Twitter following in the days since the incident.

Throughout the broadcast, Williams was covered as a potential underdog who could compete for the win prior to his wreck. Specifically, the Nascar on Fox crew highlighted how he visits children’s hospitals each week before a race.

Last year, he was nominated for Comcast Community Champion of the Year for his years of giving back to children. He’s visited over 150 hospitals in person and on Zoom during the pandemic. Through these visits, he’s met with countless children, as well as their families, to show his support.

He also formed a relationship with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which builds closed circuit TV and radio studios in children’s hospitals throughout the country to increase experiences for patients who can’t make the trip out to the track.

Williams has competed in the Xfinity Series since making his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2010. The 29-year-old gradually moved through the Nascar rankings after competing in his family-owned team in ARCA. Since moving up to the Xfinity Series in 2016, he’s earned eight top-10 finishes, including six in 2020.

Over the years, he’s earned a reputation for being a driver who cares about his equipment, literally working on his own cars throughout the week.

“I call them helmet holders, seat warmers or steering wheel holders,” Williams said of old-school drivers in November. “There’s not a lot of guys left who can build a car from the ground up, that can pull it down, that can set the bump steering.

“I want to be the old school guy that brings it back. That’s my goal. To see people recognize it and label me as an old school guy, that’s what I’m looking for. That’s how I am, how I’ve always been and I’m not going to change.”

Williams will return to the Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway on April 1.