Last season, Josh Williams found himself in hot water at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After being tangled in a three-car crash, NASCAR gave him the boot from the race. In a move that smacked of defiance, Williams left his car smack dab on the start/finish line, sauntered out, and took a leisurely stroll back to the garage. The stunt earned him a one-race suspension from NASCAR. Despite this, a chorus of fans rallied behind him, and he made sure to thank them for their support. Now, as Williams gears up for the 2024 season with Kaulig Racing, he has spilled the beans to Frontstretch about that infamous moment.

Josh Williams’ move despite being controversial, worked out well for him

Josh Williams has an unconventional take on the Atlanta debacle that set tongues wagging last season. With no remorse for bringing his car to an impromptu halt on the track, he reflected, “I guess my thought process wasn’t what everybody thought. It was right it wasn’t planned for sure but uh you know it worked out good for me. Got to you know get a new fan base um and kind of tell my story about who I am as a race car driver and who I am as a person too. That’s helped a lot you know got a lot of support from fans. […] They appreciated what I did you know.”

Yet, he was quick to add, “NASCAR wasn’t too happy about it but uh a lot of people in the garage they uh they were on my side.” The actual drama unfolded on lap 28 of the Raptor 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, with Williams caught in a three-car tangle. Despite his team’s efforts to patch up the car, debris from his ride called the race to a halt again on lap 32.

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The officials’ decision to pull him out of the race didn’t sit right with Williams, leading to his theatrical protest. Parking his car on the start-finish line, he took a defiant walk back, acknowledging the crowd with waves. Even the commentators were left scratching their heads as Williams took his leave, making quite the spectacle.

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Ending up with a DNF and a 32nd place finish out of 38 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Williams also faced a one-race suspension at the Circuit of the Americas, with Alex Labbe stepping in to pilot the No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing. But not only does he not regret the move but also Williams recently hinted he might just pull a similar stunt if push comes to shove.

The new Kaulig Racing driver isn’t one to change his tune, even with the spotlight on him ahead of the Daytona race in the Xfinity series

Catching up with Bob Pockrass for a quick gab, Williams shared his thrill about joining the ranks of Kaulig Racing. But when prodded about possibly tweaking his ways after landing such a prime gig, Williams was quick to set the record straight: “No I was told I can be Josh Williams, so that’s going to make it even more fun.”

Before stepping up to the Xfinity series, Williams was turning heads in the ARCA Menards Series, clinching consecutive top-five finishes and proving he’s no stranger to the high stakes. He’s stepping into the shoes of Daniel Hemric, who’s made the leap to the Cup Series, taking the wheel of the #11 car.

Kaulig Racing’s garage also houses the #10 and #16 machines, with the former being their jack-of-all-trades car and the latter recently vacated by rookie Chandler Smith in October.

But knowing Josh Williams has no regrets about his move, all eyes will be on him to see if at some point there could be a repeat.

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