(CONCORD, N.C. - November 1, 2012) - While the Automobile Racing Club of America celebrated its 60th year of competition, Concord, N.C.-based Josh Williams Motorsports was tackling its first in a grueling 19-race schedule at venues throughout the country.
For Port Charlotte, Fla. native Josh Williams, the opportunity to compete full-time in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards was a dream come true. 2012 would bring new venues for Williams to compete at. From Daytona International Speedway to Talladega Superspeedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and everywhere else in-between, Williams and his family-owned team made new memories that will last a lifetime.
One of the team's most memorable moments of the year occurred in the season finale at Kansas Speedway, where Williams - in his No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford Fusion - finished a respectable 13th, enabling him to climb from 10th to ninth in the official ARCA Racing Series championship standings and securing the Floridian an opportunity to speak on stage in December at the series' Championship Awards Banquet.
The run during the Kansas Lottery 98.9 left Williams all smiles and wishing that the season hadn't officially come to a close. After all, only 19 of the scheduled 20 races were run, with the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds event being postponed and then cancelled due to inclement weather.
Still, reflecting back on the ARCA season, the Josh Williams Motorsports team competed in 18 of those 19 races. The lack of sponsorship forced the team to skip the Elko Speedway event in June. During those 18 races, though, Williams earned four top-10 finishes, eight top-15s, and 12 top-20 runs. The 19-year-old notched his best finish of the year, seventh at Madison International Speedway after starting 12th.
"Unless you were around the day-to-day operations of our team, I don't think anyone really understands what we went through to make it to those 18 races," said Williams. "We hardly had any sponsorship, (and we) worked with a skeleton crew but still somehow made it to the race track. Sure, we had our ups and downs, but we made it through. We had plenty of people to thank for that - but I know none of this would have been possible without the support of my parents."
Indeed, his parents, car owners Kevin and Theresa Williams, have sacrificed a lot - time, money, and energy all hoping to make their son's dreams come true. Parental approach has yielded a lot of success stories in ARCA. From Justin Allgaier to Justin Lofton to even Patrick Sheltra, the list goes on - but Williams knows that he can't expect his parents to foot his racing bill forever.
"I can't expect my parents to pay for my entire racing career; I have to look at ways for not having to spend all of their money," Williams said. "I'm working on that. I'm talking to potential sponsors on my own, trying to come up with ideas so my parents can come to the race track and do what they should be able to do, relax and cheer. Hopefully, that will happen sooner or later."
For now, though, Williams and his family will review their options and see what's next on their radar. A return to the ARCA Racing Series circuit isn't out of the question, but Williams wants an opportunity to move forward.
"We plan to be at Daytona with me or another driver behind the wheel of our ARCA car," said Williams, who has made 29 ARCA starts in three years. "I would like to have an opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series before the year's end, but we'll just have to see how all of that unfolds. I'll be racing something next year; it's just too early to determine just what exactly."
From Team Release
