Roulette Recap: Josh Williams – Auto Club Speedway

Roulette Recap follows a randomly drawn NASCAR Xfinity Series driver throughout a race and recaps their efforts. The driver could face calamity on lap one or start from the rear and win the race – there is no telling ahead of time. May the odds be ever in the driver’s favor.

Facing the final NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway, rain put a damper on the weekend’s excitement. Torrential downpours, area flooding, and even some snow washed out all pre-race action on Saturday, which included practice and qualifying. 

With qualifying canceled, teams lined up according to the NASCAR metric system. Coming off a P15 finish at Daytona International Speedway, Josh Williams was awarded a P9 starting spot. Pre-race, the DGM Racing driver was understandably pumped with this, stating on Twitter he was “eager” to roll off.

Unfortunately, after just a few pace laps, NASCAR brought teams back to pit road and ultimately called off the Saturday evening race. Moving the race to Sunday evening made this the final race ever at Auto Club! 

Stage 1

Once the weather moved out, it was time to get down to business. With drivers taking their cars five-wide at the start, Williams fell to P20 and was told by his spotter, Reed Sorenson, to get in his groove and take care of the right front tire.

Likely no one was more excited to have a competition caution on lap 15. Williams brought his car to his team for adjustments, stating, “That wasn’t very fun!”

Another quick caution saw the driver of the No. 92 back at his pit stall with instructions to take it easy on the four-lap shootout to end the stage.

Williams gave his team a hard lap to evaluate the adjustments and settled in to avoid any last-lap chaos, finishing the opening stage P36.

Stage 2

The second stage of the race saw multiple cautions as drivers battled the setting sun and car issues throughout the field.

Williams was still not satisfied with the handling of his car, and as teams ran different strategies, the varying goals of teams started to emerge. Sorenson continued to encourage his driver, saying, “It’s all about maintaining till the end of this stage.”

With the final stage 2 restart, Williams was encouraged to stay high, and ultimately out of any mess around him. He did so and finished P21.

Stage 3

After another round of adjustments, he came to the start of stage 3 in P26 telling his team, “I’ll keep turning the wheel and smashing the pedal.” And the Port Charlotte, Florida native did just that. He worked his way to P18 before another caution flew. 

With teams splitting strategy again, Williams fell back as drivers with new tires flew past him. However, it was encouraging to see teammate Ross Chastain one spot behind him running the same lines and keeping pace. 

With 39 laps remaining in the Production Alliance Group 300, green flag pit stops began, shaking up strategy even more. Six laps into the cycle, Williams came to pit road for the final time at Auto Club Speedway. And, like many, he lost a lap waiting for the leaders to pit.

Fortune came in Fontana when the caution flew with 23 to go. This allowed Williams to earn back his lost lap. He restarted 19th, but as soon as the green waved, the caution was back out. He did not gain a spot, but he had not lost any positions either.

The final restart came with 12 laps remaining and saw Williams sitting in P19. In the closing laps, he determinedly worked his way past drivers and came to the checkered flag P16.

Post-Race

Prior to this weekend, Williams had tallied four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Auto Club Speedway. He had an average finish of 22.3 with a top 10 notched in 2020. His P16 finish is quite impressive considering teams had zero track time (not counting Saturday’s pace laps) before the green flag. It was truly a ‘run what you brung’ weekend.

As a long-time veteran of the sport, Williams continues to prove he takes care of his equipment and the DGM Racing team continues to show fight week in and week out. 

Keep up with Josh Williams (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and DGM Racing (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) on all their social channels.

Auto Club Speedway sponsors for Josh Williams and the No. 92 team included Alloy Employer Services, Call811.com, and JAG Metals.