Getty Jesse Iwuji drives for Reaume Brothers Racing at Pocono.
The Camping World Truck Series playoffs will begin on Friday, Aug. 20, with the Gateway 200 presented by CK Power at the World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in Madison, Ill. Armani Williams will make his Truck Series debut and will make history as NASCAR’s first driver diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
According to a press release, Williams will join Reaume Brothers Racing for the historic event and will control the No. 33 truck. The 21-year-old previously made two starts in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020, finishing 17th at Phoenix in the No. 01 Centria Autism Ford and 10th at Michigan in the No. 12 Centria Autism Chevrolet. Now he will face off with the biggest stars in the Truck Series.
Dreams come true! I’ll be making my @NASCAR_Trucks debut at @WWTRaceway at Gateway, August 20th. Thank you to @RBR_Teams for believing in me!
Still looking for partners for this awesome moment. If you would like to get involved please reach out!
“I have been talking to Armani and his dad Del about this for quite some time now” said Josh Reaume, owner of Reaume Brothers Racing. “No one really understands how much they have overcome and how hard they have worked in order to secure these opportunities. They’ve grown numerous partnerships and spent tons of time developing Armani’s career, so it’s nice to see these efforts finally paying off. I am so happy to be able to help and get such a great kid behind the wheel.”
The Truck Series playoff race at the World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway will take place on Friday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the race with MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio providing audio coverage.
Williams Began His NASCAR Journey at 8 Years Old
According to the press release from Reaume Brothers Racing, Williams discovered NASCAR as a child and became extremely interested in the sport. He officially began his journey at the age of eight by racing go-karts.
Williams continued to pursue his racing career by competing in Bandaleros, the K&N Pro Series East, K&N Pro Series West, and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. This list includes five races in 2017 and a season-best finish of 11th at Delaware. Williams also posted the first top-10 finish of his career with a ninth-place outing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2018.
“This is a dream come true having the opportunity to make my debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Gateway,” Williams added in the press release. “When I got the call from my dad, I was overcome with emotion. Many years of hard work, along with the support of my family, friends, and fans have made this possible. And of course, I have to thank Reaume Brothers Racing for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity.”
The Truck Series Playoffs Feature Some Heavy-Hitters
Meet the 2021 #CampingWorldTrucks Playoff field!
When Williams climbs into the No. 33 RBR truck, he will face off with some big names. The 10-driver field features some grizzled veterans, intriguing youngsters, and a former Cup Series rookie who moved back to the Truck Series to pursue a championship.
John Hunter Nemechek tops the list as the championship favorite. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver leads the standings with five wins and the regular-season championship in his first year back in the Truck Series. Though he will have to contend with Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes, who each have two wins and a track record of consistency in 2021.
Todd Gilliland and defending Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed round out the list of drivers with wins in 2021, having each reached Victory Lane once in 2021. They have fewer playoff points than their peers, so they will have to fight early to move on to the next round.
None of the remaining playoff drivers — Chandler Smith, Carson Hocevar, Matt Crafton, Zane Smith, and Stewart Friesen — have wins in 2021. They all reached the playoffs by stacking up enough points in the regular season, and they will have to continue this trend early in the playoffs.
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