Getty Josh Williams will miss the next Xfinity Series race.
NASCAR has announced the penalty for Josh Williams parking the No. 92 at the start-finish line of Atlanta Motor Speedway. The sanctioning body has suspended him for one points-paying event.
NASCAR announced the news on March 21 with its weekly penalty report. Williams will be held out of the Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas due to violating Sections 4.3.A; 4.4.B & D; 8.7.6: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct & In-race Violations (Disobeying a NASCAR request). He will be eligible to return at Richmond Raceway on March 25.
Josh Williams parked it … literally … on the start-finish line.
The incident occurred after a piece of tape flew off of Williams’ Chevrolet Camaro, which had been damaged in an earlier incident. NASCAR officials told him to park the entry due to extending a caution, which was in violation of the Rule Book.
Williams did so at the start-finish line. He climbed out of the No. 92 and walked across the infield grass before a mandatory trip to the infield care center and then the NASCAR hauler.
DGM Racing responded to the penalty report with a statement. The Xfinity Series team said that Williams will take his “mandated one-week vacation” and that teammate Alex Labbe will replace him in the No. 92 Chevrolet Camaro for the road course race.
Josh Williams Responded With a Statement on March 21
GettyJosh Williams prepares for a race at Martinsville Speedway.
A penalty was inevitable after Williams left the No. 92 on the track. He acknowledged as much during a March 20 appearance on the “Door, Bumper, Clear” podcast. However, questions remained about whether he would pay a fine or receive a suspension.
Once NASCAR announced the news with its weekly penalty report, Williams issued a statement. He thanked his fans and sponsors for their support, and he said that he will continue to support NASCAR.
My statement following the announcement from @NASCAR.
“I stand behind what I did and I don’t regret any decision I made,” Williams said. “I stand behind NASCAR for these decisions and will continue and always continue to support them.
“I am not going anywhere any time soon! I hope the loyal fans of NASCAR continue to fill the infield and grandstands. We will be back stronger than ever and ready to get the 92 DGM Racing team Chevy back up front!”
Alex Labbe Reunites With DGM Racing
GettyAlex Labbe (left) & Josh Williams (right) race at Richmond Raceway.
Williams has made 159 Xfinity Series starts in his career — 140 with DGM Racing. He is the team’s longest-tenured driver, but Labbe is just behind him with 138 starts for the Florida-based team.
Labbe will move one step closer to Williams’ mark while replacing him in the No. 92, and he will reunite with DGM Racing after making two starts for another Xfinity Series team.
Both of Labbe’s starts in 2023 have been with RSS Racing. He drove the No. 28 Ford Mustang at Auto Club Speedway and again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now he will return to DGM Racing for another start at Circuit of the Americas.
Labbe has made two starts at the Texas track, and he has qualified inside the top five on both occasions. He finished 20th in the inaugural Xfinity Series race at COTA in 2021, and then he finished 36th in 2022 due to a mechanical issue.
“I’ll be filling in for my buddy and superstar @Josh6williams this weekend while he’s on forced vacation,” Labbe tweeted after NASCAR issued the penalty report. “Thanks to @dgm_racing_, Josh and his partners for putting me in.”