When Josh Williams joined B.J. McLeod Motorsports for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, part of his reasoning was that McLeod would help him reach the Cup Series, especially as he has a Cup operation Live Fast Motorsports. On Sunday, he will finally get that chance when he enters the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Race in the #78 Ford Mustang for LFM.
“Racing on Sundays is every driver’s dream, right? I have been racing since I was four years old, never had a nine-to-five job, just worked every day of my life in racing to get to this point and get here the hard way,” said Williams. “I didn’t have the open checkbook some people have, I didn’t have a family member who was a NASCAR hero at one point. All I had was the mindset I wasn’t going to stop until I made it to the Cup Series. I owe a lot of people credit for the support and knowledge they provided me to get to this point. I’m ready to start this path to full-time on Sundays.”
Despite a solid ARCA Menards Series career and a decent four-year stint with DGM Racing, Williams has endured a difficult start to his life at BJMM. After having four top twenties across the first eight races in 2021 as a DGM driver, his best finish with BJMM is just twenty-first at Fontana and he failed to qualify for three events. He had departed DGM after an eighteenth-place points finish and a single top ten in 2021.
Although his BJMM tenure has started on a rough note, the #78 LFM entry is locked into the Bristol race via charter. It will be his first NASCAR national series dirt race, as the Xfinity Series does not compete on such surfaces, though he has two top fives and three top tens in six ARCA dirt starts.
“One of my favorite personal involvements within the sport of NASCAR is being a driver development coach,” commented McLeod. “This is one of the most rewarding hats to wear because of the hard work and dedication you witness as these determined drivers push themselves to the limits.
“Josh Williams is a driver that has consistently displayed talent, control, and drive. I’ve witnessed these qualities in previous seasons and this year as he has been a full-time driver on my Xfinity Series team. His proficiency behind the wheel has not gone unnoticed. Live Fast Motorsports is excited to welcome him at the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol for his Cup Series début.”
Live Fast Motorsports mainly fields the #78 for McLeod but the co-owner steps aside for ringers at road course and dirt tracks. Andy Lally drove the car at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished last due to a suspension failure. McLeod holds the team’s best finish of the year with a nineteenth at Atlanta.
