Josh Williams parked his car on the start/finish line at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the middle of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday (March 19).
And now? He’ll be parked from competing for one week, the biggest news out of the weekly NASCAR Penalty Report.
Williams was suspended one week Tuesday (Mar. 21) for violating NASCAR Code of Conduct Sections 4.3 A; 4.4 B & D; 8.7.5: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct & In-Race Violations (Disobeying a NASCAR request). The team quickly announced Alex Labbe will replace him in a one-week deal for Circuit of the Americas.
At Atlanta, Williams was caught up in an early wreck, the No. 92 team use Bear Bond tape make repairs and get the car back on the track. The tape came off, leading NASCAR to throw a caution flag for debris.
NASCAR elected to park Williams for the remaining of the race, to which the DGM Racing driver chose to park his No. 92 at the start/finish line under caution before getting out and walking across the infield grass to the pit area. Williams then waved to the crowd, saluting them and was about to do an interview with FOX Sports before a NASCAR official took him to the infield care center.
Williams then spent the remainder of the Xfinity race in the NASCAR hauler before talking to reporters.
Williams stood by his actions in a statement following the suspension announcement.
In the Craftsman Truck Series, No. 33 Mason Massey‘s crew chief Gregory Rayl and crew members Matthew Crossman and Travis Armstrong have been suspended from the next three events for ballast coming off of the truck. That is in violation of Section 14.3.4 B; 14.17.2.1 D; 10.5.26.F: Safety Penalty (Ballast).
Also in the penalty report, Deandre Smith has been suspended indefinitely for behavioral reasons (Sections 4.1 & 10.1.A), while No. 04 Trucks owner Cory Roper was reinstated following a prior suspension for violating the Substance Abuse Policy.
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The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
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The Deandre Smith suspension is an interesting one and not racing related. He is accused in a criminal case dating back to 1990.