We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Armani Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Armani below.

Hi Armani, thanks for joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

A defining moment for me was when I got my first ever NASCAR top 10 finish at a track called New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2018. I finished 9th in that race. It was a defining moment in a sense because I proved to myself that I had the true ability to drive the wheels off a racecar like I’ve always believed that I had. It felt like a win to me because finishing near the front is very hard to do, it was a great day. I thought to myself after that race, if I was ever in the right situation as a driver that I believe that I can truly win in the sport of NASCAR.

Armani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Yes, I’m Armani Williams, 22 years old from Grosse Pointe, Michigan and a professional racecar driver from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. As a really young kid, I grew up with a love for cars. I would play with any matchbox and hotwheel cars that I had and play with them almost every day. One day, I heard about NASCAR and I thought that sounded very cool and I wanted to check it out myself. What fascinated me a lot was just how fast the cars were going 180-190 mph it was crazy. How cool the paint schemes looked at the time and how aggressive the drivers were that as I would continue watching NASCAR, I found myself having a love for racing. I loved it so much that I even told my dad that hey I want to be a professional racecar driver like those guys on TV, so that’s where everything kickoff at. I feel what sets me apart from others is that I live my life with a disability called Autism, There is not a lot disability drivers that make it in the sport of NASCAR, and I wanted to help change that with my ability to drive a racecar at a high level. We as people with Autism have a laser like focus on things that interest us that it never goes away, we want more of it. It is a strength that I use when it comes to driving a racecar that I feel puts me a little over the edge of the other drivers. I am proud of the fact that I have made far into my racing career that I didn’t think I could reach and I going to keep continuing driving forward to be successful. But none of it happens without the great support of my family and everything that they have done to help me get to where I want to be, I’m very appreciative of that. I want people to know that i’m a very courage and determine men who want to keep living his dream of what he wants to accomplish. And is willing to inspire other like him to continue on in life and sending a message for those to find something that brings them happiness and joy that it’s what they want to be successful at in life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Well this one can related to the fact that I have Autism. I was diagnosed with it at 2 years old but didn’t even know it at the time. I thought I was just like any normal kid but different in my own way, but deep down I knew things didn’t feel right. By the time I was entering middle school that’s when my parents thought it was the right time for them to tell me that what I had been dealing with was Autism. It gave me a sense of relief because I now understood what I had been experiencing all this time and I didn’t need to feel down on myself. I wanted to learn more about what this Autism was and the challenges that came with that I could remember from past experiences and I wanted to overcome all so that everything didn’t seem so hard. If I needed therapy help and my parent’s help in social/communication skills to help me get through it, that’s what I had to do. I took pride in battling every obstacle that I needed to face so that I could get to a point where I felt like a normal person like everyone else in society. But more importantly, to find out what type person I wanted to be and let my personality shine through.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back, I probably would still choose to be a NASCAR driver. Honestly, it’s the only thing that I have been truly passionate about. Racing has help me get through tough times that I don’t think I wouldn’t have been able to overcome. I don’t think I would have been who I am if it wasn’t for the love of racing that I have today. So, I would still choose racing over anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teamarmaniracing.com/
• Instagram: armaniwilliamsracing
• Facebook: Armani Williams, Race4Autism
• Twitter: @TeamArmaniRacin

Image Credits
Chris Thompson Daylon Barr Curator Creative Reaume Brother’s Racing Media Team