Cole Williams knew that he had an opportunity to win the Pro Late Model Championship at the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville last weekend, but things had to fall in the right place in order to achieve that goal.
The final pieces fit perfectly in the season long jigsaw puzzle where at the end of the night, the Sellersburg, Indiana native took home his second track championship in two years.
“Going into the night, we never expected to have the chance to win the championship,” Williams said. “Mark Day had a fast car and he showed it in qualifying. We knew he was going to be hard to beat, especially when he has experience winning championships at Nashville.”
Williams went into the 100-lap season finale only 16 points behind Mark Day. With five laps to go, Day was involved in an incident and was out of the race. Williams just had to survive the final two laps, and with a solid second place finish, he was able to get by Day for the title.
While Williams was ecstatic to win the championship, he was also hoping for his first win at the famous 0.596-mile oval located south of downtown Nashville.
“We went into the night looking for the win. With Day being so fast, we knew we had to win to have a shot at being crowned with the championship,” Williams said. “I kind of had mixed feelings at first after the race was over because I really wanted to win the race. Unfortunately, we came up one spot short, but we won the championship.”
This is the second year in a row that Williams has won a track championship. Last year, he won the Late Model title at I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, Missouri, while also earning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Missouri state title.
Growing up, Williams had a dream of racing and winning at Fairground Speedway Nashville.
“This championship means a lot to me,” Williams exclaimed. “I grew up dreaming of racing at the Fairgrounds against Sterling Marlin, Mark Day and Willie Allen. All three were great to race with and congratulated us after we won the championship on Saturday night. Marlin has talked to us many times this year and his crew have been friendly and helpful to us.”
His name joins a famous list of champions at the Fairgrounds. Some of those names include: Coo Coo Marlin, Sterling Marlin, Darrell Waltrip, Mike Alexander, Bobby Hamilton, Sr., Chad Chaffin and more.
“It means everything in the world to me to have my name on the same list with some of the greatest drivers to ever get behind the wheel,” Williams said.
Still today, Williams is surprised with what he and his team accomplished this year.
“Had you asked me at the beginning of the year if I would have a chance to win the championship this season, I would have probably thought you were crazy,” Williams said with a smile.
With any championship, he has many to thank for their help this season.
“I want to first thank God for blessing me this season. The entire Williams Racing crew that worked their butts off all season to deliver me a fast race car each weekend,” Williams said. “Also want to thank my sponsors: Cardinal Services, Jim Butner Auto Sales, Bordeau Medals, Port City Racecars, JOES Racing Products, Bower and Associates, Rite-Way Industries, McAfee Trucking, JEGS, Phantom Racing Gear, MPM Marketing, Wallace Race Car Lettering, Badger Spiller Orthodontics, Phil Harper, RE Suspension, and Jeff Taylor Performance.”
“Most of all, I want to thank my family, friends, and fans that support me each and every weekend.”
Williams and his team are now getting prepared for the All-American 400 on October 30 – November 1 at the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.