Race Recap | North Carolina Education Lottery 250

Start: 21st
Stage 1: 20th
Stage 2: 27th
Finish: 7th

Josh Williams was running in 22nd when the race’s first caution came out on lap 12. Williams battled his way into 18th before a late wreck in Stage 1 brought out the yellow flag. This allowed the No. 11 team to flip the stage and bring the Alloy Employer Services Chevy down pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. A chaotic two-lap shootout to the green-white-checkered flag led to a 20th-place stage finish. 

Firing off for Stage 2 from 10th, Williams lost one spot on the jump but continued to run fast laps throughout. After retaking 10th at the lap-108 caution, Williams brought the No. 11 back down pit road, flipping the stage once again, for four tires and fuel. While on pit road, however, Williams sped, leading to an end-of-line penalty and a 31st-place restart spot. He recovered four positions to finish Stage 2 in 27th. 

Williams took the green flag for the final 122 laps in 20th place. On the first lap back to green, the No. 11 was tagged by a spinning car, damaging the Chevy’s right side. Williams pitted for tires, fuel, and right-side repairs, and he restarted in 32nd. After three quick, successive yellows, Williams brought the No. 11 into the pits for right-side tires and fuel. He took the green flag in 17th with 86 laps to go. On lap 181, Williams avoided a wreck on the backstretch, and he stayed out under yellow to restart in 16th. After the longest green-flag run of the day, a wreck with under 25 to go reset the field, and Williams pitted for right-side tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. He restarted in 19th with 18 laps to go and quickly began reclaiming positions before another wreck bunched the field together again. On the green, another crash ensued, and Williams avoided it to jump into 10th, restarting there with four laps remaining. The race’s final incident set up overtime, and Williams restarted in eighth and eventually took the checkered flag running in seventh.