STATESVILLE, N.C.: Officials from AM Racing confirmed today that Joe Williams Jr. will continue to lead the organization as crew chief and will guide Hailie Deegan in her inaugural full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season beginning with the United Rentals 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Williams joined the Statesville, N.C. organization during the 2022 offseason and guided the family-owned team as they built a competitive Xfinity Series program from the ground up with driver Brett Moffitt during the 33-race Xfinity Series campaign in 2023.
Under William’s leadership, Moffitt steered to one top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
Now, Williams will look to propel Deegan in her quest to earn Rookie of the Year honors while strengthening her NASCAR resume in the team’s sophomore season.
“I am looking forward to working with Joe (Williams) next year as my crew chief,” said Deegan. “With Joe’s knowledge and experience with AM Racing, alongside the support from the Ford Performance team, I’m really excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
Williams is no stranger to success in NASCAR’s second-most popular series.
During the 2022 season, Williams earned his first career Xfinity Series crew chief victory at SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt with driver Cole Custer at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway. In addition to earning the Mooresville, N.C.-based team their first Xfinity win, he also guided then-mainstay driver Joe Graf Jr. to his then-career-best effort at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April 2022.
“I am excited about the chance to continue to lead AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Williams.
“The team has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, but there is a lot more to be desired. We continue to work hard to strengthen our Xfinity Series program, and with Hailie behind the wheel, it presents us an opportunity to continue showcasing our efforts but also put her in a position to not only contend for top-10 finishes but hopefully challenge for a win throughout the year too.”
Deegan and Williams already have a working relationship as a driver and crew chief. The two were paired for her Xfinity Series debut at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in October 2022. Deegan qualified her No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt Ford Mustang 20th and raced competitively to a strong 13th place showing in the Alsco Uniforms 302.
The duo is focused on building on their debut and accelerating AM Racing even further into the spotlight in 2024.
“AM Racing is excited to have Joe lead our organization again as crew chief in 2024,” said AM Racing team president Wade Moore.
“Joe was instrumental in helping make AM Racing’s inaugural Xfinity Series successful. With his leadership and passion, we expect to get better and frequently challenge for top-10 finishes and hopefully make a run at the Xfinity Series Playoffs.”
In 131 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts as crew chief, Williams has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), eight top-five and 30 top-10 finishes.
For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and X | Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more on Hailie Deegan, please visit hailiedeegan.com, like her Facebook page (HailieDeegan4), or follow her on Instagram (@hailiedeegan), YouTube and X | Twitter (@hailiedeegan).
About AM Racing:
AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.
Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.
The family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events in its seventh year of competition.
The team has named Brett Moffitt and Christian Rose as their primary drivers for the 2023 Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series seasons.
