Since one of the most crucial roles in NASCAR is that of pit crew member, this week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes features Dion ‘Rocko’ Williams, who not only carries the front tires for Chase contender Jeff Gordon, but fulfills his role with flair, from fitness to fashion to family.
This past weekend, Williams achieved great success in his role as a member of the winning team at Martinsville as his driver Jeff Gordon scored his first win of the season and his 88th career win. The win also moved the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team into third place in the championship standings, 27 points behind the leaders.
Although he has made it to the highest level in the sport with one of the NASCAR’s most visible drivers, Williams’ roots are not in racing but instead in the world of football. In fact, Williams was a star linebacker at Wake Forest and played pro ball for the Minnesota Vikings before being tapped to become a NASCAR pit crew member.
Williams was recommended by his agent to try out for a NASCAR team position, which has now led to his passion and love for the sport. And he has been incredibly successful, with nine years under his belt in one of the most demanding positions, that of front tire carrier, on a pit crew team for one of the top elite teams in NASCAR.
What makes Williams unique, however, is the way that he carries out his pit crew role, with a dedication to fitness, both physically and mentally, his flair for fashion, and his love of his family.
Williams is absolutely devoted to his workout schedule, which encompasses almost half of each and every work day.
“It just never stops,” Williams said. “We have a stringent training regimen at work.”
“Throughout all my career and life, I’ve played sports and worked out,” Williams continued. “This team does such a good job with their training that it’s easy to stay in shape.”
“They make it accessible and a part of your everyday routine.”
As Williams explained it, the teams at Hendrick Motorsports work out together in groups and subgroups, depending upon their position and function on the pit crew.
“We are set up by teams and then the tire carriers have their group,” Williams said. “It’s pretty much divided where the No. 5 and No. 24 work out and then the No. 48 and No. 88 teams work out at another time.”
“Sometimes we will have competitions where we will compete amongst each other.”
One of the other major assets of Hendrick Motorsports are their workout facilities, which Williams deems “amazing.”
“Our facilities rival some minor league and professional teams just by the staff, the amount of money into it, and the focus they put into it.”
The team’s facilities include gym equipment, a turf facility and an Olympic style track. But one area has become a favorite for Williams, the yoga facility.
“Actually I never took yoga seriously in the past and really just went to look at the teacher,” Williams said. “Yoga is hard for me to do because I’m so heavy.”
“The poses are hard but it’s mandatory that I go so I had an open mind to it,” Williams continued. “I talked to my instructor and she developed a routine for what I’m good at.”
“She gave me poses that would help with the flexibility and now I look forward to it,” Williams said. “Now I’m limber and I really love it.”
In addition to the physical fitness, Williams also incorporates diet and sports psychology into his workout regimen.
“We have nutritionists onsite,” Williams said. “They give you the guidelines and go to the grocery store with you and show you how to read the labels and show you what you should and should not buy.”
“It’s second nature to me,” Williams continued. “I just do it.”
“And another help is that my wife is competing in figure competitions and with her, diet is very important and strict,” Williams said. “And that helps a great deal.”
“But she knows that I cheat sometimes and me and the kids do too.”
Williams also acknowledged that so much of the sport is mental as well, particularly on the over-the-wall crew where there are periods of inactivity before and during the race mixed with incredibly demanding periods of intensity and pressure as the car comes to pit road.
“It is nerve-wracking,” Williams said. “Some think I’m emotional and intense but as soon as I get off the plane on race day, I’ve got my headphones on.”
“I have to basically exit my nice guy Dion body and turn into a machine,” Williams continued. “I hate messing up. I hate mistakes and I strive for perfection.”
“That’s what I want,” Williams continued. “To do that, you have to become a machine at the track.”
“There is a lot of dead time but what I do is think about every scenario,” Williams said. “My music is strategically planned throughout different parts of the day.”
“About an hour before the race, you have to find that time to not be around anybody and find that place where you can think.”
While there are certainly physical aspects of carrying the heavy Goodyears over the wall, there is also incredible pressure to perform, with all eyes watching and evaluating that performance on each and every pit stop.
“Everybody from Hendrick Motorsports is watching you,” Williams said. “Our parameters for front tire carriers is to put the tire on the car in .7 seconds or better.”
“They have helmet cameras and overhead cameras and they are timing it with Dartfish,” Williams continued. “If you don’t get it right, you have a red mark next to your name and everyone sees it.”
“It’s just very stressful,” Williams said. “But when you’re on your game and perform well, that’s what I love.”
“I love competing,” Williams continued. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Williams also acknowledged another mental stressor in his season this year, including not only the way that team No. 24 got into the Chase but also the pressure to perform now that they are in the Chase and coming to the end of the season.
“This year, just making the Chase was so dramatic,” Williams said. “Oh my God, it was like an emotional roller coaster.”
“I went from hating life and everyone not wanting to be around me to now everybody’s happy for me,” Williams continued. “And now I want to win more and be higher in points.”
“I’m glad they have a psychiatrist on our staff because we need it and he knows me by my first name.”
While Williams attributes much of his success as a pit crew member to his physical and mental toughness, there is another secret weapon that he employs. He is an admitted fashionista, particularly when it comes to his flair for shoes.
“Oh my God, it’s just bad about the shoes,” Williams said. “You look good, you’re going to play good.”
“I always look at being at the track as a job interview every single week,” Williams continued. “You never know who you are going to meet or who is watching you.”
“Our team and our driver has so many fans and you’re representing more than just yourself,” Williams said. “But yes I do admit that I have a shoe fetish.”
“I love sneakers and I love looking good.”
What really makes Dion ‘Rocko’ Williams tick, however, is his love for his family, including his wife and their three children, ages three, four and seven years old.
“I’m just blessed that I have a strong support structure,” Williams said. “My wife is very strong.”
“She’s from New Jersey so she’s tough,” Williams continued. “I’m a southerner and she’s a northerner so we’re complete opposites.”
“I’m the Southern gentleman and she is the hustle and bustle New Jersey girl.”
In fact, Williams said the fans would be most surprised that he is really a ‘house husband in disguise’.
“I am such a caretaker with my family and my friends,” Williams said. “My wife works too as a pharmacist.”
“Prior to me working full-time at Hendrick, I was strictly pit crew so I picked the kids up,” Williams continued. “I had dinner ready, I would get the kids their baths, and I did all this before my wife got home.”
“I’m very much a woman inside this man’s body and pretty untraditional,” Williams said. “If it were the 1950’s, I’d have the apron on.”
As much as he loves his house husband duties, however, Williams is very much focused on his over-the-wall role at Hendrick Motorsports, especially with just three races left to go for the season and a win under the team’s belt.
“If I had a job where I didn’t travel and experience all of this, I would not be as happy,” Williams said. “It isn’t for everybody but it fits perfectly with my personality.”
“I grew up overseas and a military brat with a different school every year,” Williams continued. “And then with college and football, this lifestyle is something that I just don’t think much about.”
“My kids and my wife know what I’m doing,” Williams said. “This is what I have to do.”
“And I feel like this is truly what I was meant to do.”
For more information on Dion ‘Rocko’ Williams, follow him on Twitter @DionRocko and on Instagram at Rockoslaw@instagram. And the ever competitive Williams urges all fans to do just that as indeed he is indeed in a head-to-head competition for followers with the No. 48 team.
Fans can also check out Williams’ flair for fashion in this newly-released video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZpfrtpdvM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
