Josh Williams did ... what? NASCAR driver parks at start-finish line in middle of race

Josh Williams certainly gave racing fans something to talk about.

In the middle of a choppy NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, Williams made the NASCAR world stand still in confusion: He parked his 92 car out at the start-finish line — and then he hopped out of the driver’s seat and briskly walked to his team on pit road, taking off his helmet and parade-waving as he trudged.

Williams appeared to park his car in frustrated protest. NASCAR ruled that he needed to head to the garage for having debris come off his car. Williams, conversely, didn’t think his day needed to be done.

“What’s he gonna do — fine me?” Williams said in a widely circulated Twitter video taken by Noah Lewis. “I can’t afford to pay it!”

The rule that NASCAR referenced in its directive to take Williams’ car off the racetrack: “At the discretion of the Series Managing Director, if a damaged vehicle elects not to enter pit road on the first opportunity or if a damaged vehicle exits pit road before sufficient repairs had been made and thereafter causes or extends a caution (e.g. leaking fluid, debris, etc.) then said vehicle may incur a lap(s) or time penalty or may not be permitted to return to the Race.”

The move occurred during one of the race’s several cautions — and it further delayed an already long race at the Xfinity level, NASCAR’s second-tier of its three national series. Williams’ transgression prompted the fifth caution of Stage 1 alone.

The move also set Twitter ablaze.

Only a few minutes after Williams emerged from his car, the Xfinity Series driver was trending on NASCAR’s favorite social media platform. One account compared his move to Antonio Brown’s early departure from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game during the 2022 NFL season.