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Nashville Fairgrounds Champ Cole Williams Set for ARCA Debut

He may be a Hoosier by both birth and residence, but over the past two seasons Cole Williams has become one of Middle Tennessee’s favorite adopted sons.

Williams, a native of Sellersburg, Indiana, and the 2014 Pro Late Model champion at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, will make his first ARCA start this Saturday. Fittingly, it will come at the storied 5/8-mile Nashville speed plant, where he’ll be behind the wheel of the No. 55 Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry during the Music City 200. It is his first of two scheduled starts for the Venturini team in 2016, with the May event at Toledo Speedway the other on the docket so far.

Longtime family friend Frank Kimmel drove for the powerhouse Venturini outfit last season, and he put in a good word on behalf of Williams when interest in the good-natured and talented young wheelman arose throughout the ARCA community.

“It was a deal we just couldn’t turn down so I’m definitely blessed to be able to run for them for my first race,” said the 20-year-old driver, a sophomore at Indiana University Southeast. His Late Model sponsors Cardinal Services and Bordeau Metals will support the effort.

Williams first got a taste of Venturini’s ARCA cars last month during a Nashville test session. There he learned about tire fall-off, throttle control and how to harness several hundred more horsepower than he is accustomed to in a much heavier vehicle.

“The cars really move around getting into the corners and into the center of the corner,” he said. “I learned I really had to back up my corner more and more the longer the run would get. It was funny, the very first time I got in the race car, I tried to drive her in deep like a Late Model and it definitely didn’t work out.

That was the biggest learning curve, just learning to back up the corner as much as I can to make sure I have a really good entry to center with the car, to make sure it really turns.”

Williams said that thanks to his many laps at the treacherous and abrasive Fairgrounds he might be able to run more grooves than other rookies, but the similarities between the cars are few.

“They’re completely different race cars,” Williams said. “You can’t just mash the gas off of the corners so I really had to learn throttle control.”

Still experience – and success –helps.

In addition to the 2014 title, which he won as a rookie, Williams claimed the runner-up spot in the 2015 Pro Late Model point standings at the Nashville Fairgrounds on the strength of three feature wins. He added three more triumphs in that division at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway, a facility where he won the 2013 Pro Late Model championship en route to the NASCAR Missouri state title and state rookie honors. He has close to a dozen wins at that track, in addition to a variety of championships accumulated across the nation in Karts, Mini-Cups and Baby Grands as a youngster.

Williams also finished fourth last season in the inaugural Kulwicki Driver Development Program, a seven-driver competition honoring 1992 Cup champion Alan Kulwicki. The program requires drivers to compete in at least 15 races each season and provides support, mentoring and exposure to young drivers looking to move through the racing ranks, while awarding points for both on and off-track achievements as they build their brand. Ty Majeski won the 2015 “Kulwicki Cup.”

“Just learning about Alan and his story motivated me for the future; it basically gave me more hope that I could still have the opportunities to make it to NASCAR as a lower-funded driver,” Williams said.

“One of Alan’s quotes that really touched me is ‘if you don’t believe, you don’t belong,’ and that’s kind of been one of those things that keeps me motivated.”

Although they are soon breaking ground on a new shop, Williams’ old-school Late Model operation is currently housed in his grandfather’s barn. A team with a sense of humor as well, their two cars are named Maddie and Tae after the female country duo. They will once again campaign for race wins and the championship at the Nashville Fairgrounds this season.

As for the ARCA program, Williams has humble but realistic and achievable expectations going into his first race weekend, where he simply hopes for a solid finish.

“I’ll learn as much as I can and hope for a top ten,” he said. “Anything else would be a plus.”

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