Armani Williams: The First NASCAR Driver with Autism Inspiring Change

Armani Williams has a simple message for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) community — one he holds close to his heart.

“Don’t give up, always have hope and faith, and if you go after your dream, that dream will happen,” says the 23-year-old.

It’s a mantra Armani is putting into practice as one of American stock car racing’s rising stars and the first driver with ASD to reach the sport’s highest levels.

During the course of his conversation with Optism, the news comes through that the massive NASCAR organization has approved Armani’s participation in its Xfinity Series, one of the top three national divisions of NASCAR.

Childhood dreams and challenges with ASD

For Armani, this is the fulfillment of a dream he has been chasing since he was a “very young kid” playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars on the floor of his family home in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

“After watching my first race on TV, I was hooked and wanted to watch every single NASCAR race that was on,” says Armani. “That’s when I went from loving cars to loving racing. I loved it so much that I told my dad one day that I wanted to be a professional race car driver.”

While Armani’s childhood echoes that of countless other young boys who dream of becoming race car drivers, his journey took a unique turn when he was diagnosed with ASD at just two years old.

Despite expectations that he might be non-verbal, Armani started speaking at three but continued to face difficulties during his early childhood.

“It was never easy,” he recalls. “I was the kind of kid that was shy and never really talked a whole lot. I always wanted to try and make as many friends as possible but there was always a disconnect and I could not realise why. Was it how I acted? Was it something that I said that was off? I couldn’t really figure it out.”

Preparing for the Future with ASD

Armani’s parents explained his condition to him when he was 11 and entering middle school. With that understanding, the pieces of his life started to fall into place.

“Once I learned the truth, it was like a weight came off my shoulders, and it made sense in terms of what I had been dealing with all this time,” he says. “From there, I could move forward in how I could handle having ASD for all my life.”

Armani’s parents turned to specialists and research “to find any sort of help that they could find.”

“My parents had me go through therapies like behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, you name it, to help me prepare for the future,” he says.

The many challenges included issues with communication, social interaction, and repetitive behavior. While Armani’s parents worked with him on communication, he says he “took the initiative” when it came to interaction and behavior.  Armani explains:

"Even growing up to this day I always wanted to pride myself in never letting my emotions get the best of me at the wrong times. All of those things have come with the great support that I had through my parents, teachers, and mentors and have helped me open myself up like never before and I can figure out what kind of person I want to be known for."

Inspiring the Global ASD Community

Armani’s love of cars eventually led his father to take him go-karting and later to the Brickyard 400 stock car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010. From that moment, there was no turning back.

“The one thing I love about getting behind the wheel is that I get to go fast. I love the need for speed every time I’m out on the racetrack,” says Armani, who says driving helps him focus. “You get to push it to the absolute limit, doing whatever it takes to win.”

Armani progressed from go-karting to bigger stock cars capable of reaching speeds of up to 322 km/h. He has finished in the top 10 in secondary-level racing and is now seeking sponsors to back his season in the Xfinity Series. His ultimate goal is to enter the NASCAR Cup Series – the sport’s pinnacle – while continuing to inspire the global ASD community.

“I want to be competitive every time I hit the racetrack and go after wins,” says Armani. “I want to set an example for the millions of individuals and children who have been impacted with autism to show that anything is possible in this world having autism.”