ST. PETERSBURG — As Armani Williams spoke with media, fans and those involved with Creative Clay’s Good Folk Fest at The Coliseum on Nov. 16, it was hard to imagine the 25-year-old race car driver ever having difficulty making friends.
But he did. In middle school, Williams’ parents, Del Williams and Irena Politano, explained that part of his challenge in making friends was autism, which creates difficulties in social communication and interaction.
Now, as someone who has competed in NASCAR since 2017, Williams not only wants to inspire autistic children but also wants to earn full-time sponsorship on the circuit. That includes getting a ride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Feb. 28, 2026. Williams is one of two currently active autistic NASCAR drivers, along with Cody Ware.
“What you hear from him is not coming from me, it’s not coming from his parents, it’s not coming from anybody else,” said Craig Baroncelli, who has been helping market Williams through his NASCAR connections. “That’s the real Armani.
“We’ve got guys on my team who specifically want to help Armani reach his goal. To have him driving in NASCAR full time will cost about $2.5 million, so we have to increase his platform. We’ve pitched the idea of him doing speaking engagements and getting someone to sponsor him, like Amazon, Oreo or Nabisco.”
As a youth, Williams didn’t speak until age 3. “I wanted to make as many friends as possible, but I recognized some kind of disconnect,” he said.
About 10 years after being diagnosed, Williams had a sit-down talk with his parents, where he learned he had autism spectrum disorder. He also learned he had to change the way he communicated.
“I had to learn basic conversation starters like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?'” Williams recalled. “I needed to learn more about them and their interests. It was not just about me.”
Williams grew up around cars and racing. His great-grandfather owned an auto body repair shop, and the young boy loved to play with Hot Wheels toy cars as a child, then began racing go-karts at age 8. After discovering NASCAR on TV and watching races, his father took him to the 2010 Brickyard 400.
Six years later, Williams made it to the ARCA Truck Series, where he finished seventh in 2016. When the series shut down, he moved to the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in Canada in 2017. His best finish is 21st at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2021.
While pursuing his goal, Williams also graduated from high school, earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Oakland University in Michigan and has spoken to autistic youths about following their dreams.
About 1 in 31 (3.2%) children at age 8 have been identified with autism spectrum disorder, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.
“My main message is that I want to help folks better understand what autism is and what we go through every day,” he said. “I also want to give people hope and inspiration, that anything is possible. If you have love, passion and a great support system, anything is possible.
“I also have understood that there are people who will like me and some who may not like me, but that’s life. You just have to be consistent and stay true to what makes you you.”
Locally, Williams connected with Creative Clay CEO Kim Dohrman and board chair Sean Kennedy. This year marks the organization’s 30th anniversary celebration of “Equality Through Art.” They suggested artist J.J. Hitch of St. Petersburg design Williams’ show truck. A 20-year veteran with Creative Clay, Hitch created a folk art design sponsored by Hall Freedman and Willi Rudowsky that Williams calls “bright and colorful with a lot of positivity to it.”
As he’s worked to overcome challenges related to his autism and pursue his NASCAR goals, Williams said he’s needed positivity.
“I’m trying to find that light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I want those with autism to think, ‘Hey, anything’s possible. Never give up.'”