A Journey to NASCAR: Meet Dion “Rocko” Williams

Born in Germany, Dion “Rocko” Williams attended Lakeside High School in Atlanta, GA before attending Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC on a full football scholarship. After suffering several concussions at the inside linebacker position, he decided to forego his future plans of pursuing a career in the NFL – a decision that would create the opportunity for his next adventure that would make him a trailblazer.

After being contacted by a friend in his university’s career center about opportunities for former college and professional athletes in the sport of NASCAR, Williams spent 13 years as a pit crew member, carrying tires and being a jackman for drivers like Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott. In 2005, when he first went over the wall, he was one of a few African-Americans at the racetrack. In fact, there had actually never been an African-American to pit a car at Hendrick Motorsports' nor had there been an African-American to win in the top series of NASCAR at that point.

Now retired from the pit crew, Dion is helping others follow in his tracks as he’s now the national recruiter for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program and broadcast host for the Motor Racing Network’s show “Crew Call.”

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Produced by Ken Inge of Dead End Hip Hop