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DOVER, DE – MAY 03: Josh Bilicki, driver of the #93 WG Speeks/Carrier Chevrolet, stands by his car during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Speedway on May 3, 2019 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
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DOVER, DE – MAY 03: Josh Bilicki, driver of the #93 WG Speeks/Carrier Chevrolet, stands by his car during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Speedway on May 3, 2019 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
This weekend’s race at Road America is going to be an emotional one for a certain Josh Bilicki. This is because the Spire Motorsports driver has some fond memories at the track. In essence, this is where his NASCAR journey began, all the way back in 2016 in the Xfinity Series. Ahead of the race weekend, Bilicki revealed a special story close to his heart, pertaining to his NASCAR debut.
A short story about how my @NASCAR career began at @roadamerica.#DreamBigWorkHard pic.twitter.com/hwZhUHq2DV
— Josh Bilicki (@joshbilicki) June 30, 2022
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He said, “Six years ago today, on the Wednesday before the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Road America I shot my shot and sent Obaika Racing a Facebook message letting them know of my availability if they needed a last minute driver. I knew it was a long shot, but what the heck, I thought.”
“Little did I know, that one message would change my entire life. To make a long story short, the team called me Wednesday evening. On Thursday, I put together enough sponsorship to purchase four sets of Goodyear Eagle tores. I rushed through my licensing and drug test paperwork and on Friday I was in the car for Practice. The weekend was full of mechanical failures, but I was just thankful to be there and thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.”
Josh Bilicki is looking forward to racing at the track where he debuted
Now, after 82 Cup, 75 Xfinity, and 10 Truck starts, he is back where it all began. The most incredible part of this is that when he debuted, he had virtually no oval or stock car experience. Instead, he was primarily a road racing driver, so he was surprised that Obaika gambled on him. From there, his NASCAR career took off and he competed in his first oval race at the Phoenix Raceway.
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FONTANA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 28: Josh Bilicki, driver of the #99 Toyota, prepares for practice at Auto Club Speedway on February 28, 2020 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
According to him, he had brake trouble on a couple of occasions during that weekend. This was largely because of a stripped front brake bleeder screw. Nevertheless, he managed to nurse the car to the finish line and was eventually classified in 38th place. A year later, he graduated to the Cup Series and has been racing there and in the Xfinity Series ever since. Speaking of Road America, there were recent reports of the track being dropped in the future. This makes the upcoming race all the more special for Bilicki.
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