PPI father-son duo spends Sundays at track

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The thought that PPI Motorsports crewmen Steve and Chris Williams might be part of a third generation Nextel Cup mechanics legacy is almost mind-boggling to the two men as they celebrate Father's Day at Michigan.

Chris Williams and his wife are expecting their first child, a son, in September. That will make June 20, 2005 a particularly special day for them.

Until then, the Williamses cherish every moment together. They are virtually unique in the Nextel Cup garage in that they are a father and son not only working together, but also serving on the same over-the-wall pit crew, servicing Ricky Craven's No. 32 Chevrolet.

"I can't even describe it," Steve said. "Chris will see things that I see and he'll have a whole new perspective on life when that (birth of his son) happens, I think, just like I do and how much I appreciate this job and working with him."

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"It is way cool to be able to work every day together with my dad," Chris said. "Sunday won't be much of a celebration, but I think both of us just feel fortunate to be able to do what we do.

"And to be able to do it together, that's enough of a celebration for us, I believe."

Father's Day means a lot of phone calls and if you're lucky, a short ride. Chris acknowledges how special he and his dad's intertwined career paths are.

"What I most appreciate about having my father on the road, is going to him for knowledge," Chris said. "There might be a time when I have what I consider a stupid question, and I'll ask him before I'd go to anyone else.

"He's a lot smarter about racing than I am and the best thing has been being able to learn from him."

The pleasure has been mutual, Steve Williams said.

"The best part about working with Chris is I get to see him developing as a person, learning his job and blossoming into something," Steve said. "He started basically knowing nothing about racing and now he's great mechanic. I've gotten to see that whole transformation and it is really nice."

Steve Williams, who is the catch-can man assisting Chris, Craven's gasman, has already celebrated the birth of two grandchildren with his other son, who still lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"(My son) Will be nothing for him to get used to," Chris said. "His (dad's) nickname is Pappaw -- that's what everyone at the shop calls him and that's what he goes by.

"He doesn't get to spend enough time with them and he loves the heck out of them so it will be nice for him to have one down (in the Carolinas) so it will be nice for him, and mom to have a grandkid down (there)."

Father's Day is special for fathers and their children everywhere, no matter how far apart they are. In the hectic and dangerous atmosphere on pit road in the Nextel Cup Series, this family's love and concern is a minute-by-minute experience.

"I think we do look out for each other," Steve said. "But it's not just us doing it. All the guys on the crew, not just the over-the-wall guys, look out for each other.

"But he and I certainly look out for each other a little bit more, because of that and it's nice because in my old age I'm not as sharp as I used to be and sometimes he has to straighten me out.

"We're definitely looking out for each other," Chris said. "The best part about working with my dad is the unspoken communication we have.

"Maybe it is a father-son thing that no one else can get, but we can just look at each other and know what is getting ready to happen or what the scenario calls for."

And as arduous a life as NASCAR crewmen live and as debilitating as the lifestyle can potentially be for families, it's even more a cause for the men to cherish the moment, because September might be a watershed moment for Chris Williams.

"It's going to be tough on him because he's going to have a son at home that he's going to want to see," Steve said. "Last year our tire guy had twins and he wanted to spend more time at home, so he ended up quitting and taking another job so he could do that.

"We didn't have an opening for him at PPI and Chris is kind of going to be in the same boat. If he does this he's going to miss out on a lot of stuff with his son, growing up.

"Man, that's stuff you never get back so it's going to be tough on him and he'll have that decision to make, too -- does he want to work at the shop or does he want to go on the road?

"I know right now how much he enjoys being on the road, but when that comes about it'll be tough on him. My wife can help out but he's going to miss out on stuff that you'll never get back (if he stays on the road).

"When it's just a baby that's one thing but when kids start playing Little League and all that kind of stuff, that's the stuff you want to see -- just like I get to see every week."

Steve Williams got into racing because of his father taking him to short tracks near their Cincinnati home. He passed that passion on to Chris.

"I have no regrets at all about us doing this together or working in racing," Steve said. "There's things I miss out on with my other son and my grandsons up in Ohio, but if you want to do this you've got to be in North Carolina.

"I try to get home as much as I can, which is not a whole lot, between races and testing, which is probably 190 days a year, so that's pretty tough."

The impact of what they're doing together now, and what he has to look forward to with the impending birth of the child, whom Chris and his wife plan to name Cameron Bailey Williams, aren't lost on Chris Williams.

"It already has made a difference in my career," Chris said. "Racing always has been -- ever since we've been doing it down here -- it is your life, whether it's at the shop or whether it's traveling as many days as we do.

"It just becomes your life and when you move on and start to have kids and a family, you've really got to weigh out your options here. I'll be more excited to be at home than I will be to be at the track next year, let me put it that way."

Steve Williams has lived that already and says his son is on the right track.

"I think Chris will definitely stay in racing," Steve said. "And you know, I never thought about (Cameron) being a third generation crewman and he and Chris doing what we do now.

"That's an interesting point and I can see it because he's going to grow up around it, as long as Chris stays in racing, which I think he will. He'll grow up around racing and meet people through racing and I would say the natural progression would be for him to take a job in racing."

That's definitely OK by Chris.

"You probably don't realize it at my age, or even at his age," Chris said. "But there's going to be a time when he can look back and really appreciate the time that we're spending together now.

"It'll be the same way for me."