Andy Williams was already being remembered inside an AEW arena on Saturday night, but his name was also racing around a NASCAR track hundreds of miles away. “The Butcher” received another tribute on September 12, this time on the No. 42 car driven by Brad Perez.
Steve Stasiak shared a photo of the tribute on Twitter after it was sent to Book Pro Wrestlers by reader Chuck Stahlheber. According to Stahlheber, a friend who sponsored the car decided to use part of that space to remember Williams.
“A friend sponsored a car in the NASCAR series, and they put a small tribute to The Butcher on it.”
Williams’ name appeared just above the driver’s window on Perez’s No. 42 car. The tribute was featured during the NASCAR O’Reilly Series Nu Way 225 Powered by Bobcat and Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Stasiak pointed out that the tribute didn’t take up much space on the car, but that wasn’t really the point. Someone had the opportunity to put a name there and made sure Williams was the one riding along.
The timing made the gesture hit even harder. On the same night, AEW opened the September 12 episode of Collision with a 10-bell salute for Williams, complete with his photograph, flowers and a guitar.
Williams died at 48 after collapsing following his match at Enjoy Wrestling’s Five Years event in Millvale, Pennsylvania, on September 5. CPR was administered before he was transported to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. His official cause and manner of death remain pending.
Williams spent years balancing two very different worlds as a professional wrestler and guitarist for Every Time I Die and Atomic Rule. One week after his death, his name wasn’t only being remembered by the wrestling and music communities. It was riding around a NASCAR track as well.
What did you make of Brad Perez’s No. 42 car carrying a tribute to Andy Williams? Let us know in the comments.
