William Sawalich

William Sawalich Bio

William Sawalich is an American professional stock car racing driver born October 3, 2006 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, while also running part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series family of regional and national events. He is the 2023 and 2024 ARCA Menards Series East champion and a former SCCA Trans-Am TA2 ProAm Series Champion. His father is Brandon Sawalich, president of Starkey Hearing Technologies, which serves as his primary sponsor, and he is currently an online student at Liberty University Online Academy.

Sawalich entered the national motorsports spotlight as one of the most decorated young development drivers in American short-track racing. He is the youngest driver ever to win the All American 400, accomplishing that feat in 2023. His rapid progression through regional late-model competition and directly into Joe Gibbs Racing’s ARCA program has made him one of the most closely watched prospects in NASCAR’s development pipeline. He stands 180 centimeters tall and weighs 70 kilograms, and represents a new generation of young, professionally backed American stock car talent.

Early Life and Background

William Sawalich was born on October 3, 2006, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States. His father, Brandon Sawalich, serves as the president of Starkey Hearing Technologies, the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States. The company has been a consistent sponsor of Sawalich’s racing efforts throughout his career. Brandon Sawalich is also the stepson of businessman William F. Austin, further connecting the family to the Starkey corporate structure.

Sawalich began racing at the age of nine, competing in various midget race formats including Sr. Animal’s and World Formula categories. From 2017 to 2019, he won several track championships at Little Elko Speedway in Minnesota, establishing himself early as a competitive force in local competition. He transitioned into legends car racing in 2020, winning the INEX Young Lions State Championship in Minnesota that year. He scored multiple top-five finishes and podium results throughout his legends car campaign and won an INEX-sanctioned Legends division feature race at Elko Speedway on August 22, 2020.

Path to NASCAR

Sawalich made a significant step forward in 2021 by moving into late-model stock car competition. He ran nearly a full season in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series that year, missing only two races but still finishing fourth in the overall standings. He captured one race win at Carteret County Speedway and recorded seven top-five finishes. He also made his CARS Tour debut at Tri-County Motor Speedway in September 2021, starting from the pole position before being collected in a late-race accident and finishing seventeenth.

In 2022, Sawalich expanded his late-model schedule substantially, competing across the CARS Tour, the Champion Racing Association, the ARCA Midwest Tour, the Southern Super Series, and the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. In the CARS Tour specifically, he ran nine races and earned six wins, including four consecutive victories at one point. His winning streak was ended at Tri-County in September after contact with Jake Garcia on the final lap. In addition to his late-model success, he competed in the SCCA Trans-Am TA2 ProAm Series in 2022 and was named the series Rookie of the Year. On December 9, 2022, it was announced that Sawalich would join Joe Gibbs Racing, launching a multi-series program that would place him directly into ARCA Menards Series competition and beyond.

William Sawalich Career

Early Career (2017–2022)

Sawalich’s foundational years in racing were spent at the grassroots level in Minnesota. From 2017 through 2019, he collected multiple track championships at Little Elko Speedway, a track that would remain a meaningful venue throughout his career. His progression through legends cars in 2020 produced a state championship in the INEX Young Lions division, and the 2021 move to late models in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series marked his arrival on a broader regional stage. In 2022, the breakout year across multiple series, he captured the SCCA Trans-Am TA2 ProAm Series Rookie of the Year honor and dominated the CARS Tour with six victories in nine starts. His 2022 season also included wins in the Rumble by the River 125 and the Throwback 276, and his performance attracted the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing, which formally announced his signing on December 9, 2022.

ARCA Menards Series East Breakthrough (2023–2024)

Sawalich’s ARCA Menards Series East tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing began in 2023 and immediately produced a championship. In his first start at Five Flags Speedway, he won the pole and led every lap to earn his first career ARCA victory. He added a second win at Flat Rock Speedway after leading the final fifty laps. A hard-luck second-place finish at Nashville followed after a last-lap caution disrupted his momentum. He clinched the ARCA Menards Series East championship following the Bristol race, capping a dominant rookie season.

In 2024, Sawalich returned full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East and successfully defended his title, becoming a back-to-back series champion. He led the most laps at Five Flags but finished second to Gio Ruggiero in the season-opening race. A mid-season incident at Dover resulted in a seventeenth-place finish and his first career DNF after a late-race accident. He rebounded immediately at Nashville, leading 145 of 150 laps to score a commanding victory. Across the 2024 season, he recorded three wins and seven top-three finishes to secure the championship for the second consecutive year. He also won the Orange Blossom 100 in 2023.

ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2023)

Sawalich ran a fourteen-race schedule in the main ARCA Menards Series in 2023 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 Toyota Camry. In fourteen starts, he won nine races, recorded thirteen top-five finishes, and finished tenth in the final points standings despite running a partial schedule. His season-opening victory at Phoenix came after leading 66 laps in a weather-shortened event. At Dover, he won the pole and led the most laps before being collected in a late incident, recording his first career DNF. His nine wins across the season were a significant factor in the No. 18 entry winning the ARCA Menards Series owner’s championship.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2023–2024)

Sawalich made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut on January 19, 2023, when Tricon Garage announced a six-race schedule for him in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra. He made his series debut at Martinsville Speedway and finished ninth after running near the front for most of the race. He recorded three top-ten finishes in his 2023 Truck Series outings. Tricon Garage announced an expanded ten-race schedule for Sawalich in 2024. That season, he scored his first career Truck Series pole at Talladega Superspeedway, achieving the feat just one day after his eighteenth birthday. He also recorded competitive runs at Bristol and Martinsville during the 2024 campaign.

NASCAR Xfinity Series and Joe Gibbs Racing Era (2024–Present)

Sawalich made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on December 13, 2023, when Joe Gibbs Racing announced a part-time schedule for him in the No. 19 Toyota GR Suppa for the final three races of the 2024 season. He competed at Homestead, Martinsville, and Phoenix, scoring his first career Xfinity Series pole at Phoenix in just his third career start. On October 21, 2024, it was announced that he would run full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2025, driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. During the 2025 season, he recorded top-ten finishes at Atlanta, COTA, Mexico City, Sonoma, Dover, Indianapolis, and the Charlotte Roval, earned his second career pole at Nashville, and recorded second-place finishes at Portland and St. Louis as his best results of the year. A multi-car wreck at Talladega during the fall race resulted in concussion-like symptoms that caused him to miss the Martinsville race and the season finale at Phoenix.

Driving Style and Strengths

Sawalich has demonstrated a particular aptitude for superspeedway and short-track competition, backed by his late-model roots and his ability to lead races from the front. His pole-winning runs at Nashville, Dover, Phoenix, and Talladega reflect strong qualifying pace across a range of track types. His aggressive yet controlled race-craft was evident in the way he dominated races such as his 145-lap lead at Nashville in 2024 ARCA East competition. His partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 18 team has provided a competitive platform at every level he has contested, and his management under KHI Management reflects a professional approach to his career development.

Notable Races and Milestones

Sawalich’s victory in the 2023 All American 400 stands as arguably the most prestigious win of his career, making him the youngest driver ever to win that event, though the race concluded controversially after fluid on the track eliminated the top eight competitors. His first ARCA Menards Series East win at Five Flags Speedway, where he led every lap, established his credentials in the JGR program. His 2023 ARCA Menards Series season with nine wins in fourteen starts is among the most efficient partial-season performances in series history. His first career Truck Series pole at Talladega on his eighteenth birthday marked a personal milestone, and his first career Xfinity Series pole at Phoenix in just his third start signaled his readiness for NASCAR’s national competition.

William Sawalich Career Wins

William Sawalich has accumulated a significant number of career victories across short-track, regional, and national series competition. His win total reflects a rapid and highly productive career trajectory that has spanned midget, legends car, late model, ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, and select NASCAR Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series starts. His most dominant season came in 2023 in the ARCA Menards Series, where he won nine of fourteen races entered.

ARCA Menards Series Highlights

In ARCA Menards Series East competition, Sawalich won multiple races across the 2023 and 2024 championship seasons, including a flag-to-flag victory at Five Flags Speedway in his series debut, a win at Flat Rock Speedway in 2023, and a dominant 145-lap performance at Nashville in 2024. He also claimed the Orange Blossom 100 in 2023. In the main ARCA Menards Series in 2023, he won nine races in fourteen starts, including a weather-shortened victory at Phoenix in which he led 66 laps, and contributed directly to the No. 18 Toyota Camry winning the owner’s championship. In ARCA Menards Series West competition, he recorded victories at Phoenix in 2023 and at Sonoma and Portland in 2025.

Other Wins and Performances

Sawalich’s late-model career included six wins in nine CARS Tour starts during 2022, along with victories in the Rumble by the River 125 and the Throwback 276 that same year. He won the 2023 All American 400, becoming the youngest driver to do so. He captured the SCCA Trans-Am TA2 ProAm Series championship in 2022 and was named the series Rookie of the Year in the same season.

William Sawalich Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

William Sawalich’s father, Brandon Sawalich, is the president of Starkey Hearing Technologies, the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States. Starkey Hearing Technologies serves as the primary sponsor of William Sawalich’s racing efforts across all series in which he competes. Brandon Sawalich is the stepson of businessman William F. Austin, founder of Starkey Hearing Technologies, creating a direct family connection to the company’s leadership and legacy. This sponsorship and family backing has allowed Sawalich to pursue a professional racing career without the traditional funding constraints that affect many development drivers.

Personal Life

William Sawalich is currently an online student at Liberty University Online Academy, balancing his academic studies with a demanding national racing schedule. He is represented by KHI Management for his professional racing representation. He currently resides in the United States and maintains a focused training and development regimen as a young driver in NASCAR’s developmental pipeline. No spouse or children are publicly documented.

William Sawalich 2025 Season Performance

The 2025 season marked William Sawalich’s first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. He started the season with a 28th-place DNF at Daytona International Speedway but steadily built competitiveness throughout the year. He recorded top-ten finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Mexico City, Sonoma Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Charlotte Roval, demonstrating consistency across a wide range of track types. He earned his second career Xfinity Series pole at Nashville Superspeedway.

Sawalich’s best finishes of the 2025 season came at Portland International Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, where he finished second at both venues. The Portland result was particularly notable as it represented one of the strongest road course performances of his national series career. During the fall Talladega Superspeedway race, he was involved in a multi-car wreck during the second stage alongside Connor Mosack and Dean Thompson, requiring an overnight hospital stay. He subsequently missed the following race at Martinsville Speedway due to concussion-like symptoms and was replaced by Justin Bonsignore, who also took over for the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.