JGR shares William Sawalich’s “super fan” moment ahead of Charlotte Checkers hockey game

Joe Gibbs Racing driver William Sawalich shared a sweet moment with a fan that happened before the Charlotte Checkers hockey game earlier this week. The JGR account shared the video that featured Sawalich and the fan, Hot Rod, to its 473k followers on Instagram.

In the video, the 18-year-old driver could be seen at a table signing autographs when Hot Rod brought a model of Sawalich's #18 car that he drives in the ARCA Menards Series East for him to sign. JGR and Sawalich shared the short reel to social media with the caption:

"That moment you meet your favorite driver @williamsawalich super fan, Hot Rod (who also happens to be on our @arca_racing team), gets a signature from William before the @checkershockey game."

William Sawalich secured his second ARCA Menards Series East championship in 2024, after winning three out of the eight races he took part in along with seven top five finishes. Sawalich also drove in the ARCA Menards National Series last year where he won nine out of the 14 races he took place in and secured tenth place in the standings. He has also achieved two wins in the ARCA Menards West Series.

In NASCAR, the JGR driver secured a pole in the 2024 Xfinity Series race at the Phoenix Raceway. In 2025, Sawalich will drive full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series piloting their #18 Toyota, driving alongside Taylor Gray. Speaking about his promotion to the second-tier of NASCAR, the driver said (via NASCAR.com):

“It has been really cool to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, and I feel like I have developed so much as a driver over the past two years. I still have a lot to learn, especially with moving to a new series, so I am looking forward to taking this next step in racing.”

Sawalich will be making his full-time season debut once the Xfinity Series begins at Daytona International Speedway in February.

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William Sawalich part of all-star lineup for #1 Toyota Truck

Earlier this week, Tricon Garage announced an all-star lineup of drivers that includes Lawless Alan, Brent Crews, Brandon Jones, and William Sawalich who will all drive the #1 truck for the team part-time over the course of the Craftsman Truck Series season.

Taking to its Instagram account, Tricon Garage shared an image showing off the drivers with the caption:

"The 2025 lineup is set. Meet our No. 1 Toyota Tundra crew"

William Sawalich will pilot the #1 Toyota Tundra truck at the races at the Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Watkins Glen International.

All of the 18-year-old's starts in the Truck Series have been with Tricon Garage, scoring three top 10 finishes in 2023.