Joe Gibbs' star William Sawalich gets pole position at Daytona ARCA Series after inclement weather cancels practice

William Sawalich will be in pole position for the ARCA Menards Series race on Saturday. This happened as a consequence of the category's practice being canceled due to inclement weather. As per the rule book, the pole position was decided by the final 2024 ARCA Menards Series Owner Point standings, with Sawalich on top.

As a secondary consequence, the time slot that was going to be used for the category's qualifying, is now going to be used as a practice session for all 40 cars involved; ARCA Menards Series announced in their X (formerly Twitter) account.

"Thursday ARCA practice at @DAYTONA has been canceled due to inclement weather. Per the rule book, the field will now be set by final 2024 ARCA Menards Series Owner Point standings, with William Sawalich set to start on the General Tire Pole with Lawless Alan alongside on the front row. The time slot originally slated for General Tire Pole Qualifying (Friday, 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. ET) will now be utilized as a practice session for the 40-car starting field".

The post also mentions that Lawless Alan will be alongside William Sawalich on the top row. For Sawalich, this will be his debut in Daytona and the Xfinity Series.

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Busy weekend ahead for William Sawalich

As he awaits his debut in Daytona Beach, William Sawalich is preparing himself for a busy weekend, where the young driver will run triple duty for TRICON Garage and Joe Gibbs Racing.

On Friday, he'll run the Craftsman Truck Series in his #1 Toyota Tundra; then, on Saturday, he'll be running the ARCA Menard Series in his #18 Toyota Camry; and finally, his Xfinity Series debut in the United Rentals 300 in his #18 Toyota GR Supra.

Sawalich is running a separate race alongside Taylor Gray, Carson Kvapil, Connor Zilch, and Christian Eckes for Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series. He won seven AMSE (ARCA Menards Series East) races in the past two years, with 15 top-five finishes, winning two championships.

Although winning pole position for the ARCA Menard Series race doesn't directly impact Sawalich's chances in the race for ROTY in the Xfinity Series, it will certainly be a confidence booster for the remainder of the weekend and the calendar.

Having upgraded to Xfinity Series just this year, it will be a life-changing challenge for William Sawalich, but he said he's honored for the opportunity and is looking forward to it:

"I am honored to be driving the No. 18 full-time in the Xfinity Series next year […] 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 said in a statement.

As a very ambitious weekend starts for William Sawalich in Daytona Beach, it is certain that he will start on the right foot in at least one race.