Who is William Sawalich? All you need to know about the new Joe Gibbs Racing driver

Joe Gibbs Racing announced that William Sawalich will drive the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year. It will mark the young driver’s rookie season in the second-tier series following his transition to racing stock cars in 2022.

Sawalich is an 18-year-old first-generation driver from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. His goal is to become the first driver from the state to win a race in all three NASCAR series: Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, and Cup. With his recent signing with JGR, Sawalich is one step closer to fulfilling his dream.

In a statement released by the Huntersville-based outfit, Sawalich said:

“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.”

While we await his first full NASCAR Xfinity Series season next year, let’s know more about the young prospect.

Early racing days

William Sawalich started racing at age nine, entering races in Quarter midget racing. In 2020, Sawalich drove Legend Cars and secured multiple top-5 finishes. Notably, the driver won the INEX Young Lions State Championship in Minnesota and an INEX-sanctioned Legends division feature race at Elko Speedway.

A year later, the now 18-year-old driver moved to Late Model, with his first Pro Late Model Series victory coming at Carteret County Speedway. He also amassed seven top-five finishes, along with a pole position at Orange County Speedway and the fastest laps at two tracks.

Sawalich joined several series to build his racing resume in 2022, the same year he transitioned to stock car racing. He ran in multiple series, such as the ARCA Midwest Tour and CARS Tour, winning 14 races.

William Sawalich’s stock car racing career

In 2023, William Sawalich drove for Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Menards Series and Tricon Garage in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He earned 11 wins, seven pole positions, 33 top-5s, and 40 top-10s that year. But perhaps his biggest achievements were winning the 2023 ARCA East Championship and securing wins in all three ARCA platform divisions.

Sawalich went back-to-back after winning the ARCA East Championship again earlier this year, beating drivers such as Connor Zilisch, who he shared intense battles with on track.

As for the Craftsman Truck series, the driver made 13 starts with Tricon Garage. So far, he has earned one pole position at Talladega Superspeedway and three top-10 finishes.

In addition, the Minnesota native competes in Late models under Kevin Harvick Inc.

For the upcoming stint with the Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity team, Sawalich will be paired with Taylor Gray, who will drive the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra. Starkey, a Minnesota-based hearing aid manufacturer, will sponsor Sawalich’s No. 18 car.

The young driver is set to debut in the Xfinity Series at the Daytona International Speedway in February next year.