William Sawalich — Driver Profile
Car: No. 18 | Team: Joe Gibbs Racing | Manufacturer: Toyota Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering | Sponsors: Starkey, SoundGear Status: Full-time | Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota | Age: 19
2026 Season
William Sawalich is 19 years old and already a 2026 O'Reilly Series race winner. The JGR No. 18 driver took the checkered flag at Rockingham — one of the most demanding short tracks on the schedule — and currently sits 10th in points through nine races. A seventh-place finish at Bristol on April 11 was his latest top 10, building on the momentum from his Rockingham win. Two DNFs have been costly, but his underlying pace is considerably stronger than his average suggests: 87 laps led and a win in just his first full season put him in the conversation as one of the most promising young drivers in the series.
2026 Stats (through 9 races): 10th in points (254 pts) | 1 win | 1 top 5 | 4 top 10s | 87 laps led
Career
Sawalich is part of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pipeline, one of the most well-resourced developmental programs in NASCAR. The Minnesota native turned 19 in October 2025, making him one of the youngest full-time competitors in the O'Reilly Series. His Rockingham win in 2026 is his first national-series victory.
The Story
Sawalich's 2026 season has already produced the most important result a young driver can get: a win. The challenge now is consistency. Two DNFs through eight races have created volatility in his points standing, and the task for the rest of the season is translating the obvious pace — 87 laps led and a short-track win — into a more reliable week-to-week floor.