William Sawalich is staying put.
The 19-year-old driver will remain with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign, driving the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra. SoundGear, a long-time sponsor of Sawalich, will continue to support the effort.
“I am excited to be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2027,” Sawalich said. “The team has become a family to me since I first started here. We’ve been making great progress this year, so I am excited to continue that into next season.”
NASCAR’s only driver (and race-winner) from the state of Minnesota, the Eden Prairie-native progressed through the ranks of Late Models, the ARCA Menards Series, and the ARCA Menards Series East working alongside Toyota Racing USA and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Sawalich won back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East titles for JGR in 2023 and 2024, giving him the nod to run full-time in NASCAR’s second-tier series in 2025. Along the way, Sawalich also competed part-time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for TRICON Garage.
Earlier this season, after several near-misses, Sawalich broke through to earn his first win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, going to Victory Lane at Rockingham Speedway.
In 56 starts in NASCAR’s second-tier division, Sawalich has picked up nine top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. As the final races of the regular season approach, the driver of the No. 18 is locked in a tight battle for the final spot in “The Chase” with teammates Taylor Gray and Brent Crews, as well as Rajah Caruth.
“William has been part of our racing family at Joe Gibbs Racing for almost four years now and it’s exciting to watch his continued progress,” said Heather Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “He earned his first win in the O’Reilly Series earlier this year at Rockingham and we expect our 18 team to build off that success for the remainder of this season and into 2027.”
