Camry driver William Sawalich won his second-consecutive ARCA Menards Series East championship with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday evening. Sawalich’s back-to-back title is the fourth consecutive ARCA Menards Series East title for a Toyota driver.
Coming off an impressive season last year that ended in a championship, Sawalich upped the ante in 2024, with incredibly consistent performances across all ARCA Menards Series racing. In ARCA East races, the Minnesotan captured three victories and seven top-fives in eight starts this season. He was also dominant on the national ARCA tour, winning eight races, including four in a row (Salem, Elko, Springfield and Milwaukee), and only finishing outside the top-five once.
“Winning consecutive championships is a tremendous accomplishment no matter what form of motorsports it is in, and we are thrilled for William, his family and our great partners at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “William’s talent cannot be overstated, and we’re fortunate to have him within our development program. We look forward to William’s continued progression and are excited to be a part of the future successes he’s bound to garner.”
Alongside his ARCA success, Sawalich is also improving his race craft by making appearances in NASCAR’s Truck and Xfinity Series. The 17-year-old has already made 11 career starts in the Truck Series with TRICON Garage with a career-best finish of sixth at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2023. Sawalich will also compete in the Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway this evening, and he’ll make his Xfinity Series debut later this season at Homestead-Miami Speedway after turning 18.
Sawalich drives the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in ARCA competition. This is the third ARCA Menards Series East title for the team, going along with Sammy Smith’s championship in 2021. Sawalich is the seventh Toyota driver to win the ARCA East title and the third to win the championship in consecutive years. He joins a list that includes Ryan Truex (2009 and 2010), Max Gresham (2011), Kyle Larson (2012), Harrison Burton (2017), Tyler Ankrum (2018) and Smith (2021 and 2022).
