SUPER-SAWALICH; THE 18-YEAR-OLD HOLDS OFF THE FIELD IN A PHOTO FINISH

SONOMA, Calif. – William Sawalich notched his first ARCA Menards Series West victory at Sonoma Raceway, dominating in a race that nearly slipped away during the final lap.

Sawalich, the 18-year-old racer from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was the fastest in practice, won the General Tire Pole Award and ultimately scored the victory. On the final lap Sawalich was off the racing surface and lost the lead momentarily, but he recovered the car and battled to the win.

“This was a lot more dramatic than it needed to be,” Sawalich said in regards to getting pushed off course in Turn 1 battling with Alon Day. “My tires were hot, so they grabbed a lot of grass.”

Sawalich had a commanding lead of over four seconds before Kyle Keller ran out of fuel for the second race this season. It triggered a late restart in which Sawalich traded paint for the trophy.

Sawalich lost spots to Day and Christan Eckes going up the hills. Then as they battled into Turn 12, Sawalich nudged Eckes out of the groove and they banged doors down the frontstretch.

“I knew I had it,” Sawalich said after the race. This was the first time he had won any race since the end of 2024. “It took me a second to figure out how to do a burnout again,” Sawalich said.

Day crossed the finish line in third, a second-straight podium finish for the Israeli-born driver. The four-time NASCAR Euro Series champion now runs part-time with Venturini Motorsports.

“It’s very satisfying,” Day said. “I've been through some really tough trip coming, coming from Israel to here during the war with Iran and all that crazy stuff going on in the Middle East.”

Eckes spent most of the afternoon fighting hard for every position. The BMR driver recovered from a spin on lap 21, locking up his brakes while passing for third, and would finish second.

Lap 51, featured a crash in Turn 1 for Robbie Kennealy and Rodd Kneeland. Eric Johnson Jr. turned Kneeland into Kennealy with a vicious impact in the barriers, drawing the red flag out.

Both were evaluated and released from the infield care center. Trevor Huddleston and Tyler Reif completed the top five finishers, adding to Huddleston’s 11-point lead in the series standings.

Kaylee Bryson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma made her stock car debut at Sonoma, but fought mechanical issues. The car shut off several times, costing her a lap and Bryson finished 14th.

Sawalich returns with the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Saturday's Pit Boss / Foodmaxx 250. He will roll off fifth behind pole sitter and the 2024 Sonoma Xfinity winner Shane Van Gisbergen.

The race is 79 laps around the 1.99 mile road course nestled in Wine Country. Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET live on the CW with a radio broadcast on the Performance Racing Network.