XFINITY: Joe Gibbs Racing Adds 18-Year-Old Sawalich Full-Time in 2025
The 2025 driver roster is becoming closer and closer to completed for the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series program as the organization officially announced the addition of 18-year-old William Sawalich as the full-time driver of the team's No. 18 entry next year.
The native of Minnesota will carry primary sponsorship from Starkey / SoundGear, a company founded by Sawalich's grandfather Bill Austin which is headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN, on the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra next season. Monday's announcement was something Sawalich had been working toward through his last couple of seasons of development in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series levels, and he's excited to take the next step.
”I am honored to be driving the No. 18 full-time in the Xfinity Series next year,” Sawalich said in a team press release. ”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.”
Joe Gibbs Racing is proud of being there for Sawalich's journey from the ARCA Menards Series ranks to a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride in 2025.
"We are thrilled to announce William's promotion to the next stage of his racing career with us," said Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development at JGR. "His outstanding record of victories and development over the past two years shows he’s ready for the Xfinity Series. We’re confident he’ll remain a strong contender for wins as he takes on this new challenge in 2025."
Sawalich, who will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, is already a very accomplished racer despite his young age. Sawalich has already amassed 18 wins through 39 combined starts in ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West competition. The 18-year-old racer picked up his second consecutive ARCA East championship this year in a hard-fought championship battle against Connor Zilisch.
The young phenom snatched his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole position for the race at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month. The pole-winning run came on the day after Sawalich turned 18 years old.
Sawalich joins a Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series driver roster, which already features Brandon Jones, who will return to the organzation after a couple of seasons with JR Motorsports, and Taylor Gray, who will pilot the team's No. 54 Toyota.
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.