No. 19 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- SAWALICH AT MARTINSVILLE: William Sawalich will make his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start this weekend after making his series debut last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This will be Sawalich’s first start at Martinsville Speedway in an Xfinity Series Toyota GR Supra. Sawalich has made two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Martinsville. He finished ninth in his track debut.
- DEBUT WEEKEND: In his Xfinity Series debut last weekend, Sawalich ran in the top 15 throughout the first two stages finishing Stage 1 in 12th and earning a 10th-place finish in Stage 2. With just over 50 laps remaining in the race, Sawalich was forced to pit to change two flat tires, resulting in a 24th-place finish.
- DOUBLE-DUTY: Sawalich will run double-duty for the second weekend in a row this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. He will climb behind the wheel of the No. 1 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage in the Truck Series race on Friday night. This will be Sawalich’s ninth NCTS race of 2024 with the No. 1 team. He won the pole for the NCTS race at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month, one day after his 18th birthday.
- FULLTIME IN 2025: Last week, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Sawalich will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series next year driving the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra.
- ARCA EAST CHAMPION: Sawalich claimed his second-consecutive ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) championship at Bristol Motor Speedway last month. Sawalich has won seven AMSE races in the past two years with 15 top-five finishes. In 2023, he became the first Minnesotan to win the series championship.
- JGR AT MARTINSVILLE: : Joe Gibbs Racing owns five Xfinity Series victories at Martinsville Speedway, including Aric Almirola’s win this spring. Since the track rejoined the Xfinity Series schedule in 2020, JGR has won five of eight races with five different drivers. In 29 combined starts at the .526-mile oval, the organization has tallied 13 top-five finishes, 21 top-10s, three pole awards, and 1,224 laps led. A JGR driver has led at least 100 laps in the past five Martinsville races dating back to April 2022. Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones, and John Hunter Nemechek join Almirola on the list of drivers who have wheeled JGR Toyota GR Supras to victory lane at the track.
- FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Sawalich’s 2024 season.
Twitter: @WilliamSawalich I Facebook: William Sawalich I Instagram: @williamsawalich
- RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, November 2, at 4 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
From the Driver’s Seat:
William Sawalich: “I feel pretty confident at Martinsville. I love short track racing and Martinsville is a fun track. JGR has been strong at this track in the past and hopefully practice will get me used to the Xfinity car there. I am excited to get to the track this weekend to learn for next year and try to get a good finish for the 19 team.”
JGR PR
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