William Sawalich, who will run 20 ARCA races with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023, will also pilot the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD pro for TRICON Garage in six NASCAR Crafstman Truck Series events.
TRICON Garage made the announcement in the form of a press release on Thursday. The 16-year-old racer is pumped at the chance to race for TRICON in 2023.
“I am excited to work with the Gray and Gilliland families and everyone at TRICON,” said Sawalich. “I know that the team will put forth a great effort to make sure that we have the best equipment and best teams around us. 2023 is going to be a huge year for my growth between ARCA and Trucks, and I am confident that I will learn a lot and be able to perfect my craft as a Toyota development driver here.”
According to the release, Sawalich will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway. Later in the season, the Minnesota native will run Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Richmond Raceway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Sponsorship of Sawalich for the TRICON Garage effort will come from Starkey’s SoundGear, a company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Sawalich has been regarded as a phenom within the sport, and he amassed six victories in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model division in 2022. The youngster also added three Late Model Stock victories to go along with two Southern Super Series wins.
It was the impressive performance in the late model ranks that opened up the eyes of David Gilliland and TRICON Garage.
“Late model racing is a foundational piece in the history of our race team, and it has been a pleasure to watch William’s success and maturation in those series’,” said Gilliland. “We believe he will fit right in at TRICON and we are super excited to have him as part of our driver lineup.”
Sawalich recently participated in the ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice test session at Daytona International Speedway, and seems to have a very bright future within the Toyota Racing family.
