“Finally made it back home”: 19-year-old William Sawalich shares positive update after scary Talladega crash

William Sawalich has shared an update on his condition following a frightening crash during the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 18. The 19-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing rookie driver was involved in a multi-car wreck on Lap 46 when multiple cars collided as the field went four-wide through Turn 1.

The incident began when Leland Honeyman's car was turned around and made contact with Connor Zilisch. The JR Motorsports rookie then spun into the path of Connor Mosack and collided with Sawalich in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra.

Sawalich, who was taken to UAB Medicine, the official medical provider for Talladega, thanked everyone for the support and updated on his health in a social media post.

"Appreciate all the messages and calls last night. Finally made it back home from Talladega — a little sore, but feeling better and thankful for all the support. Grateful for my team, the racing community, the NASCAR medical staff, nurses and doctors at UAB Hospital, friends and family," William Sawalich wrote on X.

William Sawalich

@WilliamSawalich

Appreciate all the messages and calls last night. Finally made it back home from Talladega — a little sore, but feeling better and thankful for all the support. Grateful for my team, the racing community, the NASCAR medical staff, nurses and doctors at UAB Hospital, friends and

Dean Thompson and Jeb Burton were also involved in the wreck. Following the crash, NASCAR stopped the race for just over 10 minutes to allow cleanup crews to clear debris and apply Speedy-Dry to the track. While Thompson and Mosack were evaluated and released from the infield care center, Sawalich was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. He was later cleared and sent home that evening, according to JGR.

Sawalich is expected to race at the upcoming Xfinity Series playoff race at Martinsville Speedway, which is scheduled for next Saturday, October 25. He has one start at the short track in 2024, which ended early for him after a suspension.

William Sawalich mixes 2025 Xfinity rookie season with part-time racing

William Sawalich has shown promise as a rookie so far this season. He recorded one pole and logged three top-5 finishes and nine top-10s in 30 starts. However, his rookie season also included several crashes and DNFs that cost points.

Notably, Sawalich landed a third-place result at Sonoma Raceway Superspeedway and had two back-to-back second-place finishes at Portland International Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway last month. He sits 17th in the Xfinity points standings ahead of the Round of 8 finale race at Martinsville next week.

William Sawalich's 2025 season was also loaded with part-time racing in other series. The 13-time ARCA winner also competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and the Truck Series for Tricon Garage. He collected two wins in the ARCA West Series this season. He dominated the Sonoma race by leading all 65 laps and edged out Christian Eckes by just 0.066 seconds. His second win came at Portland.