William Sawalich names one race that had a crazier finish than his thrilling three-wide Sonoma victory

William Sawalich, the winner of the ARCA race at Sonoma Raceway, shared another race that had the drama of the finish at Sonoma. He called his finish at Elko Speedway to be similarly dramatic.

Sawalich’s exciting three-wide finish occurred during the ARCA race at Sonoma Raceway, where he exhibited great skill and composure. It was an unstable dynamic with some drama attached to a final lap that involved Sawalich in a memorable side-by-side battle with two other competitors - making for a thrilling three-wide finish for the win.

The conclusion of the race at Sonoma is well-known not only for being the closest finish ever at the track, but the way that Sawalich made moves late to position himself for victory showed maturity and racecraft beyond his years.

This accomplishment has added to Sawalich's positive momentum as an emerging talent in NASCAR's developmental series, and now it shows he can perform under pressure and succeed in tight and competitive situations.

Sawalich said via Speedway Digest:

"Yes, Elko last year. I think it was the closest I could finish. I don't really know, but that was a good finish. This was a little more dramatic than it needed to be for sure. I think his nose was at my door, so I knew I had it, as long as I didn't do something stupid." (1:30 onwards)

The finish was not only a testament to Sawalich’s ability and determination, the impressive victory also broke a 37-year-old Sonoma record set by his mentor Kevin Harvick. The closest Harvick finish was 0.154 seconds in 1998, and Sawalich’s 0.066-second victory smashed that record, making the historic race even more special.

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William Sawalich on his performance and Truck prior to Atlanta race

William Sawalich gave a candid assessment of his performance and truck at the 2025 Atlanta Motor Speedway race back in February 2025, admitting that his car was slow. Starting 22nd in his #1 Chevrolet Silverado for TRICON Garage, he was running around 15th place with 62 laps remaining when he was involved in a multi-car crash on lap 78.

"We were slow, we were not good... But yeah, we've got a few things to figure out for the #1 truck but, yeah, I guess we'll figure it out in Vegas," William Sawalich said to Peter Stratta for ABC45 News. (min 0:43 onward)

"I definitely wasn't past it yet (the chaos from Caruth's crash) but I think the 18 just took me... it is what it is. We weren't having the greatest day out there but we were making the most of it and that's all that matters, and just learning for the next race."

The crash was triggered by Rajah Caruth losing control and hitting the wall, which caused chaos on the track. While trying to avoid the incident by moving to the apron, William Sawalich was hit from behind by Tyler Ankrum’s #18 truck, which ended his race prematurely.