Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway
No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry News and Notes:
SAWALICH AT FIVE FLAGS: William Sawalich will be making first ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) start at Five Flags Speedway this weekend. The Toyota development driver is well-acquainted with the short track having three wins on his resume – a pro late model win in both 2021 and 2022 and a super late model win in 2022. This Saturday’s race will kick off the AMSE season as Sawalich competes for the 2023 AMSE championship.
LAST TIME OUT: Sawalich had an impressive ARCA Menards Series (AMS) debut at Phoenix Raceway on March 10. The 16-year-old qualified on the pole for his first race on the track and led a race-high 94 laps. On lap 55, the No. 18 spun, but did not receive any damage. Sawalich quickly charged back through the field and regained the lead. The caution flag flew near the end of the race to force a green-white-checkered finish. Sawalich restarted first in the inside lane and was spun in the dog leg coming to the white flag, resulting in a 13th-place finish.
2023 ARCA SEASON: Sawalich will run 20 races in the No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry. He will compete for the AMSE Championship and the AMS Owner’s Championship for the No. 18.
JGR AT FIVE FLAGS: Joe Gibbs Racing has one previous win at Five Flags Speedway. That win came in the 2021 AMSE race with Sammy Smith behind the wheel.
FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Sawalich’s 2023 season.
Twitter: @WilliamSawalich I Facebook: William Sawalich I Instagram: @williamsawalich
RACE INFO: The AMSE Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST on Saturday, March 25. The race will be broadcast live on FloRacing.
From the Driver’s Seat:
William Sawalich: “I’m excited to go race at Five Flags Speedway this weekend. It’s a track I feel comfortable at and think we have a good chance at a win. The No. 18 was fast at Phoenix and I know that the guys will bring a good car to Pensacola too. This weekend will be a good weekend to get ARCA East points and get started on the right foot to go chase a championship the rest of the year.”
Sawalich’s 2023 ARCA Menards Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 94 | 1.0 | 13.0 |
About Starkey:
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development, and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.
About SoundGear:
Founded in 2010, SoundGear represents the latest advancements in hearing protection. SoundGear hearing protection and enhancement products are ideal for hunting, competitive shooting, law enforcement, construction, heavy industry, concerts and events, garages, motorsports, and much more. SoundGear engineers products that provide 100% digital sound enhancement to deliver superior environmental awareness, while still protecting your hearing. SoundGear products are manufactured by Starkey, a global leader in hearing technology and premier provider in hearing health care headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning five Cup Series championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships, along with more than 350 NASCAR races, including four Brickyard 400s and four Daytona 500s.
