BRISTOL, Tenn. (September 14, 2023) – Camry driver William Sawalich won his first ARCA Menards Series East title after earning the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday evening. Sawalich’s championship marks the third consecutive ARCA Menards Series East title for a Toyota driver.
The 16-year-old has delivered consistent race results across all ARCA Menards Series racing action this season. In ARCA East competition, Sawalich won four of the eight events, with top-five finishes in the balance. The Toyota development driver has also had an impressive start on the national ARCA tour with three wins, 10 top-fives and six poles in 11 starts.
“We are very excited for William and his family on achieving this title at such an early stage in his NASCAR career,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “William’s poise and race craft has been impressive at just 16-years-old. We look forward to celebrating many more titles with William in years to come as he continues to grow as part of the Toyota driver development program.”
Along with his ARCA success this season, Sawalich has also ran several races in the NASCAR Truck Series for TRICON Garage, including competing later this evening, driving the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO. Sawalich has earned three top-10 finishes in five starts, including a career-best sixth-place run at Indianapolis Raceway Park last month.
Sawalich drives a Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in ARCA competition. This is the second ARCA Menards Series East title for the team after current Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith’s 2021 championship. Sawalich is the seventh Toyota driver to win the ARCA East title. He joins a list that includes Ryan Truex (2009 and 2010), Max Gresham (2011), Kyle Larson (2012), Harrison Burton (2017), Tyler Ankrum (2018) and Smith (2021 and 2022).
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 24 electrified options.
