HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 9, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that young up-and-coming driver William Sawalich has signed a multi-year agreement to drive for the team. Sawalich will run the No. 18 Starkey Toyota Camry in the ARCA Menards Series (AMS) in 2023.
William Byron has been in the NASCAR scene since 2015. Still, it seems that his career has been pretty much fast-tracked. He debuted in the Truck Series in 2015, with a full-time debut in 2016. A year later, he had his full-time Xfinity Series debut, grabbing four wins and the title. Then in 2018, he moved up once again, this time to the Cup Series, and has been racing there ever since. Interestingly, according to former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte from Cornish, ME, the 24-year-old may have moved too early.
One of the things NASCAR has gone all in on is the excitement that normally comes with short track and road course racing. Fans have been screaming for more short track racing. They cry that mile and a half cookie cutter tracks are “boring”.
What NASCAR wasn’t expecting were long green flag racing at two short tracks that usually produce some quality side by side, fender rubbing, wrecking kind of racing.
Not all drivers were fans of plans to revamp Atlanta Motor Speedway. The old track was wide and fast and worn out. Drivers liked the racing surface. But it didn’t make for much in the way of entertaining racing so AMS tore it up and replaced with a higher banked, narrower track that provided plenty of side by side action and lots of cars wrecking. If that’s your jam, then you loved the race on Sunday.
