Flawless afternoon at Springfield Mile gives William Sawalich first dirt track victory

www.arcaracing.com August 18, 2024

Springfield, IL. — William Sawalich reached a pivotal career milestone during Sunday’s Springfield ARCA 100, his first dirt track victory.

Not a dirt racer by trade, Sawalich relied on the strength of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and momentum from a stellar 2024 campaign to put together a typical efficient performance. Perfect execution from Sawalich on a one-lap shootout at the Springfield Mile enabled him to secure his sixth ARCA Menards Series national win of the year.

RELATED: Complete results from the Springfield ARCA 100

The final caution being thrown yards from the checkered flag was the only major obstacle on the day for Sawalich, who found himself more comfortable with the unique style of racing at dirt tracks like the Springfield Mile.

“We knew what we had last year and I felt like we had good speed,” Sawalich said. “I just had to be a little more comfortable with the dirt, which is not my thing. The guys made a really good change at the halfway break to get us a little better for the end.”

Sawalich’s visit to the Springfield Mile in 2023 was the first time he had been on a dirt track in a stock car.

The two dirt races for Sawalich at the Springfield Mile and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds were relatively quiet outings. He ended up placing fifth in both events, all while gaining valuable dirt track experience to carry over into 2024.

Sawalich arrived at the Springfield Mile exuding the same composure and maturity that netted him seven victories on the ARCA Menards Series platform prior to Sunday. A pole-winning time of 34.009 was all Sawalich needed to maintain control at the front of the field all afternoon.

Among those attempting to chase down Sawalich were Isabella Robusto and Taylor Reimer, both of whom passed Lavar Scott during the one-lap overtime shootout to finish second and third, respectively. ARCA Menards Series records show Robusto and Reimer became the first pair of female drivers to earn a top-three finish in the same race.

Robusto’s maiden ARCA Menards Series dirt track appearance was an eventful one, as she had to climb from the rear of the field after suffering a mechanical issue prior to qualifying.

Reimer, who has plenty of dirt track experience, improved upon the eighth-place run she obtained in her ARCA Menards Series debut at the Springfield Mile last season.

Neither Robusto nor Reimer had anything for Sawalich, who nearly obtained his second wire-to-wire performance of 2024 by leading 104 of the 105 laps at the Springfield Mile. He is only three weeks removed from his flawless showing at Salem Speedway.

Despite not facing a significant challenge for the lead on Sunday, Sawalich never once considered a victory to be guaranteed. Attrition impacted several other strong cars such as ARCA Menards Series points leader Andres Perez, all while the one-lap shootout left him vulnerable to Perez’ teammate in Scott on a single-file restart.

Knowing Scott would not cut him any breaks following a frantic three-wide photo finish between them and Kris Wright at Elko Speedway, Sawalich remembered the fundamentals that had been instilled into him about dirt racing to ensure another great day would not go to waste.

“The only thing I’ve been told about dirt racing is more throttle means more turn,” Sawalich said. “That’s all I was trying to do, trying to gas it up and getting the rear to turn.”

There are still plenty more milestones for Sawalich to reach in a stock car once he turns 18 years old in October. For now, Sawalich is content with his accomplishment and is focused on completing a sweep of the ARCA Menards Series dirt races at DuQuoin in a couple of weeks.

Following Sawalich, Robusto and Reimer in the top five were Kelly Kovski and Scott. The rest of the top 10 consisted of Toni Breidinger, Wright, Amber Balcaen, Christian Rose and Tim Monroe.

ARCA Menards Series competitors will not get much time to rest following a grueling, doubleheader weekend. The next venue on the calendar is the historic Milwaukee Mile, which takes place on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and airs live on both FS1 and FloRacing.