Imagine leading every lap of a race—how exciting is that?

Achieving this singular feat when you are merely a teenager and a dirt track racer is another success story altogether. That is exactly what William Sawalich, Joe Gibbs‘ rising prodigy, accomplished today. The ARCA Menards Series showed up at Springfield Mile for the Springfield ARCA 100, and the No. 18 driver dominated it throughout, winning his first Dirt Track race ever.

A slew of cautions emerged to stutter Sawalich’s progress. But the stellar driver held his own and stuck through it. He stamped a personal milestone, while some of his peers stamped one of their own. Post-race, the teen racer revealed what pulled him through the race.

Joe Gibbs’ stud overcame his weakness

After his ARCA Menards East championship, William Sawalich got the golden ticket. Joe Gibbs Racing, one of the highest-performing NASCAR teams, roped him in for 2024. And Sawalich has delivered shining results—he has won five ARCA national races before today, with the most recent being a spectacular three-wide finish at Elko Speedway. But the Springfield race victory was a class apart—especially because Sawalich got over his weakness on dirt tracks.

After grabbing the checkered flag, William Sawalich explained what propelled him to victory. His 2023 outing in Springfield provided him with valuable dirt experience. “For sure, I know we had last year; I feel like we had good speed. I just think I had to be a little more comfortable with the dirt, it’s not really my thing.” He also hailed his team: “We had a really good start with a good Toyota Camry…I can’t thank the guys enough, they did a really good job changing (the tires). The halfway break made it a little better for us in the end.”

Sawalich had achieved a level of maturity with seven career wins on the ARCA Menards Series platform. Yet the Springfield dirt did pronounce a challenge for him, although a General Tire Pole-winning time of 34.009 seconds was all Sawalich needed to lead all 105 laps. Joe Gibbs’ stud further explained how he maneuvered the technical aspects: “The only thing I’ve been told about their racing is more throttles, more turns. So that’s all I was trying to do; just gas it up and get the gear to turn, and yeah, that’s about it.”

The race witnessed several caution periods, with drivers blowing tires and spinning and hitting the wall. Yet William Sawalich held his own throughout, obtaining his second wire-to-wire finish after another flawless performance at Salem Speedway. He remembered the fundamentals of dirt racing and executed a beautiful race victory. But alongside Sawalich, two of his rivals scripted history as well.

Double girl power in ARCA

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While Joe Gibbs’ stud stamped his prowess on dirt tracks, some of his peers turned heads as well. Drivers Isabella Robusto and Taylor Reimer finished second and third respectively at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. This marked them as the first two women to clinch podium finishes in ARCA Menards history. Reimer was making her second career start and was seventh-fastest in practice before qualifying third. However, her peer’s story was more remarkable—Robusto was not even supposed to run the race as she covered for Brent Crews.

Driving the No. 20 Venturini Motorsports Toyota, Robusto made her ninth start. And she excelled, roaring past her contenders to secure runner-up. She said post-race: “Wish we could’ve gotten up front one more spot. But overall good day. Learned a lot so looking forward to the next one at Kansas. Just ended up on the podium. Super happy with our finish here. Felt like we had a second-place car for sure. It all ended up working out, had a lot of fun and looking forward to chasing the win at DuQuoin [State Fairgrounds].”

Evidently, the Springfield ARCA race was a phenomenon to watch. William Sawalich was at the forefront of it, and he clearly has a glittering future under Joe Gibbs’ care.