William Sawalich Lets Slip a 7-Word Disappointment on His ARCA Phoenix Win

For William Sawalich, Phoenix was all about redemption. The 17-year-old almost won his ARCA Menards Series debut at this very track last season. The rest of his season was exceptional, but this was one of the opportunities that slipped through his fingers. However, Sawalich achieved redemption when he won the race on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, but he was not entirely happy with how the story turned out.

Sawalich is one of the brightest prospects in stock car racing at the moment. His win in Phoenix means that he has won 2 out of the last 3 races at the track. The 17-year-old was victorious in the ARCA Menards Series season-finale race at the track last year as well, after leading 93 of 100 laps in November.

Redemption for William Sawalich in Phoenix, but not really

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was announced the victor of the General Tire 150 after the weather played spoilsport and the event had to be called off with about 40 laps remaining. Speaking to the media after the race, he was happy with the result but not how he achieved it. That’s understandable. Considering that a late spin ruined this exact race last year for him, a clean win would have been the most satisfying way to cap off the day.

He might have been declared the winner without the checkered flag falling, but perhaps that was a blessing in disguise for William Sawalich. He did not have a comfortable lead by any stretch of the imagination. Gio Ruggiero of Venturini Motorsports was not one to give up, as the two battled several times on the track but ultimately settled for P2. If the race had gone on until the end, who knows? We might be looking at a different winner.

“Not the way I wanted to win a race but I knew we had the best car out there. Our Toyota Camry was really good all night. We kind of fell back in that first stint but then our guys made a really good adjustment and I’m super proud of them for doing that, sticking with me. Yeah we just ran a good race and I knew that we definitely had a chance to win it so I’m really proud of that,” Sawalich said.

It must be incredibly hard on Gio Ruggiero, who, like William Sawalich, missed out on an opportunity to win his debut race in the ARCA Menards Series. The 17-year-old was full of excitement before the race, but it all came crashing down.

P2-finish for Gio Ruggiero and Venturini Motorsports must be disappointed

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It’s no secret that Joe Gibbs Racing and Venturini Motorsports have an intense rivalry in the ARCA Menards Series. So when Sawalich and Ruggiero were battling for the lead, it was much more than just two race car drivers. To see a battle like that stop due to adverse weather conditions is extremely disappointing, even for the people not involved in the action. The rookie had qualified for P3 and was looking to take the #20 to victory lane in Phoenix.

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“Starting P3 tonight at Phoenix Raceway with the #20 @VenturiniMotor @JBLaudio Toyota Camry. Looking forward to a good night of racing. Let’s park this thing in Victory Lane! #teamtoyota,” the 17-year-old had posted on his social media handles. Despite this being his first ARCA Menards Series race, Ruggiero handled himself like a veteran against 2023 ARCA East champion William Sawalich. He even managed to finish ahead of experienced racers like Grant Enfinger and Connor Mosack.

However, it will be interesting to see how the Venturini Motorsports star bounces back from this setback, even though it was a P2 finish. But we will have to wait for that, as the ARCA Menards Series won’t see any racing for more than a month before returning to the iconic Talladega Superspeedway on April 20th.