Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver William Sawalich came up just shy of qualifying for the 2026 playoffs, thanks in large part to the fact that he concluded the regular season with a DNF at Daytona International Speedway.
The Rockingham Speedway winner ended up being the top driver below the postseason cut line, five points behind JR Motorsports' Rajah Caruth.
In addition to his full-time role behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota, Sawalich made one ARCA Menards Series start at Chicagoland Speedway in July and select starts in the Craftsman Truck Series, the most recent of which coming in May at Nashville Superspeedway, during the regular season.
Now he is set to make his return to the Truck Series, and he is set to do so with a new team.
William Sawalich joining Halmar Friesen Racing for one race
Sawalich is set to pilot the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota in the Truck Series postseason opener at Bristol Motor Speedway next Thursday night in what is set to be his 27th career series start.
While the No. 62 entry, which has been a shared entry all year, also fell shy of the owner playoffs, it is the highest non-playoff truck in the owner standings to start the postseason in 11th. Christopher Bell won at Bristol in that truck back in April.
That win is one of four top five finishes for the entry so far in 2026, and Sawalich is set to become the truck's ninth different driver of the year in the season's 19th race.
The 19-year-old native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota competed part-time in the Truck Series from 2023 to 2025, and he made five additional starts throughout the 2026 regular season, but he had never competed for a team other than Tricon Garage during his time in the series.
His career-best Truck Series finish is a sixth place finish at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2023. This year, his top finishes are both 10th place efforts at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Live coverage of the UNOH 250 is set to be provided by Fox Sports 1 from Bristol Motor Speedway beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 17. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!
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