Bubble battle: William Sawalich chases postseason breakthrough

An expected strong run at Sonoma Raceway could have reinforced William Sawalich's Chase position. Instead, a 13th-place finish in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pushed him below the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase cutline for the first time in nearly two months, raising the stakes for the final five races before the postseason. Rookie sensation Brent Crews -- Sawalich's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate -- banked a race-high 50 points, while Sawalich lost 25 points on The Chase bubble. Over the last two races, he's bled 36 points. Being on the outside looking in isn't a place Sawalich desires to be with only a handful of races remaining in the regular season, especially with two of those events being at drafting-style tracks. But he's among a trio of JGR drivers ranked 11th through 13th in the standings. RELATED: William Sawalich driver page "We are very aware of that," Steve de Souza, executive vice president of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and development for JGR, told NASCAR.com at Sonoma. "We have a weekly points system that we put out. The drivers know, and that creates a lot of stress in their minds, but this is a pro sport. They need to know what they are up against." Sawalich feels the pressure to make the postseason after missing out as a rookie in 2025. He doesn't want to overthink the final stretch of races, however, knowing how crucial each race is. "It's only on your mind if you lose out on a point," Sawalich said of his position. "When you're actually racing, you are racing the race and then try to figure out points after. You can't let it get in your head during the race. "The goal for the season is to make the playoffs in this new Chase format. We were ninth for a while, so we are fast enough to be in there, no problem. It comes down to putting together good, consistent finishes." Consistency has been the biggest hurdle for the No. 18 team over the past year and a half. While Sawalich has shown race-winning speed -- charging from the middle of the pack to earn his first victory at Rockingham Speedway in April -- those standout performances have been difficult to sustain. In 49 starts as a full-time competitor, he has recorded seven top-five finishes and 16 top 10s. There have been signs of progress during Sawalich's sophomore campaign. The No. 18 Toyota emerged as a consistent top-five contender in May, highlighted by a career-best streak of three consecutive top-five finishes spanning Dover Motor Speedway through Nashville Superspeedway. "Since Rockingham, he won that race, that taught him what it takes to win a race, the level you have to compete at," de Souza said. "I think he's aware from a competitive standpoint what needs to happen. He is aware that he has to finish races. There is a lot there, and I think that's an ongoing discussion throughout the week of where we are and what we need to continue to improve." [caption id="attachment_517208" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Meg Oliphant | Getty Images[/caption] Admittedly, Sawalich's rookie season was a difficult transition, moving two full rungs up the proverbial developmental ladder from being full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2024. It was a wake-up call for the Minnesota driver. "The competition level is just different," Sawalich said. "You have to fight hard for even a top 10. When the car is good, it's an easier day. But when the car is a little off, and I have to adjust for it, that's probably what I've had to learn." Learning techniques at mile-and-a-half tracks was the biggest adjustment. The success rate is naturally lower after his jump to the O'Reilly Series, given how challenging the field is. He is one of six series regulars to win through the opening 19 events in 2026. "The wins are a lot more prestigious here," Sawalich said. "Some of the best guys haven't even won this year. It's really tough. To get that win early on was good and relieved a lot of the pressure." After leaning on Aric Almirola for a chunk of 2025, Sawalich joined a program led by former drivers Trevor Bayne and Blake Koch this season. They have worked with Toyota drivers to help refine their skills. Sawalich's finishes have slightly improved. His average starting position is almost in line with 2025 (10.1 in 2025 vs. 10.3 in 2026), while his average finish has improved 1.7 spots (18.9 in 2025 vs. 17.2 in 2026). MORE: O'Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule "It probably looks like a heart-rate monitor," Sawalich said of his season. "Our finishes are either really good or we get caught in something that we don't want to be in and lose some points from it. Now, we are definitely in a big hole that we need to get out of." The 20-point deficit isn't insurmountable. He's still new to the game at 19 years old, meaning there is plenty of room to grow. The next chance at growth will be at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The July 4 event will be the first time the O'Reilly Series has raced at the 1.5-mile track since 2019. "The biggest thing I would say now is remember his age," de Souza said. "If he's 25, 30 years old and doing this a long time, the lesson should already be learned. But he's 19 and doing this for two years and has had success in the ARCA car, which is great to learn race craft, learn to compete and how to win races. But jumping up the next couple of levels, now you're racing against much better race teams, better drivers, better pit crews and you have to be part of that process that excels."