Patience proved to be crucial for William Sawalich in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series West race at Portland International Raceway. After trailing NASCAR Xfinity Series veteran Brandon Jones for the first half of the Portland 112, a decisive maneuver into the Turn 1 chicane with 31 laps remaining resulted in Sawalich's first road course victory on the ARCA Menards Series platform.
This triumph marked a significant milestone for Sawalich, who had identified road courses as an area for improvement following his rookie ARCA campaign in 2023. He emphasized the importance of his team's efforts during the offseason to refine their road course strategy and his own commitment to enhancing his performance on these tracks.
“We definitely worked on our road course program during the offseason and I worked on myself,” Sawalich said. “I wasn’t that great [on road courses] last year, but I put in the work and got the win [at Portland], so that feels really good. We have a lot of confidence rolling into Sonoma, and I know we’re going to be good there.”
Despite never finishing a road course race outside the top five last year, Sawalich was dissatisfied with his previous performances, knowing how competitive his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Toyota was on oval tracks. His determination paid off as he posted the quickest time in practice with a lap of 1:16.9, although he had to settle for a spot on the outside front row after qualifying.
Throughout the race's early stages, several cautions prevented Jones from gaining a significant lead, allowing Sawalich to become increasingly comfortable with Portland's layout. His patience and strategic driving culminated in a powerful run off Portland’s twelfth turn, giving him the momentum to overtake Jones in the chicane. Once in the lead, Sawalich maintained a pace that the rest of the field could not match, cruising to his second win of the year in the West Series.
This victory, combined with his previous wins at Phoenix Raceway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, brings his total to three on the ARCA platform in 2024. As he looks ahead to the freshly-paved Sonoma Raceway, Sawalich is confident in his ability to secure another road course win despite the track's distinct challenges.
“This gives me more confidence on road course races,” Sawalich said. “I know how to lead a road course race now I guess, but we’re getting the ball rolling. I just can’t thank these [Joe Gibbs Racing] guys enough for this car being so good right off the bat.”
Isabella Robusto continued her strong performances, finishing third behind Sawalich and Jones, while Tyler Reif and Gio Ruggiero completed the top five. The rest of the top ten included Dale Quarterley, Marco Andretti, Trevor Huddleston, Kyle Keller, and Takuma Koga.
Fans can catch the next ARCA Menards Series West race at Sonoma Raceway, where the green flag for the General Tire 200 will wave at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 7, with live coverage on FloRacing.
