William Sawalich has zero wiggle room. Entering the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway, Sawalich sits 11th in the standings with a one-point advantage over Taylor Gray for a Chase spot. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is also tied with his teammate, Brent Crews, in the standings.
This is going to be one of the biggest races of Sawalich's career. If the driver of the No. 18 car wants to chase a championship in 2026, he has to execute at a high level. It is a very difficult ask for Sawalich at Daytona, which is arguably NASCAR's most unpredictable race track on the entire schedule.
Despite winning at Rockingham Speedway, Sawalich is facing the challenge of Crews, Gray, and Rajah Caruth. There is a possibility
that Sawalich passes Sam Mayer or Parker Retzlaff in the standings, but he simply has to focus on earning points. There is no room for error, and Sawalich has to finish well at Daytona.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: William Sawalich holds Chase spot by 1 point entering Daytona
