William Sawalich, shown here climbing into his car at Nashville Superspeedway in May, was taken to a local area hospital for evaluation after a hard crash at Talladega. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Frightening Crash Sends Xfinity Driver to Hospital For Evaluation

Originally posted on Racing America on SI
By Toby Christie | Last updated Oct 18, 2025 8:30 PM ET

William Sawalich had a great day going at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. The 19-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured the second starting spot for the United Rentals 250, and in the early portions of the race, the driver of the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra competed admirably as he continued to log experience around the 2.66-mile track.

However, Talladega doesn't care about how your day has gone. The superspeedway has a knack for sweeping up even the most seasoned veterans in massive, spectacular highlight reel crashes.

For Sawalich, that unfortunately was the case on Saturday as he was an innocent bystander involved in an ultra-hard crash in Turn 1 on Lap 45.

The crash was triggered when Leland Honeyman was sent sent sideways after contact with Harrison Burton. Honeyman would skid down the track, where collected NASCAR Xfinity Series point leader Connor Zilisch. As Connor Mosack attempted to miss that incident unfolding in front of him, Blaine Perkins collided with Mosack, which sent Mosack skidding back across the track hard into the left front of Sawalich's car.

Another big wreck sees Playoff points leader @ConnorZilisch among those taking damage. pic.twitter.com/CagaFdW381
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 18, 2025

The inertia of the impact sent both cars hard into the outside SAFER barrier. The impact was so severe that the race was red flagged for more than 10 minutes as safety workers tended to the damaged outside retaining wall in Turn 1.

While Mosack was treated and released from the infield care center after his massive shunt, Sawalich wasn't as fortunate. The young rookie driver was transported to a local area hospital, where he is undergoing evaluation of potential undisclosed injuries sustained in the crash.

Joe Gibbs Racing, the team that Sawalich drives for, will provide updates on Sawalich's condition as they become available, and this story will contain updates as they are given on Sawalich's health.

Sawalich, who ranks 17th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings, suffered through a miserable early portion of his rookie season. However, just before the Playoffs began, the driver started making real strides.

Sawalich had back-to-back runner-up finishes at Portland International Raceway and Gateway, and prior to a 30th-place finish Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, he had racked up seven consecutive top-15 finishes. However, the finishing result in Saturday's race is not important at this moment, as Sawalich is seeking answers in a local area hospital following the hard crash.

This article first appeared on Racing America on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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