William Sawalich Released From Hospital After Scary Talladega Crash

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

Update: Sunday, October 19 at 12:30 PM ET

William Sawalich has posted for the first time on social media since his hard crash in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250, which resulted in him being held at a local hospital for further evaluation until roughly 3 AM ET on Sunday morning. In the post, Sawalich provided an update and thanked the medical staff at UAB Hospital for taking care of him after the crash.

"Appreciate all the messages and calls last night," Sawalich said. "Finally made it back home from Talladega -- a little sore, but feeling better and thankful for all the support. Grateful for my team, the racing community, the NASCAR medical staff, nurses and doctors at UAB Hospital, friends and family."

Appreciate all the messages and calls last night.  Finally made it back home from Talladega — a little sore, but feeling better and thankful for all the support. Grateful for my team, the racing community, the NASCAR medical staff, nurses and doctors at UAB Hospital, friends and…

— William Sawalich (@WilliamSawalich) October 19, 2025

Update: Sunday, October 19 at 3:11 AM ET

William Sawalich, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra, was released from a local area hospital, where he was being held for further evaluation following a hard crash in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The update came from Sawalich's Joe Gibbs Racing team, which sent the update out in a post on social media at 3:11 AM ET.

William Sawalich has been released from the hospital.

— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) October 19, 2025

No additional updates on Sawalich's health status were given with the update.

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Original Story: Saturday, October 18 at 7:30 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.