William Sawalich wins at Toledo Speedway; Andres Perez wins the ARCA Menards Collection title on Saturday night within the Owens Corning 200.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Oct. 5, 2024, was going to be Andres Perez’s day irrespective of how the Owens Corning 200 performed out. The 19-year-old Rev Racing driver turned the primary Mexican-born ARCA Menards Collection champion when he confirmed as much as race Saturday at Toledo Speedway.
The race itself, although, belonged to William Sawalich.
William Sawalich Wins at Toledo; Andres Perez Wins the ARCA Menards Collection Title
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver who secured his second consecutive ARCA Menards Collection East championship final month, Sawalich received his ninth ARCA Menards Collection (nationwide) race of the season when he led all however a number of laps on the northwestern Ohio half-mile. The 18-year-old’s 9 victories in 2024 are a series-high, a quantity he completed in 14 begins.
Perez was one of many few drivers in a position to problem Sawalich with restarts on Saturday. And it was an aggressive transfer on a restart with 19 laps to go that price Perez a greater beginning place.
Perez restarted third on the within lane behind Sawalich. With second-place Gip Ruggiero giving the No. 18 a struggle, Perez took an opportunity with a dive inside to make it three huge. Perez, although, spun within the third and fourth turns upon making contact with Sawalich.
“We had been second a lot of the race there; I used to be simply attempting the perfect to get that win,” Perez stated. “We tried all the pieces we might. Tried to be sensible, clearly, But it surely didn’t work our method. However we labored exhausting each weekend to be in [this position]. I’m going to benefit from the second and benefit from the championship. It was an awesome 12 months. I’m so very grateful.”
Sawalich solely briefly misplaced the result in Ruggiero in what was an in any other case full efficiency. He began exterior of Ruggiero on the ultimate restart of the race with 13 laps to go and stormed again to the entrance for the closing laps.
“I undoubtedly bought a great leap,” Sawalich stated of the final restart. “I can’t thank my guys sufficient. Only a good day total, a great finish of the 12 months for us.”
Ruggiero completed second forward of his Venturini Motorsports teammates Kris Wright in third and Brent Crews in fourth.
Lavar Scott, Perez’s Rev Racing teammate, end fifth to shut a season that noticed him earn the collection’ Bounty Rookie of the 12 months Award. He completed second to Perez in championship factors with a equally stellar season.
Perez completed sixth Saturday at Toledo. Then, it was Toni Breidinger in seventh, Cody Dennison in eighth, Willie Mullins in ninth and Christian Rose in tenth.