William Sawalich surged to his first career victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, taking control late to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway.

The 19-year-old took the lead following a restart on Lap 172 and never looked back, pulling away over the final stretch to secure the win by 0.863 seconds over Brandon Jones. In doing so, Sawalich also became the youngest driver to win at Rockingham across NASCAR’s top three national series.

Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Sawalich led 80 laps and snapped a five-race winning streak by JR Motorsports, while preserving JGR’s record of six consecutive series victories.

“It means everything,” Sawalich said. “It’s been a tough stretch going back to last year, so to finally get it done here feels incredible.”

The victory also earned Sawalich a spot in the Dash 4 Cash showdown next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he’ll compete for a $100,000 bonus alongside Jones, Justin Allgaier, and Rajah Caruth.

Caruth delivered one of the standout moments of the race, making an aggressive three-wide move late to secure fourth and lock himself into the Dash 4 Cash field. Carson Kvapil completed the top five, followed by Sheldon Creed in sixth.

Early on, Corey Day appeared to have the field covered, leading a race-high 118 laps and sweeping both stages. However, pit road issues derailed his night, forcing him to fight back through the field. He ultimately recovered to finish 10th.

Allgaier, meanwhile, maintained his strong hold on the championship standings, leaving Rockingham with a 126-point advantage over Jesse Love, who endured a difficult race and finished deep in the field after contact and an unscheduled stop.

The breakthrough victory marks a major milestone for Sawalich and adds a new contender to watch as the season continues.