Five Flags Speedway: ARCA kicks off East season tonight at 5 Flags with Pensacola 200

The Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, Minn., sits 1,300 miles from Pensacola.

To call something “home” 20 hours away from your actual home is something that can only happen in motorsports. Sixteen-year-old short-track hotshoe William Sawalich has discovered that unique kinship with Five Flags Speedway.

The Minnesota teenager—who now lives in Mooresville, N.C.—has experienced tremendous success at Pensacola’s high banks since he first started coming here at 14 to race Late Models. He has won three times—including a Pro and Super Late Model sweep last July—and finished in the top-10 seven times in 11 races Five Flags.

That glowing resume makes Sawalich a favorite going into the ARCA Menards Series East Pensacola 200 tonight at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

“I’ve definitely been anticipating getting back there. It’s easily one of my favorite tracks,” Sawalich said of Five Flags. “I think I’m really good at conserving tires, which is one of my specialties. And I do think that gives me a slight upper hand this weekend, along with the car underneath me and my crew, which I know will give me a good car for this race.”

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Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Sawalich highlights a field of approximately 20 cars for the fourth consecutive ARCA Pensacola 200. Current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith won the last two. Gates open at 1 p.m. today with the Modifieds of Mayhem qualifying at 4 and the ARCA General Tire Pole Qualifying set for 4:30. The Modifieds will race at 5 p.m. today and will be followed by an autograph session at 5:45 approximately. The ARCA Menards Series East kicks off its 2023 season when the Pensacola 200 rolls off at 7:05 p.m. Call the track office at (850) 944-8400 for admission information.

Sawalich will be one of just three drivers in the field who have competed at Five Flags. Lynn Haven teenager Jake Finch has a ton of experience, racing both Late Models and Outlaws—the latter of which he won a track championship in a few years ago. Wisconsin native Luke Fenhaus, 18, has made raced the last two Snowball Derbys in Pensacola.

“I feel like William will be the guy to beat,” said Tyler Reif, 15, who topped Sawalich and others in his ARCA debut earlier this month by winning the ARCA West General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway. “The expectations are little bit higher now after Phoenix, but I’m not gonna stress myself out. If the speed is there, we’ll definitely be going for the win. But it’s still early in the season, and I don’t wanna wreck and hurt myself in points standings.”

Reif has long circled Five Flags as a choice destination because of the Derby, the most prestigious short-track race in America. The Las Vegas kid is excited about testing his mettle at one of the sport’s most iconic venues with his first year Lowden-Jackson Racing team.

“Watching previous year’s races, I know I have to hit my lines and stay close to bottom,” Reif said.

Sawalich led nearly 100 laps of the General Tire 150 in Phoenix before settling for a top-15 finish. Despite the disappointing setback, he has started the season with a bang. Sawalich bookended the World Series of Asphalt Racing earlier this year at New Smyrna Speedway with Super Late Model wins on the first and last night of racing in the weeklong event. Driving for Donnie Wilson, he finished third overall, notching top-5s in five of the six races.

Sawalich hopes to continue his luck at Five Flags tonight.

“A win is definitely possible here,” he said. “Short tracks are definitely my specialty.”

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: ARCA begins 2023 East season Saturday at 5 Flags with Pensacola 200