Corey Day and William Sawalich’s rivalry had already reached a boiling point at Darlington. Their contact during the opening round of the Chase left both drivers with very different views of what had happened, while Day later revealed that Sawalich had threatened to wreck him and told him, “We’ll see how the rest of your Chase goes.” That tension followed them to Gateway, where another confrontation ended with Day’s race coming to a premature conclusion. But this time, NASCAR insider Freddie Kraft believes Sawalich’s decision to retaliate did more harm to himself than his rival.
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“The thing that really drives me crazy about this is Sawalich ruins his own day. You know what I mean?….You wrecked a guy. But now you just ruin your own night. You tore up your race car, p***** your own team off. I’m sure they don’t want to see their car that was really fast getting wrecked for no reason whatsoever,” Freddie Kraft blamed William Sawalich on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.
Kraft’s criticism came after Sawalich chose to retaliate against Corey Day with less than 50 laps remaining at Gateway. The two drivers had already carried plenty of tension into the race following their confrontation at Darlington. And their latest encounter quickly turned another hard-fought battle into a wreck.
On lap 133, Day was battling Sawalich near the front when the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pushed up into the JGR Toyota. Sawalich then abruptly turned across the track, making heavy door-to-door contact with Day. The impact sent Day’s car spinning off the nose of Justin Allgaier before it slammed into the inside wall, ending his race.
The consequences were particularly damaging for Day because he had been in position for another strong points haul. He entered Gateway fifth in the Chase standings, but the 33rd-place finish dropped him to eighth. With only seven races remaining, he was left 69 points behind the Chase lead.
“It’s really tough,” Day said about his title chances. “It’s going to take us winning maybe three times now to have a shot at this over the next seven races. Just really unfortunate it ended the way it did. I feel like we had a top five car like I said, and had another really good points day going. Just s****.”
While Day paid the heavier price in the Chase standings, Kraft’s argument centered on what Sawalich gave up by retaliating. Sawalich was not involved in the Chase, but his Toyota had been running well enough to contend for a strong Gateway finish. Instead, the decision to turn back toward Day damaged his own car and compromised what had been a promising night by finishing sixteenth.
The confrontation also cannot be viewed in isolation. The two prospects had already clashed at Daytona earlier in the year, with contact from Day contributing to a multi-car crash that ended both their races. There was also an interaction between them at Circuit of The Americas before the tension intensified (again) at Darlington.
At Darlington, Day described their hard racing as an “ongoing thing all year long,” while acknowledging earlier incidents he had apologized for. That history helps explain why the Gateway incident carried more weight than an ordinary on-track mistake.
But from Kraft’s perspective, Sawalich had a clear reason to avoid making the situation worse. He had a fast car, a strong position and nothing to gain in the Chase by turning the confrontation into a personal battle.
NASCAR did not penalize Sawalich for the incident, despite the apparent retaliation and the damage it caused. The decision leaves the controversy centered on the drivers’ choices, although NASCAR has previously taken action when clear evidence shows a driver intentionally wrecked another competitor.
For instance, NASCAR penalized Ryan Preece after they determined he intentionally wrecked Ty Gibbs at Texas. Preece was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points after radio evidence helped NASCAR establish his intent.
However, Denny Hamlin has argued against NASCAR taking action against Sawalich. The JGR driver believes Sawalich should not be penalized for the Gateway incident, adding another layer to the debate over where hard racing ends and intentional retaliation begins.
For Day, the lack of a penalty does little to repair the damage. He lost a potential top-five finish and slipped further behind in the Chase standings. Sawalich may have delivered the message he wanted, but Kraft believes the JGR driver ultimately ruined a strong race of his own to do it.