JOLIET, Ill. — Accidentally spinning a random driver is one thing, but sending a teammate down to the infield is a completely different ballgame, and has been known to cause quite the interesting conversation in Monday competition meetings.
That’s why, late Saturday night after the Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, the first conversations that Brent Crews and William Sawalich had after the race were with each other.
In a late-race maneuver, Crews slid up the race track in an attempt to tuck in behind his teammate, undoubtedly looking to make a move later on in the stage. The air was thick with fog, and if any spotter said they could see better than their driver, they were lying.
Crews caught the left rear quarter panel of his teammate, and in doing so, Crews threw a wrench in what would have been an otherwise solid night for Sawalich, who finished 29th following the incident. After he climbed out of the car, Sawalich made straight for Crews, who did the same.
But instead of fireworks or a terse conversation, the two young drivers simply said their peace and walked away.
“I’ve raced William for a really long time,” Crews said. “Obviously, I hate that happened, and I take full accountability. We got on his left rear, were trying to get him loose, and got him really loose. He was checking up trying to not hit the wall, and I just didn’t check up as fast as he did. (I) just misjudged it on my part.”
Unlike his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Crews did manage a more-than-solid finish, crossing the line in third in the first race at Chicagoland since 2019. Crews said after the race that he enjoyed his first visit to the track, and hopes to see it on the schedule in the future.
“It’s probably my favorite track that I’ve been to, and I had a really, really hard day, but a good finish,” Crews said. “So I would love to come back here. It was cool being able to go down there and run the bottom on restarts, and then seeing guys move all the way up to the wall is just so cool. I love this kind of racing, and it’s super difficult for me in the seat, so it’s a lot of fun.”
After the results were made official early Sunday morning, Crews sat 12th in the points standings, down one spot from one week prior, while Sawalich now resides directly behind him in 13th. The two are separated by 44 points ahead of next weekend’s return to EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for multiple automotive news outlets, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host, and a PhD. student at a premier college of media and mass communication. Tanner began working with Frontstretch in 2022, covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
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