Eden Prairie native and NASCAR driver William Sawalich will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas in Del Valle, Texas, this weekend on March 1, with sponsor Starkey featured on the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra to raise awareness for World Hearing Day on March 3.

World Hearing Day serves as a reminder of the importance of hearing health worldwide. Starkey is a hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie. It is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies, including the recently launched Edge AI. Brandon Sawalich, Starkey’s current president and CEO, is the father of racer William Sawalich.

William Sawalich will make his track debut at Circuit of the Americas this weekend after competing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sawalich and his Joe Gibbs Racing team struggled to find speed in the first two stages of Atlanta’s Xfinity Series race but continued making adjustments during pit stops. By the end of the race, Sawalich had worked his way into the top 10, finishing ninth – his first NASCAR Xfinity Series top 10 and the first for a driver from Minnesota.