​William Sawalich is below the Chase bubble with two races remaining in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Series regular season. Sawalich is the first driver outside of the Chase with a seven-point deficit to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Taylor Gray. Luckily for hte driver of the No. 18 car, Gray, Sam Mayer, and Brent Crews are all very close in points.Sawalich has one win and six top-5 finishes, but it still might not be enough to make the Cahe. After all, the depth of the O’Reilly Series field is very strong in 2026. If Sawalich wants to make the Chase, a strong run at Iowa Speedway might be the key for the No. 18 team.The regular season finale will take place at Daytona International Speedway, making the final spots of the Chase very unpredictable. If Sawalich can have a strong run at Iowa, it gives him and the No. 18 team for Joe Gibbs Racing more chances at making the Chase at Daytona.Sam Mayer needs big run at Iowa to help Chase odds in 2026This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: William Sawalich below Chase bubble with 2 O’Reilly races left in 2026