NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — William Sawalich won the Super Late Model battle in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway, but Casey Roderick won the war.

Despite having to watch Sawalich take his second World Series of Asphalt win of the week after dealing with brake issues for most of the night, Roderick still managed to salvage a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Orange Blossom 100, earning him a title in his first attempt at the prestigious event.

The frustration of his brake issue was at the forefront of Roderick’s mind immediately after race, but he did come away with a sense of pride knowing he will always be remembered as a World Series of Asphalt champion.

“I feel good, but I’m disappointed in our finish,” Roderick said. “A brake line or something came loose on the right rear. It just went to the floor, so I did the best I could to get in the corner, but I’m proud of these guys. They did an awesome job all week, but it sucks we didn’t have anything to show for it tonight.”

VIDEO: Watch highlights from Saturday's Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna.

From the moment they arrived at New Smyrna for the World Series of Asphalt, the cars Anthony Campi supplied to Roderick and Katie Hettinger proved to be two of the fastest at the facility.

Along with Hettinger earning a Pro Late Model victory on Thursday evening, Roderick earned five poles across seven Super Late Model features before taking consecutive victories on Wednesday and Thursday.

William Byron matched Roderick’s win total by winning on Monday and taking the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 the following night, while Sawalich bookended the Super Late Model division with trips to Victory Lane.

A blown engine for Sawalich in the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 hindered him from making a significant run at Roderick for a World Series of Asphalt title, but he was more than satisfied to celebrate another win with the organization.

“I can’t thank the Donnie Wilson crew enough for giving me a great car,” Sawalich said. “I’m super happy for all of them, and there’s no better way to cap off [the week] with [another win].”

Sawalich had to earn his victory by going up against one of the best Super Late Model drivers in Bubba Pollard.

After Pollard took the lead on a restart, Sawalich patiently bided his time behind the veteran until he made his move with just over 10 laps remaining. Once he cleared Pollard, Sawalich drove away from the field to add another win to his growing resume.

“That was a game of patience,” Sawalich said about his battle with Pollard. “I had to analyze what my car had versus what [Pollard’s] had. I capitalized on his weakness and got him with my strong points.”

With the World Series of Asphalt now complete, Sawalich is turning his attention toward his ARCA commitments, where he is scheduled to run 20 races across the three divisions.

For Roderick, the World Series of Asphalt gave him and Campi a perfect game plan for the rest of their 2023 season. He is confident the brake issues that hindered them on Saturday will be rectified and that they will continue to build off the momentum from their World Series of Asphalt title.

“I knew coming into [this week] we had a shot [at the World Series of Asphalt],” Roderick said. “We were strong in every race and had a chance to win. We’ve just got to keep digging and go into these other races by doing the same thing we did this week.”

Gabe Sommers wrapped up his World Series of Asphalt season by placing third in the Orange Blossom 100. Defending New Smyrna track champion Brad May was fourth, while Connor Mosack, who had finished second in the ARCA Daytona 200 a few hours earlier, rounded out the top five.

The Super Late Models shared the track with five other divisions on Saturday. Below are the other key takeaways from the final night of the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna.

• Bill Burba took home the checkered flag in the Florida Modified finale, allowing him to overtake Cody Stickler for the championship, who was eliminated on Lap 5 after sustaining contact in a battle with Wayne Parker for the lead.
• Parker ended up finishing in second in Saturday’s feature, where he was followed by Tim Moore, Shain Held and Michael Mark.
• Brennon Pletcher was victorious in the lone Pro Trucks feature of the World Series of Asphalt. Taylor Watson placed second with Richard Griffis, Kenneth Canales and Becca Monopoli completing the top-five finishers.
• For the Mod Mini feature, Sean Bass put together a commanding performance that saw him beat Dylan Reynolds by 4.3 seconds. David Russell, John DeGeorge and Rex Christianson rounded out the top five.
• Paul Koci won the 50-lap Super Stock race over Rich Clouser, Blake Clouser, Doug Samion and Bobby Holley.
• Noah Partlow formally put a bow on the 2023 World Series of Asphalt with a win in the Bomber B feature, which he took over Frank Button, Chuck Rush, Rick Gaither and Daniel Bromley.