The #24 driver-crew chief pairing of William Byron and Rudy Fugle at Hendrick Motorsports has exhibited impressive results, to say the least over the past couple of seasons. But how has their relationship been so far?
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Byron, a sim racer-turned-NASCAR Cup Series driver, with Fugle’s mechanical engineering background and their experience at Kyle Busch Motorsports, has formed a pairing that is seemingly gelling well in the sport. It does look like that from the outside looking in.
However, Fugle solidified this perception as the most recent winning crew chief in the sport’s top tier. He spoke out about his relationship with Byron, stating, “We don’t get stale. We’re not afraid to talk to each other and get through things.”
The duo were introduced to each other during the 2016 Craftsman Truck Series season. After clinching seven victories that season, Byron and Fugle were destined to reunite at Rick Hendrick’s racing outfit in 2021.
“I think this is our 2oth win together, so that’s pretty amazing if you count them all together,” Fugle reminisced on his time with Byron after their latest win at Daytona.
The New York native further elaborated on how winning the famed Daytona 500 event last year brought him and Byron closer. They replicated their early season success last weekend, with another back-to-back ‘Great American Race’ win for the #24 crew.
Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, crew chief Rudy Fugle, and #Daytona500 winner William Byron sport the champion's rings for winning the race. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/JaPGV2BJVG
— Jeff Gordon Online (@JGinfo) February 17, 2025
“Personally, last year that win brought me to tears. And then this win, it brought me to laughter is what I said just because — I looked up and we’re getting ready to win, and it was just amazing. Here we were. Two totally different emotions,” he said.
Looking forward to the remaining season and the ultimate goal of becoming champions of the sport sooner rather than later, Fugle added, “If we build a good enough team, things like this happen more times than not, and that’s what we’ve been working on. It’ll hopefully just become easier and easier as we go.”
Jeff Gordon sees a reflection of his racing days in the Byron-Fugle pairing
Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and former driver of the #24 HMS entry, Gordon’s comments on how he sees shades of himself and his former crew chief Ray Evernham in William Byron and Rudy Fugle is an uncanny coincidence.
“You find a guy that trusts and believes in you and is confident that you’re the guy. You’re the guy behind the wheel that if they give you the car and get you in position, that you’re going to go get the job done and that works in both directions – William believes in Rudy and Rudy believes in William,” he said, explaining the unique relationship.
With Gordon’s success in the sport evident to date, can the same be the next stepping stone for the current #24 team? By the looks of the 2025 Daytona 500’s results, Byron and crew could have a fighting chance.
