In today’s world of fast-paced stock car racing, it’s nearly impossible to win a race all alone. Perhaps one of the biggest supports that a driver can have while they are glued to their seats is through the radio.
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It all comes through the voice of the crew chief, who plays a vital role in analyzing the course of the race, conjuring pit strategies, and guiding the driver amidst the slugfests.
NBC Sports released the Crew Chief power rankings for this year, and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle made it to the top of the list. This season witnessed Byron’s first Championship 4 appearance. Although it didn’t pan out into a titular win, the #24 team was arguably the most consistent of them all.
With Rudy Fugle at the helm, William Byron amassed the highest number of wins than any other driver. He also tied his teammate Kyle Larson for the most top-5 finishes (15) and also finished second in laps led (1,016). Besides that, Byron also scored 5 pole wins.
To the utter glee of Rick Hendrick, the crew chief for his other playoff entry was the one to make it right below Rudy Fugle. Indeed, it is Kyle Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels. The Larson-Daniels duo won four races together. They also dominated the series in laps led for the second time in the last three seasons and made their way into the Championship 4 race.
Here are the other top picks for 2023
Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin totally embraced his villain persona this year as he intended to win his first-ever championship title. However, despite his best efforts, it didn’t work out in the end and he failed to make it to Phoenix.
Nevertheless, Chris Gabehart has always been a constant support for the #11 FedEx Camry pilot since the start of the 2019 season. Since then, they have won 19 races together, while always appearing in the top-5 in the point standings.
NASCAR’s races are the perfect examples of tables turning a whopping 360 degrees. And it is evident from the journey of Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. During the final 6 races of the playoffs, this man put up finishes of 12th, 6th, 2nd, 1st, and 2nd. However, that and crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s assistance was enough for him to win his first championship title.
For Martin Truex Jr, it was indeed a sorry season. There was a time when the regular season champion was in danger of not making it past the first round of playoffs. Nevertheless, their rebound from a winless 2022 to winning three races and the regular season championship is surely commendable.
