“Save Some Fuel” – Unlike Chase Elliott, William Byron Got to Be the HMS Favorite at Watkins Glen Because of One Stroke of Luck

The 2023 NASCAR season has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for Hendrick Motorsports driver, William Byron. His previous win came in the early days of July. More recently, he went into the road course at Watkins Glen last weekend and delivered for himself and his team. The No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro driver’s success ought to be equally owed to the performance of his crew. If it wasn’t for them, William might have suffered the same troubles as ill-fated teammate Chase Elliott.

Talking to the Hendrick Motorsports’ media team, William’s crew chief Rudy Fugle revealed the lucky break that they got, without which they might have ended up not far from the sights of the 32nd-placed Chase.

Lady Luck favored William over Chase Elliott for the win

Rudy Fugle highlighted the crucial advantage of securing pit stall one at Watkins Glen. The fortunate timing of a caution while on the pit road proved a game-changer, saving tires and fuel for William’s Chevrolet. This stroke of luck preserved track position and ultimately sealed Byron’s fifth-season win.

The crew chief said, “The caution came out while we were on pit road, which is a lucky break for us. We were able to, you know, save some tires and save some fuel. Make it to pit road before the caution came out cuz that would have lost all our track position and likely would have doomed our race.”

With stage 1 winner Michael McDowell being penalized going into pit stop, the race was pretty much William’s to control from thereon. Racing from behind, former champion and Hendrick Motorsports’ star Chase Elliott couldn’t strike as sweet a deal with luck as William and his team had done.

Watch This Story: Chase Elliott Apologises to Rick Hendrick and Team for Losing, After Being Confused by HMS’s Decision

William Byron escapes the clutches of teammate’s misfortune

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The caution that William’s team avoided came from a debacle that Chase Elliott was undergoing. Pitting much earlier than others, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro driver and his crew chief Alan Gustafson had hoped that they would get an empty stretch of road to push themselves through and gain spots, but owing to reasons not exactly known, Chase’s Camaro ran out of fuel in lap 55 of the race. This forced the race’s only caution flag to fall.

Hadn’t it been for William already entering the pit road at this time, he might have ended up losing spots to contenders like Denny Hamlin who were at his heels. Chase Elliott’s bad luck has known no end this year. Having missed 7 participations, he has now gone a tiring 30 races without visiting the victory lane. William and his crew will be glad that none of Chase’s misfortune rubbed off on them at Watkins Glen.

Not getting into the final playoff 16 yet, Chase faces a must-win situation going into Daytona this weekend. A mere number of days remain before we see the former champion decide his fate

Read More: NASCAR Analyst Goes Against Fans to Blame Chase Elliott for Heartbreak at Watkins Glen, Claiming Crew Is Not Guilty