William Byron declared a return to winning ways at Watkins Glen. Dominance would be an understatement to describe the show he put on last weekend. Not one of his competitors could cope with the incredible pace the #24 car showed up with, to such an extent that none of the cars could get as close as his bumper in the race’s final stages.

The win increases his tally to five wins this season, the highest for any driver in 2023, and propels him to the top of the playoff point standings as well. However, the person behind the radio for Byron, who masterminded a classic performance, discloses the one factor that played out in their favor and boosted their chances to the maximum.

William Byron’s crew chief discloses the secret of success at The Glen

Although we have seen such dominant races from drivers in the past, most notably his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson lapping the field at the All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro as a recent example, it was pretty unusual from William Byron. But not because of how he won it; it is because of where he won it.

Byron’s record at road courses can be classified as relatively poor compared to his results at other tracks. In his six seasons as a Cup Series driver, Byron clinched a win on a serpentine road course for the first time in his career.

The brainiac behind the win who engineered the vision for the #24’s dominance would be crew chief Rudy Fugle. A few days ago, Byron gave a testimonial statement to Fugle’s abilities, going on to claim that he could be the one who could help him emulate the success of 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. And now, Fugle lets out the plan behind their win, which is absolutely genius.

“Went through stage two, got to our next pit window, and we all pitted within one lap of each other. We ended up with pit stall one, which doesn’t happen at many tracks. The #11 car started on the pole, he chose 38 which is a huge opening, so I understand that.” stated Rudy.

Revealing the advantage they gained from the situational positioning of their pit stall, the crew chief mentioned, “But getting pit stall one especially at Watkins Glen if there’s a yellow flag stop, it’s a huge advantage. But the caution came out while we were on pit road which is a lucky break for us. We were able to save some tires and fuel but make it to pit road before the caution came out cause that would have lost us all our track position and likely would have doomed our race.”

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Although it might be true that luck played its part in their win, the awareness to utilize the opportunity to the fullest steered Byron clear of the pack, and in what manner?

Despite his dominance, Byron might not be the biggest winner from last weekend

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Playoff fever has taken over the NASCAR community. With the final race at Daytona getting closer than ever, fans and drivers alike have started to count their chickens. Prior to the race at Watkins Glen, various storylines were being discussed, with Michael McDowell’s win at the Indy Road Course making things more unpredictable. Two drivers who were keeping a close eye on the developments in the race were veterans Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.

The two stalwarts of the game are the highest-ranked drivers with no wins this season and are facing an uncertain future in the playoffs. But Byron’s win confirms the good news for them, as it locks the duo into a playoff spot irrespective of who wins at Daytona.

Another driver who will be happy with the course of events will be 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace who sits on the final and 16th spot in the standings. Had there been a new winner at The Glen, Bubba would have been preparing for next season by now. However, he is yet to be locked in as things could take a drastic turn at Daytona.

Without doubt, Bubba will also be trying to push his way through for a win on the final raceday of the regular season. Being 32 points above the cutoff line doesn’t sound much comforting either, with Daniel Suarez and Ty Gibbs ready to pounce on any openings. Bubba will have to stay sharp on his feet to hold his ground.

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