The championship may have slipped through their grasp. However, driver William Byron and the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Team had every reason to be proud of the season they had. A season with 6 wins, an average finish of 11.0, and over 1,000 laps led was a testament to their undeniable racing prowess on the track. And the anticipation for the 2024 season is already starting to build up.

In a recent conversation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, crew chief Rudy Fugle, the maestro behind the #24 car, provided a glimpse into the team’s mindset. Fugle’s words not only showed how proud the team was but also their hunger for more success in 2024 and beyond.

Hendrick Motorsports is ready to build up on the momentum they carried in 2023

The 2023 season was William Byron‘s sixth full-time endeavor, and Byron most certainly proved his mettle with his stellar performances throughout the season. The #24 car’s pit crew, under the guidance of Rudy Fugle, consistently outpaced rivals, boasting the fastest four-tire pit stop time throughout the season. In the playoffs, Byron maintained a solid performance, averaging a 6.1 finish across ten races.

Reflecting on the season, the Hendrick Motorsports crew chief acknowledged the bitter end to an otherwise dominant season. “It’s a tough end of the year. Just not having enough. Having a really good car and a pretty solid day and just not having enough to win. It hurts to not put a stamp with a big trophy at the end,” he admitted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“But what a year, you know,” he added. “I think most people would, you know, expect us to probably run well and win a couple of races, make the playoffs, and probably get close to the final eight and something like that. Some might even have predicted the top 4. But I think that the type of year we had, the strengths of our season—we lead over 1000 laps, 6 wins, I think we have 4 poles, and 15 top 5’s—those are all really, really strong stats, especially for the Next-Gen car.”

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“To have that kind of season is really good. Our team keeps growing, climbing up the hill, and getting better every time. So all those things make me proud and make me hungry to go again,“ he concluded. The #24 team will look forward to another strong season in 2024.

William Byron hopes they can fix the one major issue they had this year

The six wins undoubtedly showcased Byron’s prowess, but not every track told the same story. Tracks like Daytona, Fontana, Atlanta, Richmond, Martinsville, New Hampshire, Richmond, and Michigan all posed hurdles where a top-20 finish proved to be beyond reach. Byron, acknowledging the unpredictability of racing, emphasized the importance of refining the overall pace and package of the car across diverse track types.

“I feel like all that stuff can just go up a notch,” he commented. Hopefully, we just have a bit more speed on certain tracks that we know are important. Feeling optimistic for the upcoming year, Byron noted, “It stinks to come up short. I’d like to think we’re going to be back in this position, and we’re going to have more shots at it. We just have to keep working.”

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