Nothing comes close to the glory of winning the Daytona 500 in NASCAR racing. The event has historical and cultural significance for the sport, and it just breathes confidence in the team and driver for the rest of the season. However, a Daytona 500 win is hard to come by, even for NASCAR’s top performers. But after a long dry spell for his team, William Byron finally managed to bag the biggest prize in NASCAR history.

The Daytona 500 came with its set of challenges, after being shifted to Monday due to heavy rain. So while Byron and his team managed to win the event, they were running high on the winning feeling for the entire week, stretching up to the Atlanta race. Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle, while speaking on the ‘NASCAR Live’ podcast, revealed the winning feeling and how it fuels their ambitions for the remaining season.

Delayed yet special celebrations at HMS camp after Byron’s Daytona 500 win

Hendrick Motorsports has a tradition of honoring the Daytona 500 winner and chief with a breakfast event. Given the circumstances of the race being shifted to Monday and the team preparing for their Atlanta race, the event too was pushed ahead a week later. William Byron did receive the Rolex Cosmograph watch, and Fugle was presented with the Cannonball Baker Trophy.

Shedding light on how special Bryon’s Daytona 500 win was, Fugle on the podcast said, “It was quite the week but you know you’re riding the high, there’s an adrenaline rush there from the Daytona 500 and being the Daytona 500 champions, it carries you for a while. The relief of your shoulders, having that win and getting into playoffs is pretty cool right away to do that.”

This was the ninth win by Hendrick Motorsports in “The Great American Race”. And the win at Daytona is just a testament to Byron and Fugle’s rise in the NASCAR scene. In the 2023 season, the duo managed to bag a total of six Cup wins and finished the season on a high with a P3 finish in the overall points standings.

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For the #24 team, the win at the Daytona 500 is just the fuel they needed to spark their ambitions for the 2024 season. Fugle even went on to suggest that Byron is a prime contender to win the trophy after his historic achievements at the Daytona International Speedway.

Rudy Fugle believes Byron is a serious championship contender now

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The Next-Gen car seems to have taken a sting out of the drivers and teams. The new car by NASCAR brings parity amongst the teams, thus making it ever more difficult for the drivers to get consistent wins and results. However, Byron’s six wins during the 2023 season were just sheer dominance on his part, a feat that was considered impossible in the modern era of NASCAR racing. This is why Fugle believes that after clinching the crown jewel NASCAR race, Byron is certainly a prime contender to win the championship this season.

Speaking via Hendrick Motorsports, the crew chief of the #24 team said, “How do you become perennial contenders? The next step from winning six races is winning the big races. The (DAYTONA) 500, Coca-Cola 600, All-Star races, Southern 500 and it leads to a championship because it gives you that confidence. That has been our offseason target and the next bar to set.”

In the upcoming race at Phoenix, all eyes are set on William Byron, as he will strive to return to his winning form after falling short of repeating his success in both Atlanta and Las Vegas.

Read More: After His Breakout Season, Will William Byron Fit the Jeff Gordon Mold or Will He Drop Off?