NASCAR playoffs: William Byron, Rudy Fugle approach Martinsville with must-win mentality

CONCORD, N.C. - The NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings show William Byron seven points above the cutline heading into the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. 

Don't expect the No. 24 team to race that way. Truth is, it can't afford to. 

Sure, getting in on points is still a possibility for Byron. If anyone other than the four drivers behind him - teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney - wins on Sunday, those chances go up dramatically. With Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick both locked into the Championship 4 via wins this round, a bad day for third-place Christopher Bell (22 points ahead of Byron and 29 above the elimination line) would help as well. 

But banking on any of those scenarios is a risky at best. Byron would much rather take matters into his own hands. 

"For us it’s not about the cutline, it’s just about trying to go out there and win because we know being the fourth guy, really there’s no other option,” Byron said. “The guys you’re up against that you’re going to be racing are going to be competing out there.

"There’s always a small chance that somebody else could win or somebody above the cut could win, but that’s the best-case scenario so you just try to go out there and do the best job you can and see what happens." 

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Crew chief Rudy Fugle agreed. 

“William and I and Branden Lines, our spotter, we’re going to race as if we have to win and as we get to the last restart and there’s a different scenario potentially, then maybe we’ll (make) William aware, but he doesn’t care about anything other than winning,” Fugle said. “He knows if he runs up front all day long with a thought of he has to win, that gives us the best chance of pointing in or winning. So, that’s our goal.” 

With two wins at Martinsville to his credit, including one in an unforgettable 1-2-3, Hendrick Motorsports sweep this spring, victory would seem a more-than-reasonable aspiration and expectation for Byron.

But it's not just Martinsville wins that are providing confidence for the 24 bunch this week. It's a 13th-place finish as well. 

Last year, in this same event, Byron entered with a 30-point cushion to the cutline and seemed a shoe-in for Phoenix. However, from the start, the race turned into a grind. Yet, over the course of a long green-flag run in the third stage, Byron battled through issues, willing his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the finish line in 13th, good enough to advance by eight points. 

That gutty performance was an endearing display of grit by the 26-year-old and Fugle said his growth, and that of the team's, has continued throughout this season. 

"It just reassures you how bad he wants it," Fugle said. "It's easy to quit. It's easy to shift the blame and say this was bad or this didn't work but he didn't do that. He dug deep and gave it everything he had and that's what it takes. 

"I think we've grown a lot this year, honestly, the two of us. How we communicate, the things we've gone through - I think we've always trusted each other and believed in each other a lot but sometimes when you have to talk about some of the things that don't go well and actually figure out some of those issues, you get better. You communicate. You work through things and we've grown a lot because of it. 

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"I think our strength and our belief in each other is higher than it's ever been and that shows, how we've been getting through some of the races we haven't been great in. I think we're nonstop trying to improve the car, believing in each other, never getting down, never feeling like we're out of a race and we've shown that we can do that." 

This week, other than the obvious points hurdle that must be cleared, adversity will come in the form of a new tire setup. The softer, option tires run in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and at Richmond Raceway, will be run on the right side of the cars this week and on the left, an even softer compound. Teams will have 45 minutes to practice on Saturday. 

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Having gone to victory lane at Martinsville already this year, Fugle and the 24 team have a solid baseline to work with. But this weekend will almost certainly require adapting and overcoming, two things the team and its driver have proven they're plenty willing and able to do. 

“Old tires, new tires, how well can you do with a front-row restart with 100-lap (old) tires or how quickly can you come through the field with fresh tires starting 10th with five to go?” Fugle posited. “Can you pass enough cars? Those are the things that you’re not sure about and which end are you going to be on?

“Just try to focus on what we do know, the best we can, and try to have what those couple of scenarios are if it throws us for a loop … But if you think about all the scenarios, it’s kind of daunting. So, really try to keep it simple and then in the background, have some different plans. Plan B and Plan C, what would happen if the tire does wear completely out or if it doesn’t wear completely out or if it’s this or that.”

William Byron at Martinsville by the numbers

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NASCAR playoff standings, Round of 8