CONCORD, N.C. -- It didn't take long for William Byron and Rudy Fugle to get back to their winning ways after the pair earned their first win of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
Fugle’s decision making atop the pit box helped guide Byron to the checkered flag first. With the victory, Fugle now can add Cup Series-winning crew chief to his résumé.
“That was really cool,” Byron said of being part of Fugle’s first Cup win. “It goes back a long way with him. I feel like he’s been here for a lot of my important wins. Back in the Xfinity days, he was (at Homestead) for the championship race, and that was what got me to this point.”
Fugle and Byron were paired together in 2016 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for one year. During that span, the duo won seven of 23 races, led 21% of all possible laps and earned the Truck Series owner championship.
“It’s all about people in this sport, and Rudy’s the guy!” Byron said. “We really have good communication, so it just comes down to that. We spend time together. We think the same when it comes to racing and that helps a lot because we just feed off each other.
“It’s a big deal to have somebody like that. I owe it a lot to him, especially for me getting to this point and now winning a Cup race together.”
WILLIAM BYRON HOMESTEAD WIN MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE
Fugle had nothing but high praises for Byron, who led a career-high 102 laps during the second half of the race and earned his first stage win of the 2021 season. Byron now is the youngest driver to win at Homestead at 23 and is one of eight drivers in Cup Series history to have two wins before the age of 24.
“William has been fast," he said. "All the Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports cars were super fast there last year. We used the No. 9’s setup, helped tweak it, worked really hard and came up with a really good setup. William did a really good job wheeling it.”
Another defining moment for Fugle was team owner Rick Hendrick witnessing his first Cup Series win at the Florida track. Fugle said due to COVID-19 protocols, he hasn’t been able to see Hendrick at much and his presence solidified the career-defining moment.
“(It’s) so special to have someone believe in you and give you a shot at this level, and then you can go out there and prove that he (Hendrick) did the right thing by giving me the job,” Fugle said. “He said thank you and said he was proud of me. I was super proud to do a good job.”
Byron and Fugle will hit another 1.5-track this weekend when they travel to Las Vegas for the fourth race of the season. The event will start Sunday, March 7 at 3:30 ET and be broadcast of FOX.