William Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle on winning the Daytona 500 - "This is a dream come true, for sure”

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron's crew chief, Rudy Fugle, unfurled his excitement on their season-opener Daytona 500 triumph.

After a drought-stricken nine years, HMS' winless streak at the Daytona 500 ended as their #24 Chevrolet driver secured his 11th NASCAR Cup Series victory at The Great American Race. The 26-year-old motorsports prodigy started his back-of-the-pack run from P18 and fought a close battle with Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric before finally taking the win under caution.

Owing to the final lap caution, Byron was unsure about his win and kept asking, "Did we win it? Did we win it?" But when the HMS driver noticed his crew chief, Rudy Fugle's emotion, his doubt was cleared. Post Byron's historic feat, Fugle opened up about the "dream come true" moment he was savoring at the moment.

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) posted their interview with Byron's crew chief on their X (formerly Twitter) account:

"I can't believe it, I really can't. It's unbelievable to win this race, to have a chance to win any race in NASCAR, let alone the Cup Series, let alone the Daytona 500, this is a dream come true for sure", Rudy Fugle said.

The crew chief added:

“We gotta start the year off right. This year is about championships, you know, Daytona 500 championships, World 600 championships. All those big races we haven’t won yet. And the one at the end of the year, that’s what we want.”

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William Byron's boss Rick Hendrick chimes in on the HMS' youngest driver's historical feat

Not only William Byron's crew chief but Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, too, was impressed by their exhilarating run at Daytona International Speedway.

Following Byron's triumph in the Daytona 500, Hendrick disclosed the hard work that the 26-year-old puts in which many don't realize. He said (via Speedway Digest):

"William puts in the work. That's all he thinks about. He's in the simulator. He's watching tapes. He has worked so hard. People don't realize how much time he puts in."

The team owner then emphasized the lethal combination of William Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle, adding:

"But bringing Rudy on gave him that confidence, because they were so successful in the Truck Series, and, man, they just picked up and clicked. And when you think about his age and how smart he is and how he races like a guy that's been doing it for a long time, doesn't make many mistakes, but he just eats and drinks and sleeps winning. He puts in the work."

It was a great day at the office for the Charlotte-based team, with #48 Alex Bowman finishing behind Byron on the famed speedway.