“What Hendrick wants, Hendrick gets,” — and NASCAR knows it. It isn’t a jab at Rick Hendrick, but rather a strong indication of his dominance over NASCAR. However, the stars seemed to be against the NASCAR mogul since the team had a dry run for the past month after their big win at the Iowa Speedway this Sunday.
The Iowa Speedway was a spectacular event as the Hendrick Motorsports star, Byron, left the dry spell behind after the Daytona 500 win. The array of caution flags in the first half proved to be advantageous for the No.24 Chevrolet driver as he managed to save fuel while gathering track position, leaving the cars behind pitting under the yellow. It was a nail-biting moment as William Byron brought the second victory of the season home this weekend.
After the amazing turnout of events at the Iowa Speedway, Rick Hendrick and his team seem to have found a new ray of confidence, looking forward to the upcoming races, indicating a hopeful future for the NASCAR mogul and his team.
Rick Hendrick’s crew chief opens up after the dry spell runs out
All’s well that ends. True words, indeed. Just like a movie, a battered Rick Hendrick had a fateful run for the past few races, making their chances bleak at winning the championship this season bleak. However, just like a great twist, William Byron sweeps the win at Iowa Speedway, giving new hope to Rick Hendrick and his team.
While the team had spared no effort, winning seemed far-fetched, as most of the matches had technical issues like low fuel and other barriers. But Hendrick Motorsports managed to stay afloat by dominating the Top 5 positions, finishing mostly in second or third positions until now. In a recent post-race interview, Hendrick Motorsports’ crew chief Rudy Fugle and President Jeff Andrews took on the platform, discussing their Iowa win and what it will look like from now on.
Fugle says, “Yeah, I mean, two of the races, about three to four-tenths of a gallon of gas would have gotten us a couple of wins in the past couple of months. Then, just you know, just these weird, even today, I felt like the hammer was dropping on us like we are going to run in the top 5, and then all these cautions come, and it’s like all going against us. Thankfully, that last caution, and thankfully, we had a good enough car that we were able to save gas and get there. So, you know that’s a credit to everybody on the team. But yeah, it’s been tough, you’re just waiting for that next thing to drop. So that’s what we’re all sitting up there like — when is something going to go wrong today, and it just didn’t. So thankful, that gives us more confidence, and we’ll be able to do it will give us a boost for sure.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports‘ champion, opens up about their past races, suggesting that most of the races were lost due to low-fuel issues, which could have been avoided with some backup on gas. The champion’s crew chief also said that he was skeptical about today, with all the cautions coming their way, he felt as if the race would end with another Top 5 position. He also further confirms that the magical win this weekend helped in regaining their confidence, fueling the team up for their next big race.
Rick Hendrick’s master move: Hidden Gem to enter NASCAR?
The NASCAR rumor mill is churning again. With Hendrick Motorsports dominating the Iowa Speedway with their champion, William Byron, it seems Rick Hendrick has one more masterstroke up his sleeve. Speculations suggest that the NASCAR mogul plans to introduce a new rookie to the big leagues.
Corey Day found his way into Hendrick Motorsports’ developmental program after he signed a multi-year deal with the organization. Since then, Day has been making waves across various tracks, proving himself as a potential successor for the organization in the Cup Series. However, his biggest win was at the Turkey Night Grand Prix, making him the youngest winner in history.
While there is no official announcement as of now, Rick Hendrick has always been hopeful of the new talent when he signed him for a multi-year deal. He said, “When Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon say someone is the real deal, it certainly gets your attention,” in response to Larson’s praise for the new talent saying “He is, in my opinion, of guys who haven’t made it to the three series in NASCAR yet, he’s the best prospect out there.” suggesting a full-time position for the young driver.
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