144 laps. That’s how long William Byron ran his No. 24 Chevy without going into the pits. Fuel-saving has become somewhat synonymous with oval tracks this season, becoming a deciding factor in four of the last five races at traditional tracks. It was a big factor in Denny Hamlin’s win at Michigan, while Chase Briscoe also stretched his fuel at Pocono, and Bubba Wallace saved just enough to last him for two overtimes at the Brickyard 400.
And now, Byron has followed suit with a masterclass in fuel-saving at Iowa Speedway in what was a caution-heavy race. In a candid interview, his crew chief, Rudy Fugle, opened up about gambling with the racer’s strategy at the 0.875-mile short track, making a bold decision that paid off when the checkered flag was waved.
Byron’s crew chief took a calculated risk
William Byron was out for redemption. Lack of fuel cost him a win at Michigan, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver was determined for history not to repeat itself at Iowa Speedway. It’s a track the 27-year-old knows all too well, having won the Truck and Xfinity Series races at the venue and confessing, “I would race this track a ton in iRacing.” But the Cup Series fixture was a different beast altogether, as it had a total of 12 cautions, 11 of them coming in the final 180 laps alone. And that eventually proved to be the difference maker.
Sharing his thoughts on race strategy, William Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “We had a pretty good idea with 30 to go how much we needed to save, and from 30 to go until 8 to go, we had our number. The last eight laps was just a bonus to making sure we had enough. It was wild. There was a lot of talking back and forth at the shop. Crunching numbers like I said. We did a great job of keeping pace in the car with pretty much no brakes, lifting very early. We ran at least 20 laps, never over 60% throttle, and still never got past, really. Pretty awesome by him (Byron) and the whole team.”
Byron did have a pretty fast car, and he led the opening 67 laps in what was a relatively clean first stage, before strategy came into play with a series of yellow flags. Perhaps it was a calculated gamble, but the No. 24 team made their stop early, well before the ideal pit window, and the racer was then forced to hang on for dear life as the laps ticked on. He couldn’t afford to coast, and had to find just the right balance between saving fuel and running fast enough to keep the likes of Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney at bay.
“It feels great to be on the good side of it.”
After running out of fuel twice in the last few months, @Hendrick24Team Crew Chief Rudy Fugle was happy there was enough in the tank to win at @iowaspeedway.
More → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/3aLVSDKGyO
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) August 4, 2025
The strategy was a big gamble, and William Byron would never have made it on fuel without that many caution laps. It also highlighted the Next Gen cars’ short-track struggles, as Iowa Speedway’s new repavement reduced tire wear, allowing tires to last 144 laps and hold off fresher rubber simultaneously. Add fuel mileage into the mix, and it doesn’t create ideal race conditions. But Byron’s crew chief couldn’t care less, with Fugle saying, “Really proud after having two races in the past two months where we were really good and didn’t have enough gas to finish. It feels great to be on the good side of it.”
William Byron gives credit where it’s due
It’s shaping up to be quite a season for William Byron, isn’t it? He started off the Cup Series campaign with a second-consecutive Daytona 500 win, and has led the points table for 18 out of 23 races already. However, the No. 24 team had fallen off in recent months, having failed to break into the top five since that race in Nashville despite having lightning-fast speed on several occasions. He hasn’t been alone, with Kyle Larson struggling on the track as well.
But with just three races remaining, Byron and his team have finally found their rhythm again. Praising his teammates, the racer said, “Man, how about that for some fuel mileage? We’ve had our fair share of things not go our way with fuel mileage, and just super thankful for Rudy, all these guys, all the engineers, all the engineers back at the shop. Just this whole race team, we’ve been through a lot this year. It’s been a lot of growing pains. It’s been tough on us. But it feels really good today to get a win.”
And now, William Byron is back in control of the regular season championship with just a handful of races remaining. He’s battling his teammates, with Chase Elliott 18 points behind and Kyle Larson dropping down to a 45-point deficit. The North Carolina native looks like the man to beat this season, even admitting, “We’ve been fast like every weekend. I can’t think of a race we’ve been slow.” However, with results being key at this point, the No. 24 crew will need to rely on more than just speed to carve out results. And if their recent race strategy is anything to go by, they’re well prepared for what’s ahead.
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