Fugle Ejected, Byron Faces Setbacks Ahead of Coke Zero 400
In a significant development ahead of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, has been ejected due to an inspection infraction. NASCAR confirmed that the team made an unapproved adjustment to the car’s splitter after initially passing inspection.
The specific violation occurred when the car was reexamined following the adjustment and subsequently failed the inspection. NASCAR stated, “The struts were reinstalled, and the car was rerun over the USS and failed due to the adjustment.”
As a result of the infraction, Byron will start at the rear of the field for the Saturday night race, moving down from an original eighth-place starting position. Additionally, the team lost its pit stall selection and is required to serve a stop-and-go penalty at the start of the race. Brandon McSwain, the team engineer, will step in as interim crew chief for the event.
The Coke Zero 400 serves as the regular-season finale for the Cup Series, which will finalize the playoff field. Notably, the No. 24 team clinched the regular-season title last weekend at Richmond Raceway. Byron aims to make history by becoming the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2013 to sweep the Daytona season, having already secured victory at the Daytona 500 earlier this year.
In related news, Live Fast Motorsports also faced inspection issues, with B.J. McLeod’s No. 78 car failing inspection twice. Car chief Lee Leslie has been ejected and the team also lost its pit stall selection.
The Coke Zero 400 is set to begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
