“From his era, he knows a ton”: NASCAR crew chief reveals William Byron's passion for the sport despite lack of racing background

As the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race looms closer, all eyes are on 25-year-old William Byron.

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Byron's journey to the top has been anything but conventional. Unquestionably, the Hendrick Motorsports driver lacks the racing roots that many of his peers possess.

Throughout the regular season, William Byron was on top of his game behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet. He narrowly missed out on the regular season championship.

Following up on that, despite some playoff hurdles, a tenacious performance in Martinsville secured his spot in the final four contenders.

What sets Byron apart, however, is his distinct background. Born and raised in the heart of NASCAR country, one might assume that racing runs in his blood. However, his family's connection to the sport is not as entrenched as one might expect.

In a recent interview with FOX Sports, Byron's crew chief, Rudy Fugle, shed light on the Hendrick Motorsports driver's remarkable journey.

Fugle emphasized Byron's undeniable passion for racing, despite not having grown up in a household with a garage full of race cars. He said:

"I don't want to classify him as a city boy, but he is from in Charlotte. I wasn't sure how much of a race fan and/or racing history he knew."

Surprisingly, Byron's knowledge of the sport's history and its various eras astounded Fugle. He said:

"From his era, he knows a ton."

Rudy Fugle reveals William Byron's depths of NASCAR knowledge

Fugle went on to emphasize William Byron's passion for racing and stated:

"He definitely has a lot of passion for racing and experience of wanting to be a race-car driver, even though he wasn't necessarily working on a car or had a garage out back where somebody was racing all the time."

"He knows about when the cars had big power and big downforce and when the cars what he thought were the most competitive or fun to watch and the drivers and the sponsors of that era and all that. Just the placement from being in the hub of racing rubbed off on him more than I would have initially thought of when I first met him," Fugle added.

William Byron would now be focused on his upcoming face-off against Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the NASCAR Cup Series finale. Should he emerge victorious, Byron would become the first driver with North Carolina roots to claim the championship since the 1999 season.