Who replaces Rudy Fugle as William Byron’s crew chief at Daytona? All you need to know

William Byron's No. 24 team has found itself in a sudden scramble ahead of tonight's Coke Zero Sugar 400. Rudy Fugle was ejected from the event following a pre-race inspection violation and engineer Brandon McSwain has been named interim crew chief for the remainder of the weekend.

Qualifying for the final regular-season NASCAR Cup race was cancelled due to lightning, and the starting lineup was set using NASCAR's metric system. Byron was originally slated to start 8th based on that formula at Daytona International Speedway. However, the Hendrick Motorsports team was caught making an unapproved adjustment to the splitter after passing inspections and was penalized.

Byron will start from the rear of the field as a result of the penalty. He must also serve a stop-and-go penalty after the green flag drops, and the team even lost its pit-stall selection. Veteran journalist Bob Pockrass shared that McSwain, who previously served as crew chief for Byron in the Xfinity Series since 2022, will replace Fugle.

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

Engineer Brandon McSwain will crew chief for William Byron tonight with Fugle ejected yesterday. McSwain worked as crew chief for the Xfinity races that Byron drove for Hendrick.

Byron and Fugle have collected incredible results this season. They began the year with a second consecutive Daytona 500 victory after avoiding a late wreck in a two-lap overtime. The team added another victory at Iowa Speedway in August. Byron also won the regular season championship last week at Richmond Raceway and picked up a 15-point bonus.

The 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 is expected to run under the lights, with the green flag dropping around 7:55 pm ET.

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How many wins does William Byron have at Daytona International Speedway?

William Byron has an average finish of 20.4 in 15 Cup Series starts at the 2.5-mile track with three wins, four top-5, and five top-10 finishes.

The 27-year-old got his first career Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway in August 2020. Byron won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in overtime and earned his first playoff berth in the process. He has made the playoffs every year since.

Byron won his first Daytona 500 last season, 40 years after Hendrick Motorsports' first Cup Series start at Daytona. He started at the back in a backup car but worked through the pack to earn stage points with fifth and sixth-place stage finishes. On a final restart with a few laps to go, Byron pulled ahead following a last-lap wreck and took home the Harley J. Earl trophy.

This season, William Byron became one of five drivers to have won the 'Great American Race' multiple times. The California native was also the youngest driver to do the same since Jeff Gordon landed his second Daytona 500 in the No. 24 Chevy in 1999.