{
  "id": 3136854,
  "title": "William Byron crew chief details dislodged wheel incident",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/william-byron-crew-chief-details-dislodged-wheel-incident",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T23:25:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motorsport.com",
    "slug": "motorsport-com",
    "url": "https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/william-byron-crew-chief-details-dislodged-wheel-incident/10849153/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, William Byron suffered a dislodged left rear wheel, crashing into the Turn 3 wall while leading Lap 233. Before his recent slump, Byron had been close to seventh in the championship standings, now sitting at 12th. Although he remains locked into the Chase for the Championship, the crash has cost him a potential deficit of 55-85 points against Denny Hamlin. The incident occurred when the team returned after 20 laps, replacing the left-side tires, which had been mounted just prior. Crew chief Rudy Fugle attributed the mishap to a freak occurrence, stating that 90% of the time, they would confirm the lug was properly secured after the left rear change. The rotor's design, featuring a rotor hat and drive pins, allowed for the wheel to become misaligned by just 20 thousandths of an inch, causing a violent push and the jack man to re-clock the wheel. Fugle believes the left rear attempted to free itself, leading to its loosening during the restart. Fugle and Byron will forfeit two pit crew members, likely the changer and jackman, for upcoming events like Daytona and the Southern 500. Fugle praised the depth of Hendrick Motorsports' pit department, anticipating minimal competitive impact on the team during the playoff races.",
  "summary": "A frustrating summer for William Byron added another chapter on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when he lost a left rear wheel and crashed into the Turn 3 wall while running fourth on Lap 233. Byron had already been hovering around seventh in the championship standings before a summer swoon that has dropped him to 12th. He is locked into the Chase for the Championship but the fall has ...…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}