2-time Daytona 500 winner William Byron talks about using his iRacing backdrop as “tool” for new generation

William Byron, the Hendrick Motorsports star, recently went on GAMETIME with Boomer Esiason and shared that his upbringing in iRacing was a major “tool” for him to develop the credentials necessary to race in NASCAR. He said that it’s a “new wave” to learn how to race in NASCAR

William Byron drives the #24 for Hendrick Motorsports. Byron’s racing journey began with a championship in the 2015 K&N Pro Series East, followed by Rookie of the Year honours in the 2016 Craftsman Truck Series and the same in the Xfinity Series. He captured the 2017 Xfinity Series championship. Byron made his Cup Series debut in 2018, immediately making an impact by becoming only the second driver to win Rookie of the Year in all three national series in consecutive seasons. He claimed his first Cup victory at Daytona in 2020 and has since become a consistent playoff contender.

William Byron when asked if his background in iRacing would be inspirational for the next generation to become NASCAR drivers. Byron replied:

"I definitely think it's a new wave of how to operate and how to do things. I feel like you see it with all sorts of sports. I heard Jayden Daniels talk about using virtual reality to study plays and learn. So I feel like in our sport, it's a great tool. For me, it just was a way that I learned how to drive and I got the basics and was able to kind of apply my talents after that."

William Byron is having a great start to the season, with him being at the top of the standings with 421 points, just behind Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin. Byron has collected one win along with two pole positions. He has also secured five top-five finishes and seven top-tens so far this year. He secured his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, making him one of only select drivers in NASCAR history to win back-to-back at Daytona.

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William Byron gets candid on using a sports therapist

In the second season of the Netflix docuseries "NASCAR: Full Speed", Byron opened up about his decision to work with a sports therapist, revealing how it has helped him grow both personally and professionally. Byron, known for being a quieter communicator, admitted that his reserved nature was becoming a barrier to his team’s success on the track. Seeking to improve communication and unlock his full potential, he began seeing a sports therapist, which allowed him to express his thoughts and emotions better, ultimately making him a more effective team member.

"What made me want to do it is I felt like I was a very quiet communicator and I didn't say a lot, and I felt like that was getting in the way of our success or potential success as a team," William Byron said.

"At first, it was really hard to tell her everything. Sometimes, I feel like I don't say as much as I should, and I'm like, 'Dang it, I should've said this. I should've gone into more detail.' But I just try to give her everything that's on my mind," William Byron said.

Byron shared that the process of opening up to his therapist was initially challenging, as he sometimes struggled to share everything on his mind or felt frustrated when he forgot to mention something important.