William Byron has emerged as a strong competitor in NASCAR, currently racing full-time for Hendrick Motorsports. However, his journey to the top tier of stock car racing began not with karting but through iRacing.
Byron, hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, discovered his passion for racing at the age of six, which later led him to simulator racing as a teenager. By the time he transitioned to real-world racing in 2012, he had amassed over 100 wins and nearly 300 top-five finishes on iRacing. As of 2024, he boasts more than 300 victories in online simulator racing.
In addition to competing in various iRacing events across the U.S., Byron has participated in several eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series with notable success. Furthermore, the driver of the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 owns an iRacing team called the William Byron eSports Racing Team, based in Charlotte. This team competes in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and includes drivers Nick Ottinger and John Gorlinsky.
During his Cup Series career, Byron has participated in 243 races over seven years, achieving 13 wins, 97 top-ten finishes, and 13 pole positions. His most recent Cup Series race was at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Since starting his racing career with iRacing, simulator use has remained crucial for Byron. He expressed his enthusiasm for iRacing in an interview with NASCAR.com, stating, “I just enjoy iRacing. It’s always been something I’ve been passionate about. It really is how I got started in racing. It’s exciting to see the iRacing community come together with so many races happening.”
He added, “There’s a lot of communication and interaction among drivers in the game that you wouldn’t typically experience on the real track, where most of the conversations are just between teammates. It’s cool to hear that back-and-forth among drivers.”
Byron highlighted the unique aspects of iRacing, mentioning, “One of the best parts is being able to engage on Twitter during the race, which is different from anything we’ve done before. We can communicate and gauge what fans are saying about the race in real time.”
As of now, William Byron has qualified for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and is competing alongside his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman for the championship title.
