The William Byron test: Can an iRacing ace see success in Cup Series?

Breakout star looks to keep good times going after hiatus

In NASCAR, there is no question who “won” the pandemic hiatus: It was William Byron.

When the Cup Series ceased running in March as part of the effort to contain the coronavirus, the racers moved their competition from the real world to the virtual one.

In NASCAR’s iRacing Series, Byron, 22, was the breakout star, winning virtual races “at” Richmond, Bristol and Dover.

As Byron prepares to drive the actual Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway at 2:30 p.m. today on FS1 in the 10th renewal of the Quaker State 400, his 2020 yields a fascinating question:

Can being the most-accomplished internet-simulation racer in NASCAR translate to realworld success at stock car racing’s highest level?

Virtual racing and the real thing are “very similar,” Byron says. “I use (virtual racing) quite often to kind of give me the feel of what it’s going to be like when I get in the (actual) race car and get to racing.”

Since NASCAR resumed real racing May 17, it has been running races with no practice and no qualifying to help mitigate against the spread of COVID-19.

That reality, Byron says, has made simulated racing vital as a substitute form of preparation. “With no practice going on right now, it is even more critical to have that ‘feel’ for a track,” Byron said. “(iRacing) is a great tool for that.”

Byron’s mastery as a youth of iRacing is sometimes cited as the impetus for his rapid climb to NASCAR’s highest level. That, the driver says, is an exaggeration.

It is true that, in 2011 and 2012,