Although it sometimes seems like a safe haven for trolls, the comments section on YouTube can be a very helpful place. Just ask Hendrick Motorsports’ new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver-to-be, William Byron.
Landon Cassill tweeted shortly after Byron’s forthcoming promotion was made official, revealing that the Hendrick driver asked him for some racing tips on YouTube six years ago.
Cassill posted a screenshot of a video from an iRacing tournament he hosted in 2011 that shows a comment from a then-13-year-old Byron. The now 19-year-old racer apparently wanted some advice on how to setup his car for Charlotte Motor Speedway.
You never know where a racer can get his start. Check out this YouTube comment from an @iRacing event I hosted 6 years ago. 🏁@WilliamByron pic.twitter.com/3SkN5chG0k
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) August 9, 2017
Byron, like Roush Fenway Racing’s Ty Majeski, got his start in motorsport by competing on iRacing, rather than through traditional pathways, such as carting.
The Charlotte native’s transition from virtual to real-life racing further proves that sim racing is a legitimate means of breaking into the sport. And his comment from 2011 also sheds some light on just how realistic sims are nowadays.
In the two races Byron’s run at CMS, the track where he needed help fine-tuning his setup, he has an average finish of 12th. He finished 10th in the 2016 Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte and 14th in this year’s Xfinity Series race, suggesting he finds the track similarly challenging in the real world.
Thumbnail photo via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
