Chase Elliott Draws Parallels Between the Contrasting Early Racing Journeys as Teammate William Byron Took the Road Less Traveled

At the mere age of 8, most kids daydream about their next toy. Chase Elliott, however, had other aspirations to pursue. At that age, the 2020 Cup Series Champion set foot in a go-kart for the first time and never looked back. This is not something out of the ordinary thought. Most drivers start in go-karts before they get the chance to pilot full-fledged race cars. However, Elliott’s teammate, William Byron, took a different route and pretty interesting route.

Unlike Elliott, or most other NASCAR drivers, Byron recognized his prowess with the help of the virtual world of stock car racing, which is popular among the community as iRacing. During The Pure Athlete Podcast, Chase divulges the contrasting journey that paved the way for him & Byron to be full-time stock car racing drivers.

Chase Elliott sheds light on William Byron’s interesting journey

Back in 2011, Elliott’s entry into the realm of NASCAR was made official when he signed a deal with Hendrick Motorsports for NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His performance from 2003 to 2011, during which he won over 60 races at 15 years, really caught the eye of HMS owner Rick Hendrick.

Pondering upon his early racing days, the #9 Chevrolet driver expressed his disbelief at how his teammate made it to NASCAR. He said, “One of my teammates at HMS, now William Byron, you know, he didn’t do a lot of racing when he was a young kid and the stories I’ve heard, I don’t think he even started racing actual cars until he was a teenager, which is kind of crazy.”

Elliot then explained the path he took as an aspiring racer compared to the #24 Chevrolet driver and said, “I was racing go-karts, you know, these small little cars when I was 8. So that was kind of the path I took, but for him, he was doing a lot of iRacing.”

Despite having roots in real-world racing, Elliott didn’t shy away from disclosing that the virtual racing world could be a great start for people who want to get a shot at motorsports. Chase emphasized, “It’s totally a reality now, and you know, believe it or not, there’s a lot of good habits that you can take away from driving online and doing that stuff and competitive arenas to race.”

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Elliott’s performance was visible to almost every team owner. However, the road in the hindsight that Byron took had barely anyone to notice a talent that could one day dominate the track. So how did William Byron get his shot at real racing?

William Byron’s family gave him the boost to reach NASCAR

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iRacing was founded in 2004 and a few years later, in 2010, Byron, who is now popular for his impeccable displays and his 2017 Xfinity Series Championship win, joined the virtual racing world.

According to Front Office Sports, Byron revealed that he started iRacing when he was 13 years old. However, when his success in the virtual world came across his family, they, without wasting any time moved him into the Legends racing, and from there, the door for the high-octane motorsport-NASCAR, opened.

“iRacing really helped me get up to speed (on an actual track) and learn how to get more speed in the car,” Byron said. “It allowed others to see that I had the ability to drive. I was incredibly green for years, so it also gave me a huge confidence boost that I had the talent to succeed.”

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Despite having no real-world experience, Byron, with just the help of his racing prowess in iRacing and support from his family, built a glorified career in NASCAR, giving out hope that a virtual racer could ace the real race.