June 21, 2019 | By Lee Spencer

Byron hopes preparation turns Sonoma into joy ride

SONOMA, Calif.—William Byron just might have an advantage at Sonoma Raceway.

With the addition of the carousel at the iconic road course, it’s a new game for everyone.

Since Byron, 21, had just one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup start at the 50-year-old road course prior to this weekend, there’s not a lot to unlearn at the now 12-turn, 2.52-mile track.

What were the sophomore racer’s first impressions?

“It was wild,” Byron said. “I was surprised how much grip the track has lost in some areas. It’s not as black as it was last year, for sure. I feel like it has less grip up the hill into Turn 1, which is kind of interesting. The track was really dirty to start, so it had to get cleaned up. Guys were throwing rocks into the groove, too.

“It was different every lap. Some guy would go through there and throw a dust storm up, and you’d have to peek through to see where you were going. That’s part of it.”

Byron posted the 14th-fastest time (97.685-seconds) in the first practice. He found speed early in the session but was looking for more direction in the new hairpin—exiting the carousel into Turn 7.

“First laps on the track were fast, which is nice,” Byron said. “We just have to continue to improve. An hour and twenty minutes of practice is good to have because we don’t normally have that; it’s such a thrash. We have the chance to make some detailed changes.”

Byron shaved nearly a second-and-a-half off of his time in Happy Hour and moved up to seventh on the speed chart. But he still found the carousel to be a bit tricky.

“The carousel is tough,” Byron said. “It’s really flat on exit, so you have to get your car to work there. It’s so blind on entry, so it’s going to be hard to make much out of the entry.

“I’m sure there will be some passes there once we are all together and stuffed in there, but I don’t know. I think the biggest area to focus on will be exiting that carousel and trying to get that good so you can launch to the next corner.”

On the way to Sonoma, Byron and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman—along with their crew chiefs—sharpened their road racing skills at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Las Vegas.

“We just got out there and ran some laps,” Byron said. “It was me, Jimmie and Alex. We ran laps nose-to-tail. We were able to look at data so we were able to see what our throttle and brakes were doing. It was funny because we were all so close in lap times, so that was pretty neat to see. We just did that all day; we got a chance to run probably one hundred laps there. That was a lot of fun.”

Byron also had the opportunity to take crew chief Chad Knaus for a ride around the course. He posted his fastest lap with Knaus riding shotgun. In addition to spending quality time with the seven-time champion pit boss, the experience enabled Byron to dial in his communication skills with Knaus.

“He just texted me and said ‘Hey, I want to get out there’, so we stopped and he got in the passenger seat,” Byron said. “Really, he just wants to learn what the car feels like, what I’m asking the car to do and where I want the car to work really well. I think it has helped us this weekend because we know exactly where we want our car to perform well…(It will) kind of help him better relate to what’s going on. We will continue to try and improve.”

Byron says there have been no misconceptions or surprises since Hendrick Motorsports aligned him with Knaus at the start of the season.

“It’s been very similar to what I thought it would be,” Byron said. “I’ve been around him for about a year now, in the debriefs and knowing how he works with Jimmie and his team. I feel like it wasn’t much of a surprise.

“Honestly, I feel like he’s very direct so you don’t have to worry about whether he’s trying to send you a message in a certain way or if he’s trying to blow you off. He’ll tell you if you’re doing something wrong.”

After finishing 23rd in his rookie season, Byron is using every tool at his disposal to sharpen his skills. Every week, Byron spends time in the simulator to prepare for upcoming races. The exercise has paid off lately with Byron leading laps in the last five races and winning the poles for Charlotte and Pocono. He found the work in the simulator particularly beneficial here at Sonoma.

“I feel like it helped right off the bat during the first couple of laps on the track,” Byron said. “I think that really helped. I’m glad we did that because I think it was a good advantage for us to have going in here. It just allowed us to open up our practice and not be so worried about speed.

“I feel like there are areas that it helps me, but it also just helps us overall get a chance to practice and get our car right. I don’t think it hurts by any means.”