August 13, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

William Byron gets head start on Indy Road Course with help from an unlikely source

William Byron doesn’t have to worthy about keeping up with the Joneses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.

However, maintaining pace with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott—winners of the last four NASCAR Cup races—has proven to be quite the challenge.

So Byron, 23, enlisted a secret weapon, Rinus Veekay, winner of the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, to expedite the learning process.

The fellow Bow-tie racers shared time in the ‘Driver in the Loop’ simulator at Chevrolet’s Performance Center in Huntersville, N.C., on Tuesday, where VeeKay showed Byron the intricacies of the 2.439-mile circuit. Not only is Cup making its debut on the road course, but this weekend marks the first time that IndyCar and NASCAR’s top tour are part of a double bill.

As Byron sat in the simulator, VeeKay relayed over the intercom that the curbs through Turns 1, 11 and 12 were like “sidewalks” as was the case in the last right-hander going through 10. But NASCAR has added additional bumps through Turns 5, 6, and 9.

Entering Turn 12, VeeKay described the corner as pretty “grippy” with a drop in the apex with the proper camber to catch the car.

“The hardest thing for us will be the braking zones,” Byron told VeeKay. “It seems like (Turns) 1 and 7 are pretty flat, so there will be a lot of heavy braking…How about the last corner there (Turn 14)?”

“It’s flat for us with new tires,” VeeKay responded. “But when the tires are older, it’s tricky. Guys hit the wall sometimes there so I can’t imagine what it will be like for you. I think a big-time gain or loss is going to be this corner and trying to get it straight for braking, I guess—and in the esses—making sure you get the minimum speed up and get the car placement right because it’s a hard section.

“It’s not a crazy, hard track, so it’s going to be close for everyone and hard to make a difference.”

After reevaluating his run, Byron concluded that Turn 4—which is a sweeping right-hander in the center of Turns 3 and 4 on the oval—would be the toughest for the Cup drivers as they would need to balance turning and braking.

“It’s always a hard corner for us,” VeeKay agreed. “It’s easy to overshoot the corner and lose your lap there. It’s hard to get your corner all the way over to the right (going through Turns 5 and 6) to get the exit—of course, you’re not as flat in this corner. In IndyCar car placement is above everything.

“But it’s a cool track. Probably different from anything you’ll drive in NASCAR.”

Of the seven different road courses Cup will compete on this season, Byron found the layout to be a combination of Road America, where he started on the pole but finished 33rd, and the Charlotte Roval. In his 13 Cup road course starts, the 23-year-old Charlottean has an average finish of 18.8. Byron has finished sixth three times.

“For us, it’s similar to Road America in the braking zones, but the corners are like the Roval,” Byron said.

“Road America is all 90-degree corners and this is just kind of rolling speed and leaning on the tires all of the time,” responded VeeKay.

After about 10 minutes of VeeKay guiding Byron, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet offered up his seat, “Do you want to try it?”

“Sure, I’ve never driven a NASCAR before,” replied the 20-year-old Dutchman. “Good thing I can’t make damage with this car.”