CONCORD, N.C. -- William Byron’s racing career began at an early age.
And it was virtual simulation races that taught the 2019 Daytona 500 pole sitter how to race competitively before his career in NASCAR started at just 19 years old.
“My parents thought I was crazy, because I was just sitting at home, playing video games, learning how to drive,” Byron said. “For me, there was a purpose to it.”
Byron had yet to play the game before, but when the time had come to compete in three races on Forza Horizon, it was like he never stopped playing racing games.
“If you know basic physics of driving, if you just know how to drive a real car on the road pretty well, I think it translates,” Byron explained of the game.
To see how the No. 24 Axalta driver finished in each of the races – check out BuzzFeed’s video above.