NASCAR driver Timmy Hill expects payback; William Byron is sure of it

Timmy Hill put the bumper to William Byron in the closing laps of the iRacing NASCAR event at Texas Motor Speedway

As NASCAR sits out on coronavirus postponement, drivers have turned to digital platforms.

On Sunday, iRacing hosted the second race of the eNASCAR Pro Invitational. The round at Texas Motor Speedway saw bumper to bumper action.

Drivers like Timmy Hill are typically in underfunded equipment where a top 20 is a win. In the online world, the cars are identical and Hill suddenly finds himself in equal equipment with the stars of the sport.

William Byron unloaded a new rig just two days ago. With the new sim chassis all setup, he moved right back to the front of the field.

With just 4 laps to go, Hill got a run. Byron threw a block and Hill drove into his rear bumper. Byron wasn’t crashed, it was beautifully crafted at 200 digital miles per hour.

Timmy Hill went on to take the win.

Timmy Hill and Ryan Preece at Texas Motor Speedway - NASCAR iRacing — Timmy Hill and Ryan Preece at Texas Motor Speedway – NASCAR iRacing

Timmy Hill on the bump to William Byron

Timmy Hill has spent 9 years in the NASCAR Cup Series, he’s yet to claim a top-10. But, with 21761 laps run, he’s had a lot of time to think about what he’d do to win, he did just that…

“It was a situation where I don’t get the chance to win on this big of a platform,” Timmy Hill said after the race win.

“I always told myself if I had a chance to win any type of race — NASCAR, short-track level, when it came down to it, that’s what I would do.”

“It didn’t change because it was iRacing. That is what I would do in real life.”

“Going forward, I’m sure William isn’t happy about it. I’m sure he’ll do the same back to me. Reverting back to what I said before, you race others how they race you. I’ll probably get a lot of abuse going forward. I’ll have to accept that. But that’s in the future. I’m kind of living in the present and happy to get the win.”

Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean the same rules don’t apply. Drivers remember when they are moved out of the way, especially for a win.

“I’ll probably get a lot of abuse going forward, and I’ll have to accept that,” Hill said. “But that’s in the future. I’m living in the present, and I’m happy to get the win.”

William Byron has a target

Byron has been fast in both NASCAR iRacing events. However, he’s yet to claim the finish he’s looking for.

Going forward, Hill expects to get a bumper from Byron in the future. Now, he can be sure of it.

“I just got moved out of the way by Timmy (Hill). He used me up in Turns 1 and 2. The draft is so big in Turns 3 and 4 that you’re wide-open which gave him a huge run. I was hoping to force him to have to pass me around the high side or get a run off of Turn 2, but he drove through me. I’ll remember that for next week,” William Byron said after the race.

“We had a good race, led the most laps and had a really good green-flag pit stop there at the end to give us back the lead. We did about all we could but just didn’t bring home the checkered flag.”

“He just drove through me. So I’ll just remember that for next week.”

“If he’s in front of me you can be sure of it,” William Byron stated via twitter in regards to payback.