“He’s way, way, way better than us at the road course stuff — and he’s got his own technique, you can call it.” Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, said these words about his Kiwi rival ahead of the Sonoma race weekend. By then, Shane van Gisbergen had picked up two road course race wins this season. However, two more followed in Sonoma and then last weekend in Watkins Glen. Now, Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate is floored.

William Byron has been riding a fever pitch of glory himself this season. He racked up his season’s second victory at Iowa Speedway, snatching back the 1st rank on the championship standings from Chase Elliott. While dominating in points, however, Byron cannot help but admire the sheer skill of SVG.

William Byron marvels at SVG’s understanding

Well, Shane van Gisbergen has a wildly different history from Byron’s. Having honed his skills and achieved huge success in the Australian Supercars series, SVG is “a crazy right-foot braker.” This refers to the ‘heel-toe’ footwork technique in which a driver uses the same foot to both hit the gas and the brake. This differs from the NASCAR racers used to braking with their left foot while racing on ovals. This already gives SVG an advantage in road courses.

After Watkins Glen, however, Byron is convinced that it is not just his prior skills, but also SVG’s eagerness to learn and do more. That is what the HMS star emphasized in a recent interview with Sirius XM NASCAR. William Byron admired SVG: “He just understands the feel he’s looking for so well. And knows how to translate that to speed.” Besides, William Byron has faced off against Shane van Gisbergen several times.

At Sonoma Raceway, he spent the first half of the race in van Gisbergen’s rearview mirror in second place before eventually finishing eighth. In last weekend’s Watkins Glen race as well, SVG stayed right in front of the Hendrick driver as he lay in wait for the 12 cars ahead of him to pit. In doing so, he wasted Byron’s tires and burned his fuel. Eventually, Byron could finish in 4th place. So he knows a thing or two about SVG’s brilliance.

“You can look at every weekend he’s won one of these. Not every weekend has his car started as the best one, and he finds a way to get it there. So yeah, it’s not just making lap time, it’s figuring out what you need the car to do to last the entire run. And then translating that to speed. And he does all of that really well,” Byron continued.

However, up next are races where Shane van Gisbergen does not have a good history. Richmond Raceway, a short track, and Daytona, a superspeedway, are both NASCAR’s traditional ovals – where SVG is still trying to improve. So William Byron gleefully said, “Excited to get back to an oval, and you know, use all of our tactics on those.”

William Byron is undoubtedly studying the moves of SVG and his rivals to push through the playoffs. He is using more help to achieve his goals.

Staying thoroughly motivated

NASCAR hosts 36 weekends of non-stop racing for Cup Series drivers. As if the pressure to win and enter the playoffs were not enough, drivers also cope with the mental and physical exertion. And the pressure is double for a top-tier Cup Series team like Hendrick Motorsports.

William Byron owns 15 Cup Series trophies in 8 full-time seasons, and aims to do much more. He is still in search of an elusive championship; hence, Byron wants to make sure that he is up to the mark at all times. That is why the 27-year-old enlisted the help of a trusted sports therapist and began implementing strategies that she recommended.

William Byron has grown increasingly adept at battling through adversity and uncertain situations on the racetrack. Recently, he revealed how therapy has helped him achieve such a feat. “I feel like I’m mentally probably better than I’ve ever been. And it’s really just perspective and balance in my life. I think some of it definitely has to do with working with Joanne (his therapist). We’ve worked together for a couple of years…What actually matters and what is in my control. Like, what aspects of driving the car do I feel like are going to enable me to win the next race? And a lot of times, that’s what keeps me going through the bad results that are due to just circumstances or something out of your control.”

Therapy or studying SVG, William Byron has left no stone unturned in working towards his goals. Let us wait and see if he wins it in 2025 or not.