Tuesday, August 21, 2012

iRacing Spotlight on Daniel Williamson

Daniel Williamson is arguably one of the best, if not the best Late Model iRacer out there. Chances are if you’ve run in the NASCAR iRacing.com Late Model series in the past few years you have probably spent most of your time chasing this guy wondering “how can he be that fast?” In his three year career on iRacing.com, the Roanoke, VA-based Williamson has started 1,057 online races, winning  234 of those races and placing in the top five 690 times. He only has a 22.13% win percentage but has finished an astounding 65.27% of his races in the top five. With these kind of stats who could disagree that Daniel Williamson is one of iRacing’s top Late Model sim-racers?

Some of the highlights of Daniel’s iRacing.com career so far include:
2012 Season 2 iRacing Late Model Tour Overall Race Championship, 2nd Place
2012 Season 2 iRacing Late Model Tour Division 2 Time Trial Championship, 1st Place
2011 Season 2 iRacing Late Model Tour Overall Race Championship, 5th Place
2008 Season 4 13th Week iRacing Legends Cup Overall Race Championship, 5th Place
2008 Season 4 iRacing Late Model Tour Division 8 Time Trial Championship, 1st Place
2008 Season 4 iRacing Advanced Legends Cup Division 7 Time Trial Championship, 1st Place

Williamson shows-off the new paint scheme for his team Top Split Chassis.

This week I got a chance to talk with Daniel about his iRacing.com career and discuss some of his hobbies outside of sim racing.

Q. How long have you been Sim racing?
A.Since July 2007.

Q. When did you begin your iRacing.com career?
A.September 2008.

Q. By the looks of your stats it seems the iRacing.com Late Model series is you favorite series, why is that?
A.The car is the best car on iRacing and I enjoy short track racing. Also I work on a Late Model so I know about them and enjoy racing them.

Q. Do you have any plans to competed for the NASCAR iRacing.com Late Model Series title again in the near future?
A.Maybe in a couple of seasons. I put so much time into last season and just got burnt-out by about Week 10. It was a hard fought battle with me and Heath (Smith) but the 206 point week he got at Lanier in Week 1 was too much to overcome when I only had a 160-some point week. But it was fun and congrats to him. As for now I will just run tracks I enjoy running on the Late Model schedule and run for the LMSS championship at inthezoneracing.com.

Q. If there was one thing you could change about iRacing what would it be?
A.The new builds every 13 weeks. I have a life, family and kids and don’t want to spend hours remaking set-ups four times a year.

Williamson and his co-driver take a spin at the local kart track.

Q. What would you say is your favorite track on iRacing?
A.Irwindale.

Q. What are some of your hobbies outside of iRacing?
A. Hockey and racing.

Q. What is it like to work for a real world Late Model team?
A.I enjoy going to the track each week and learning new technology on the Late Models.

Q. Does anything off your real world late model setups transfer over to iRacing?
A.Yes quite a bit. I mean in real life springs and track bar and cross are a whole lot less important than your front end geometry, roll centers and shocks, where on iRacing you have to make the car turn with sway bars track bars and springs.  You don’t have the options to move front end points or see if you are coil binding or shock travels. All you have are pretty much caster and camber adjustments on the front end.

Q. Who is Daniel Williamson outside of iracing?
A.Just a normal hard working guy with a family who enjoys racing, hockey, football and sports in general.

Be sure to check out Daniel Williamson’s big Late Model race coming up in September: the Sim Seat 300.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/iracing-spotlight-on-daniel-williamson

Nico Hülkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison

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