Readers can now view NASCAR, Formula 1 and motorsports content separately. Customize your feed here.
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to another race car driver. Next up: Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland, who sits 25th overall entering his third season in the NASCAR Cup Series but ranks 10th in the standings. The Cup Series with 91 laps, the most motorsports, led so far this year. This interview has been edited and condensed, but the full edition is available on the 12 Questions podcast.
Advertising
1. What’s first on your bucket list now?
I’d love to run other races, a very recent style or something. And then, I just look at the best moments of F1 and I’d love to move on to an F1 race. And I’d also like to play some interesting passing. courses, such as Pebble Beach or any other. That would be quite, pretty complete there.
Is there an F1 circuit you’d like to move to?
A clever example would be (Circuit of the Americas, where NASCAR also races) because you might perceive a little more. Whereas if I move on to Australia or Bahrain or something, I’ll have no idea what they really are. deal with. But (COTA) would be great to feel like you know how they feel, even though they clearly go by 10 times faster. And also see the position full of enthusiasts seated, just a little bit of another environment to experience.
Loose daily updates straight to your inbox. To register
Loose daily updates straight to your inbox. To register
2. How much NASCAR media do you consume?
Not a ton. In fact, I probably do (a lot). Chances are, you guys, Bob Pockrass and Jordan Bianchi, just scroll down and see snippets of your guys’ podcast, and then obviously Bob (Pockrass) is still tweeting everything. I don’t read a lot of articles, but I still watch tons of clips from Denny’s podcast (Hamlin).
3. Beyond winning, what is the way to measure good fortune in the race?
For us this year we haven’t necessarily had smart effects, but at this point we’re working a lot more week after week. And it’s a real shame that we don’t have an effect. At the same time, there are many other tactics (measure), such as your average running position. Just by knowing where we’re going, knowing what cars we’re racing, we’re taking steps in the right direction. But in the race, it’s pretty much all (roughly) the lap. time to the thousandth of a second, and it’s all pretty accurate when it comes to effects.
Advertising
4. What is your opinion about NASCAR and don’t you think it will be shared through fans?
A few weeks ago, it was the gravel race in Bristol. I’ve laughed a lot on earth. But, in fact, there aren’t many other people who think the same.
Honestly, the existing careers are probably some of the most productive we’ve ever had. It’s simple how the race went; Just don’t forget the smart times. Looking back and looking at all of our races, they’re honestly pretty smart.
5. What’s the most thing enthusiasts don’t know about what you do for a living?
With the current schedule, we’ll be here for 3 days, but honestly, there’s a little free time on the weekends. Like today, we’ll almost be done until noon. As far as all of that goes, the program is great. I’ve even noticed enthusiasts say that, like it’s something else, even camping on a race track now just because there’s not much to do on the race track. In fact, we have more time than ever to observe the city and explore it. A little more.
6. So, the next topic is a hot topic that worries you. It’s Talladega week, and I’m thinking about Daytona and then Atlanta, where you led laps last year. At this point in your career, is it still cool to say, “We did laps in the Daytona 500,” or are you now thinking, “If this is a win, it doesn’t matter?What’s the balance now?
I definitely took some steps towards, “We’ve got to win and do a lot better. “It’s great to be able to lead tours and it’s a step in the right direction; Last year I literally led 0 laps for the whole season.
But at the same time, at the Daytona 500, I felt like we had a great chance of finishing in the top five and being in contention for the win at the end of the race, and we fell into the rubble. Disappointed after that. And then in Atlanta we had one of the fastest cars (Gilliland led the maximum laps in that race). It was another great missed opportunity for us.
Advertising
These are the two most disappointing races I’ve done in a long time, there are some notorious highlights. But the better you get, the hungrier you are and the higher your expectations. So, in Talladega, we really hope to compete for the win.
7. La following is a generic matrix. You’re one of the tallest riders in the Cup, if not the tallest (Gilliland is 6ft 3in). Is there anything special you want to do? Does your team want to decrease your seat?Do you find it more difficult to get in and out of the car?Is there anything you want to do differently?
Surprisingly, no. I’m very fortunate to be competing in the Cup with the Next Gen car. Coming from the Truck series, my knees were very high. The roof height of the truck is very high, but the actual length of the cab is very short. So my knees were very high, almost touching the steering wheel and dashboard every week.
In the Cup car, I have a lot of legroom. I don’t even think my pedals and everyone else is as far away as they can be. So it’s kind of interesting; I’m sure every time I get thrown back in a car, my head will be way up (near the ceiling). And yes, I don’t have any real headaches or lasting disorders either. So I’m super pleased with the way I’m adapting to those cars.
It’s fun in the Cup garage; I’m definitely one of the best, but in the real world, I’m not that tall.
8. What do you like about the position where you grew up? I’m guessing you grew up in North Carolina in the domain of Mooresville and not California (although he was born in California), right?
That’s what I tell my team. Our store is right in the middle of Mooresville, and I literally grew up frequenting the exact same restaurants that are right next door to our store, down the street (N. C. ) 150. I’m sure other people in Mooresville know this, but it’s the main road and it’s regularly subsidized by traffic and some sort of mess.
But I tell other people it’s my favorite highway in America, with all the grocery stores right there. I grew up in the midst of all this and that’s probably what I love the most. There are racing enthusiasts in the city, no matter what time of year it is.
Were you 6 or 7 years old when you moved to North Carolina (after your father, David, competed in the Cup Series with Robert Yates Racing)?
I think I was five years old. I had just started school in California and moved in the middle of the year. Pretty much everything I have is about North Carolina.
9. What personality trait are you most proud of?
I’m pretty affectionate. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied and just try to get the most out of everyone. My leadership qualities want to continue and I hope to continue to progress in the Cup. But most of the time, I check it out, trying to put a smile on people’s faces and make the most of it.
Advertising
10. With what motive force would you least like to be stuck in an elevator?
I don’t know. Some of the driver’s introductions are rarely a little awkward, simply because I’m traveling with the same people. But I love just about everybody, so that’s a tough question. Anyone who’s having a bad day and hoping to have a smart day, those are the ones that aren’t so much fun.
11. What collision did you have with a driver that you missed on TV or in the media?
In Hoenix (last month), we reversed our pit strategy and took the lead. Little by little we were wasting puts, and I settled in and looked to overtake (Chase Briscoe). And boy, we were running hard. We crossed paths. I probably didn’t do a smart job in walking away from him and leaving. I was more frustrated with myself, but we were just wasting positions after we had a better track position and settled into a smart place, but then Briscoe started racing me with all his might. Things are piling up fast and it was probably the craziest and most frustrating moment I’ve had in a long time.
Did you have to do it afterwards?
No, I had a one-shift seizure. And I’m like, “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ve refocused. It was good. “
12. Every week, I ask a driver to ask me a question for the next interview. Last time I did it with Connor Zilisch and he said he’d played pickleball with you before, so it got him thinking: what is it?Your favorite off-court pastime?
I actually love pickleball and can’t wait to enjoy the summer so we can have longer nights and warmer nights in particular. We’re a great organization: me, Zane (Smith), Connor, Noah (Gragson), Harrison (Burton). “And we passed out and played pickleball and hung out.
But my favorite thing off the track is probably golf. In fact, I dedicated myself to it and started with new clubs. I’m looking to improve a bit; It’s a never-ending game that you can get better at.
The next interview I’m going to do is with Martin Truex Jr. Do you have a question?Can I ask?
I know he’s a wonderful guy. I don’t even know where he spends most of his time, but what’s the best position to spend fishing?I feel like it’s probably moving into a lot of positions.
GO FURTHER
Top 5, Texas: Chase Elliott Returns to Winning Ways and Shows Off at Texas Motor Speedway
(Top photo of Todd Gilliland at the Bristol Race of the Month: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)