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New York Times
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Kyle Larson on his love for NASCAR (really), his Max Verstappen comment and more: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson, who is embarking on his attempt to complete the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 'Double' on Memorial Day Weekend. Larson will qualify for the Indy 500 this weekend and then run the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid and what do you remember about that moment? I don't remember the first specific autograph, but I do remember being a kid going to the dirt races. I had a checkered flag pillowcase, so I would walk through the pit area with my pillow and pillowcase and get all the drivers to autograph it. I'm sure you have probably hundreds of autographs from when you were a kid at dirt tracks. Oh yeah. My mom was definitely the type of person who would shove me over to people to get their autograph. It's cool looking back at it now. And I had a couple pillows, but I slept with those until I moved out. (Laughs.) Advertisement 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside a race car? The Coke 600, I don't remember what year it was, but I had a stomach bug going on — and yeah, we had to relieve some pressure. It felt good, but it was miserable. Very miserable. (Laughs.) How did you get out of the car without anybody seeing that had happened? I had a white suit, and I didn't know what it looked like back there. (Laughs.) I just lowered it and and ran over to my golf cart and my bus driver and hauled a— in the motorhome. It was bad. 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? I saw Ross (Chastain's) answer on this (in the 12 Questions last week), and I will agree: Probably the DAP (Driver Ambassador Program, which awards points to drivers for making media appearances and participating in other promotional activities) stuff. I was not very competitive at all with it until recently; I did a couple longer events and crept up the leaderboard. Now I'm like, 'Oh man, we need to do some more.' It's a good incentive thing NASCAR has come up with, and it's definitely gotten the top guys more involved in trying to promote the sport. How close to the top are you right now? I'm fifth. I don't even see what (Joey) Logano does, but he's checked out. And Chase (Elliott) too. Like, I don't even know where these guys come from, but they're ahead of me. Aside from Joey, we're all pretty close; second through seventh is close. 4. What do people get wrong about you? People back in the day used to get wrong that I didn't care about NASCAR. I still think people think, 'Oh, I'm just doing this for the money and if I had a choice, I'd be racing sprint cars all the time.' That really bugs me, because it isn't about the money. I wouldn't do this if I didn't love it, you know? So I do love this. I wish fans would realize that. And I feel like they have over time, but not all of them, and you're never going to convince everybody. 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I prefer to just be a quiet-in-the-back-seat Uber passenger, and I would prefer the driver not talk to me. (Laughs.) That's probably the introvert in me. I just don't really like to talk. I don't care about my rating — other than if I'm the one ordering the Uber and there are a bunch of us in there, I want them to be respectful because it comes back on me. I think my rating is 4.8 or 4.9, somewhere around there. Advertisement 6. This is a wild-card question related to a current topic with you. Last year, you said you're a better all-around driver than (Formula One's) Max Verstappen, which actually seems obvious for those of us who have seen the diversity of your racing success. But then every time you crash or make a mistake, that gets blown up into this sarcastic 'greatest driver in the world!' reaction from your detractors. What would you say to those people who love to see you mess up? People act like I'm the one who said I am the greatest race car driver in the world. I never said that. I just said I'm a better all-around driver than Max Verstappen. And they took that as I said, 'I'm the greatest in the world.' Because for some reason, Max is considered the greatest in the world. So it's funny. I mean, I expect it when I have a crash or something. But it's fine. 7. This is my 16th year doing the 12 Questions, so I'm going back to an earlier question. I picked one from 2014, which was our first 12 Questions interview: Fans often come up to you and bring up moments from your career; what moment do they mention to you the most at the time? At the time, you said the 2013 Daytona Xfinity Series crash. But a lot has happened since then, so what do they bring up now? Well, that never gets brought up anymore, which is nice, because it got brought up all the time. What gets brought up the most now? Everybody who comes up to me says they're going to the Indy 500, so I would say that, just because I hear it all the time. Like every fan who comes up to me is like, 'Oh, we were there last year and we're going again this year' or stuff like that. I mean, there are 350,000 people there, so I guess it's not surprising they are going to be there. (Laughs.) 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver who you'd be one of the first people to congratulate them in victory lane if they won the race. I try to do my best to get to victory lane whenever somebody new wins. When Josh Berry won (at Las Vegas), I went to victory lane. So probably any of them at this point, if I like you. But probably Todd Gilliland. He's just a super good guy and he's really talented. He's on a team that is not top-tier level like Hendrick or Gibbs or Penske, so if he won, that would be really cool. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? So I didn't even know what ChatGPT was until December, and I downloaded it, and we were on vacation. I stayed back at the house and was messing around with it, and I realized, 'Damn, this app is sick!' You could do everything. You can get answers to things, you can craft up responses to send to people that sound professional. You can do anything, right? I could design a T-shirt with it. And so honestly, right now, I literally use it for everything. It's awesome. Advertisement You might be the first person this year to openly say you embrace it in these interviews. Most of the guys have said they used it a couple times or haven't used it at all, but you're all-in. Yeah, I'm all in. It's cool. I'm not really an email person, but I've definitely done it and been like, 'OK, that's too professional. Dumb it down a little bit.' I like that you can have a conversation and you don't feel like you're having a conversation with a robot. You feel like you're having a conversation with a person. 10. What is a time in your life you felt was really challenging, but you feel proud of the way you responded to it? Probably the 2020 stuff (when Larson was fired from Chip Ganassi Racing for uttering a racial slur during an online racing livestream). Obviously, a lot happened in a quick time — (a position) that I put myself in. But it was trusting the people I had around me and trusting in the path we were trying to put ourselves on to get either back to the Cup Series or just in a good spot in life and racing. It was staying committed to that and doing everything I felt like I wanted to do and needed to do and ultimately got back to the Cup Series. 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take the sport to the next level of popularity? When you look at F1, they're much larger than us, but they also have way more money than the teams and NASCAR has to work with. If you could magically have billions more dollars to spend in promotion and fixing up facilities and things like that, there's no question we would be way bigger than we are now. But we're working in a budget that's much different than them. If we had unlimited money, we could do really whatever we wanted. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next interview. The last one was with Ross Chastain and his question is: What is your best Chip Ganassi story? He's always had diets and things like that. I remember we would go to dinner, and I think he was serious, but he was telling people, 'I'm a vegetarian right now, I don't eat meat.' So you would order your steak and you're eating it and get down to the end of it and you might have a little bit left on there. And he doesn't even ask — he reaches over with his fork, grabs it, eats it. I'm like, 'Dude, I thought you were vegetarian, for one, and two, you didn't even ask if I was done!' (Laughs.) Advertisement Like straight off your plate? Yeah! And he doesn't ask either. He doesn't look at you, like, 'Haha, gotcha.' He's just like, 'No, that's mine.' Well, speaking of Ganassi, the next interview I'm doing is with Alex Palou (the IndyCar points leader who drives for Ganassi). Do you have a question I can ask him? Is he ever going to lose a race? Well, ask him that too, but I'd like to ask him something better. So I'll think of one. (Top photo of Kyle Larson after Sunday's Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Ross Chastain on his misunderstood Talladega move, tipping culture and more: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing, who finished second last week at Texas Motor Speedway and is currently 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid, and what do you remember about that moment? The first one would be the doctor on my birth certificate, right? (Laughs.) Probably Randy Fox, the late model driver at Punta Gorda Speedway. He used to throw out frisbees to all the fans and the kids. I remember getting stuff from him, and then I got to race against him when I got older. 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside a race car? Homestead 2017, the Xfinity Series season finale. I got real sick going into the weekend and went to get some IVs right before the drivers' meeting. They gave me two one-liter bags, and it made me feel good, but then I had to pee. The sickness was taken care of by the fluids, but the urge to use the bathroom was bad. Advertisement That was right at the beginning of stage cautions, and I had to go. I just remember the feeling of racing and having to go to the bathroom, and then I went under the caution. Only time it ever happened. That's the only time you've ever peed in the car? Yeah, yeah. I had never been so thankful for a caution. We weren't even slowed down yet and it was already happening. 3. What is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? DAP (NASCAR's Driver Ambassador Program, which awards points for doing promotional work and interviews and pays out from a fund worth millions of dollars.) I was already doing a lot of this stuff; now there's just points involved. So yeah, I'm competitive. I'm putting in the work, and it helps me, it's self-serving. But I put effort into traveling and trying to promote races ahead of time. Not just always during the weekend, but traveling out a week or two ahead of time to a market. We do that on our own, and now there's just a real, incentivized way to track it. So now I don't feel so bad about asking you for an interview. I don't think this counts. It does. Look at me. Look at me! I didn't even know it. I'm here on my own goodwill. 4. What do people get wrong about you? Some people think I still live in Florida. I'm down there a lot, but I'm in North Carolina so much. Do you have good frequent flyer status? Oh, the top at American. And we do a lot of charter flights with the team planes, and I still have (top commercial status). 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you, and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I don't care. I don't even know where to see the Uber rating, actually. But I would love to just ride in a car everywhere. If I could just get up and ride to Chevy in the morning or Trackhouse instead of driving, I could definitely get more done and focus on the phone calls I'm on. Advertisement Where do you see your rating? (Chastain opens his app and looks it up.) Oh, 4.92. Do you tip? I don't. You don't tip, and you still have a 4.92? I paid to ride in the car. Do you tip when someone grabs you a water out of a cooler, like if you just get a drink at a restaurant or something? If they put the screen in front of me, I feel so bad. 'Just answer one question.' I seize up. What if it's like 82 cents? You're just getting a drink. What if you grab it yourself, set it on the counter, they ring it up and then it asks if you want to tip? It depends if I can do it without them seeing. (Laughs.) Oh my gosh! You've gotta stand up to the tip. It's a whole thing. Nope. 6. This is a wild-card question about a current topic related to you. At Talladega, you blended up to try to break the momentum of the pack that was coming on. (Hendrick Motorsports crew chief) Rudy Fugle was among those who praised it and said you sacrificed for Chevy and you did exactly what Chevy would have wanted. Then Denny Hamlin said it was BS racing, the kind of move that should be black-flagged. Can you clarify why, as the last Chevy in line, it was important for you to make that move or shed some light on that? Well, the intention was to get picked up by that line. They were going faster than I thought. So if I could do it again, I wouldn't do it — because the 77 (Carson Hocevar, a Chevrolet who was leading the Toyota line) was coming faster than I thought. From there, yeah, I knew it was going to be self-serving to Chevy. I mean, there were Chevys in front of me, only one behind me and then a bunch of others. But that wasn't top of mind; the thing was just get picked up by the 77 and lead that line. I just didn't realize they were going as fast as they were. Oh, so everybody made huge assumptions based on your actions then. That's common. People think that I think more than I do. I'm out there racing and reacting. That was not a (spotter) Brandon McReynolds call to move up. It wasn't pre-planned by Chevy. There was no like, 'Oh, the back Chevy will block them.' 7. This is my 16th year of doing the 12 Questions, and I'm going back to a previous interview that we've done and seeing how your answer compares. In 2018, the question was: 'If you get into someone during a race, does it matter if you apologize?' At the time, you talked about how you always try to apologize no matter what, even if a person doesn't want to hear it and you had even been told to lose their number and never call again. Seven years later, does it matter if you apologize now? And do you still try to apologize after various incidents? No, I don't try after every one. (Laughs.) It's about intent. If I feel like I did something with the right thought but I just executed it badly — which happens a lot — it's just situational now. It doesn't do anything when people reach out to me. It's just racing. I don't want to sound like I don't care, but I know what happened. I know what the intention was; I can usually tell. So if they reach out, I've already moved on to the next week. We have 38 races. Advertisement I do care a lot, but someone talking to you about it after? We're all grown men, and we know we'll do something a little different next time. I'll give them a little more room, or they'll give me a little more room. I've got guys out there right now who give me a little more room based on stuff that's happened and it's appreciated, and I'm doing it for other people. 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver for whom you would be one of the first people to congratulate them in victory lane if they won a race? (Ryan) Preece. Would be his first one, so that'd be big. What's the relationship between you two? We were teammates down in Gaffney (S.C., at Johnny Davis Motorsports). He did just a one-year tour down there and then moved on. But yeah, we used to own a shifter kart together and would take it out to the go-kart track and stuff. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? I have the free app (for ChatGPT) and instead of hitting Safari and typing it in if I have a question, I'll just throw it in ChatGPT now. But that's the extent of it. I've seen engineers, they'll be in a meeting and if a topic is being talked about and they don't understand something, I'll see them type it into ChatGPT and then they're reading through it. I saw one guy answer the question based on what he read off of ChatGPT and people in the room thought he knew it. But he had just read it and formed his own thought based off of that. I was sitting there with him and he was like, 'Hey man, gotta use the technology for your own good.' 10. What is a time in your life you felt was really challenging, but you feel proud of the way that you responded to it? DC Solar (when he lost his Chip Ganassi Racing ride due to the team's sponsor getting indicted and shut down). Initially, I was probably not very proud, because I didn't handle it very well for the first couple weeks. But that happened in the third week of December; on Jan. 2, 2019, I got in my truck and drove back to North Carolina. It took me until Jan. 2 to grasp it and decide, 'No, I'm gonna go keep doing this.' Once I got back to North Carolina, I walked back into CGR and the entire shop that was coming back from the break — from the upper management to the shop floor and everybody in between — would go out of their way to say, 'Hey, you're going to be back in a race car for us.' Even though it took several years. In 2019, I wasn't. In '20, we did run the 77 car for two races out of there with Spire. And then in '21, I was back in the car full-time in the Cup Series. Advertisement And it took all those people. They would literally put their arm around me and say, 'Hey, you're gonna drive one of these. You're gonna drive a Cup car next for us.' And it took a while, but we got it done. 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take this sport to the next level of popularity? I don't know. Out of my expertise. I thought you were going to say you're doing your part out there … Well, it definitely needs to be exciting. And if a block in Turn 3 at Talladega that does not involve a crash and involves a half-dozen cars slowing down for one car merging incorrectly? If that's the most exciting thing that happens at a superspeedway race, we are probably not doing our jobs. When I got done and I realized and grasped people were talking about my block, I was like, 'Wow, that really was a boring race.' 12. Each week, I ask the person to give me a question for the next interview. The last one was with Ryan Preece. He says: Why does watermelon taste sweeter when it's cold, even though the sugar content does not change? I don't know that I agree with that. They taste the sweetest off of the ground in victory lane (after Chastain smashes them, in his post-win tradition). So he should try that. And I am pro other people smashing watermelons when they win. So imitation is the sincerest form of flattery if somebody else does it? I'll send them a watermelon if they want to do that. Right now, they're coming from our family farm. The watermelons we have are from my brother and dad's field. We harvest for a little under two months. We did it last year at Darlington in the truck race. … But what Preece was saying, I like them better at room temperature or really straight out of the field (after) they've been out in the sun is actually where I like them the best. Do you have a question I can ask the next person? It's Kyle Larson. (Chastain asked for more time to think of a question.) (Top photo of Ross Chastain last month at the Darlington Cup Series race: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Ryan Preece on his intensity, reviving ‘Boys, have at it,' and more: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: RFK Racing's Ryan Preece, who initially finished second in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway but was later disqualified due to a technical issue with his car. This interview (conducted before the race) has been edited and condensed, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid and what do you remember about that moment? It was probably at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, just because if you're in New England, that's the track you go to (Preece is a Connecticut native). My grandfather used to park his motorhome outside of Turn 1, basically as close to the track as you could get from the campground. I used to go up there and have my bike and ride around. Advertisement 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside a race car? In 2016 in the Xfinity cars, they would tape up all the little ducts on the side for qualifying. But (after qualifying), they didn't pull the ducts. So all the air flow and everything wasn't coming in the car. And it was at Richmond in August, so it was really hot. I just remember how miserable it was. So they just forgot? Yeah. It was a tough one. I remember it was a mental battle of, 'I'm not pulling in, but this is ungodly hot.' It was brutal. 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? Usually, whenever my wife and I go mini-golfing. I don't like to lose, and the tough part about it is she doesn't either. So usually, (it) will be our one mini-golf game for the next two or three years until we decide we're bored enough to go do it again. 'It won't go bad this time.' That's what we always say. 4. What do people get wrong about you? My wife says I'm unapproachable. I think I'm pretty approachable. But when you're in your element at the racetrack, I'm pretty focused, so I can be mislabeled as unapproachable at times. 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I don't really care about my Uber rating. The type of passenger I am, it just depends on the feel of the Uber driver. If he's really good at carrying a conversation, then I'll talk if it's a 30-minute ride or whatever. But if you feel like you're prying at each other, I'll sit there and put my headphones on. 6. This is a wild-card question. You have this intense personality I've seen in other people who have this absolute drive and passion for what they do. You're hard-wired that way and you're going to go full-throttle. So for someone like you, how do you deal with people who don't care as much or don't have that same work ethic? I just don't deal with them. It's like cutting the cord. I wouldn't even say it was learned at a young age: I never really felt the need to surround myself with others who are like that. They say a tiger doesn't change its stripes. There are certain people who would probably try to put this energy in you, to want you to go and want to be better. I learned … if somebody's not wired that way, they're just not going to be. You're just wasting your efforts you can be putting in other places. Advertisement So it's not about motivation for you. You just recognize they have it or they don't. That would be pretty accurate. You can tell if somebody is teachable or willing to listen or has a good work ethic. Then there are others who think they have it figured out and they're going to do it their way — and maybe their way is right for them. Who knows? That's one thing I've learned, is there are a million different ways to go about it. 7. This is my 16th year doing these 12 Questions interviews, and I'm going back to an old one I asked people and bringing it back. One of my favorite ones was from 2017: What is your middle finger policy on the racetrack? Do you have one? Absolutely, if you race like an a—. I'm pretty strong on this: If you are going to choose to race on Friday, Saturday or Sunday (in NASCAR) at a national level like you would at a go-kart track 10 minutes from your house, that's when you deserve the middle finger. At the end of the day, we all can overstep that line. We're all capable of driving through each other. It's talent or ability that separates us from everybody else racing across the country — or it's supposed to be. So I have a very, very short fuse when it comes to something we label as 'learning' at this level. We're professionals and are supposed to have learned those lessons a long time ago. 8. Other than one of your teammates, who is a driver where if they won a race, you'd be one of the first people to congratulate them in victory lane? Josh Berry. I didn't walk over there, but I texted him. It already happened (at Las Vegas). I still haven't gotten a beer with him, because I can't, but we both said to each other, 'When one of us wins, we'll go drink a beer with each other.' I was pumped for him. On the restart, lining up behind him, I just wanted to push him and give myself a great opportunity — but also give him, another Ford racer, a great opportunity. So I was happy for him. Is there a story behind why you can't have a beer? Nothing bad. That was my New Year's resolution. So like instead of doing Dry January, you're doing Dry Everything? Well, until we win a race. That was the thing. Advertisement 9. How much do you use AI technology, either for your job or your daily life? You're a journalist, so you're really good at putting your thoughts into words on a computer. But I'm terrible. I'm good at talking; I could have a conversation and put my thoughts into words. But for me to sit on a computer, I feel like my mind will just fight with itself on, 'Does this sound right? Does this come across right?' If I was giving a speech or I want it to sound a certain way, AI has actually been really helpful for me to do that. I don't use it for everything in life, but I feel like it's been a great tool. 10. What is a time in your life you thought was really challenging, but you're proud of the way that you responded to it? In my racing career after the point of 2007 or 2008, there have been difficult times all the time. But I've learned a lot of lessons about team management, people — all those things most people pay to go to school for. I've gotten life experience. The past five years have been pretty tough, but I take a lot of good things away from it. You learn the people you surround yourself with, who is there and who are your real friends. It's been a long road, but certainly one I wouldn't change any bit because it's been great. 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take this sport to the next level of popularity? I'm an advocate for 'Boys, have at it' (the former NASCAR approach with altercations) — within reason. As drivers right now, we have a respect problem in racing at this level because the cars are so durable. I don't think we should change any of that (with the cars), but we've got to figure out a way to get respect back for your equipment, for your fellow racers, for the teams. I don't know another way to get that back other than when you have a problem, it needs to be taken care of (with a fight). They do a really good job of allowing us to do that, but you get afraid of, 'I don't want to pay a $75,000 fine' or anything like that. That's pretty impactful. I see what you're saying. They let you get close to someone, but you're thinking, 'I don't want to hurt my kid's college fund.' Or just life in general, right? This sport was built off of rivalries, and you want that. I think (allowing drivers to fight without fines) would just help take it to the next step. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next interview. The last one was Todd Gilliland, and he wanted to know: What is the best thing about having kids and the hardest thing about having kids? The best thing about having kids is a bad day is really not that bad. When you see your kid and they're smiling, at the end of the day, you're their hero. There's nothing that can replace that. The hardest thing about having kids is when you go from not having kids to kids. The adjustment in life goes from, 'I want to go do this right now' to, 'Well, her nap is going to be at this time. Should we really go do this?' I'd love to take her during the middle of the day and go to the shop, but then she's going to get a 30-minute nap on the way to the shop and then she's not going to sleep and then she's going to be mad. There's just a lot of life adjustments and a lot of planning that goes into that. That's the toughest part, but it's very rewarding. Do you have a question I can ask the next person? (Preece said he'd prefer to wait until he knew who it was.) (Top photo of Ryan Preece during driver introductions for the Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this month: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Todd Gilliland on nervous Uber rides and managing the racing grind: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports, who heads this weekend to Talladega Superspeedway, where he has the second-best career average finish of any active NASCAR Cup Series driver. This interview has been edited and condensed, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid, and what do you remember about that moment? I have no idea, to be honest. I've really got no memory at all of anything. Is that because you were the son of a driver, so you didn't want to go around getting autographs? I was very amazed by the other drivers. I was a massive Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson fan. But I also felt because I was semi- in it, I shouldn't get their autographs — even though, at this point, it does not matter at all. I just felt like I should probably just cheer for these guys and fan-boy off to the side a little bit. Advertisement 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside a race car? My first year in Cup at Auto Club Speedway. I was in Group B (for practice), and not miserable necessarily, but just so nervous. Like out-of-my-mind nervous. We'd seen all those guys wreck (in practice) — (Ross) Chastain, (Kevin) Harvick and all the guys were hitting that bump and wrecking. I'm like, 'Man, I know these guys have a lot more experience than me, so I better pay maximum attention right here.' So that was probably the most nervous I've been. Were you, like, shaking nervous? Yes, I was about to throw up before I got in the car. But it wasn't that bad. We survived it, but it was definitely in my head a little bit. 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? One thing our friend group gets way too competitive (about) is beer pong. Playing with Christian Eckes and Zane Smith, they will make up their own rules as you go. It's just the maximum level of frustration, like, 'You're just changing the rules!' But they don't care. They will swear to their death those were the rules to begin with, and they're not changing anything. 4. What do people get wrong about you? Personality-wise, I've been really happy people are realizing I'm just a big, goofy guy, realistically. But one thing people don't realize when I meet them is my actual height. Literally every fan I meet for the first time is like, 'Man, I did not realize you were so tall.' So, getting some height in the NASCAR division, hopefully the fans realize there's at least a few of us who are pretty tall. There's very rarely a full-body, head-to-toe (photo) next to the car, right? It's usually just chest up and it's very hard to tell. And then obviously if there's a casual fan watching the races, you obviously have no clue how tall we are; we're just sitting down with our helmet on. Advertisement 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you, and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I'm the nervous Uber rider whenever I get my friends in there because I'm usually the one who orders the Uber. I'm paying attention like, 'Alright, dude, it's time to go. Things are just not going to get any better from here, so we should probably head out.' So I'm the first one to the Uber. 'For Todd?' 'Yes.' And I hop in the front seat, because I do not want any of my friends sitting in the front seat, that's for sure. And then I'm just sitting up there, shaking my leg, just like, 'Please, dude …' If I hear a window rolling down (for someone to throw up), that's a bad sign. I'm praying we make it into my driveway or wherever else we're going. I have kind of a bad Uber rating for how respectful I am in the Uber. I'm working on it. I'm getting it up. You're frustrated that it's not closer to five stars? I feel like it should be 4.99 at the worst. Let's see here. (Pulls out phone.) 4.93, so I guess that's not bad. 6. This is a wild-card question. There's been a lot of talk about driver personalities and how some drivers don't feel they can be their true selves in public. Do you feel that way? Are there any obstacles for you to be authentic in interviews? I don't think so. Personally, sometimes I don't have all the right things to say. I'm definitely not the best speaker, so that stuff is probably not my best character trait. I don't feel like I'm holding anything back, but at the same time, there are always some things you should probably stay away from. If I was getting questions about the Martinsville Xfinity race, I don't really have a strong opinion on it — but obviously everybody is looking for a strong opinion, right? So I feel like those are the times you just have to be smart. But I feel like that's really anything in the world, right? Sometimes your whole opinion isn't needed. 7. This is my 16th year of doing the 12 Questions, so I'm going back to an older one. I went back to our first interview, which was 2017. You were 17 and had just finished your junior year of high school. At the time I asked you, 'What is your middle finger policy on the racetrack?' You said you never flipped anybody off, but 'maybe that will change someday.' So here we are, eight years later. Has that changed? It's come full circle. In 2017, I was really young and very scared — and then for awhile, I got a little overconfident. But I just feel like (giving the finger) helps nothing. You can vent your frustration many other ways. And a lot of times now, everybody has an onboard camera. There's going to be some guy who clips it and puts it on Twitter — which I personally love for my viewing purposes of other people, but not as much when it's mine. Advertisement So yeah, for awhile I did it, and then I realized it makes people more mad and makes nothing better. Now I keep my hands on the wheel, and I've realized that's better for me. 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver who you would be one of the first people to congratulate them in victory lane if they won a race? Harrison Burton or Christian Eckes in Xfinity. In the Cup Series, to be honest, probably nobody. I am just not really like that. It's a very selfish thing to say, and I don't like that part, but if someone else is winning, I'm just truthfully not that happy for them. It's cool to see people win, and everybody has worked really hard, but at the same time, I want that most for my team and myself. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? I've used it a couple times. It's this whole rabbit hole; I just can't figure it out. But I love how creative people are with it. I wish I had it when I was in school, but I feel like that (would) only last for a week or two because teachers were on it and you could probably trace it back pretty easily. Overall, it's amazing, but I'm not a massive user of it. 10. What is a time in your life you felt was really challenging but you are proud of the way you responded to it? The toughest time was when I was racing at Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, but definitely not happy with how I responded to it, obviously, in the long run there. (After Gilliland won a race at Martinsville, he infamously told Busch to 'stay in your f—ing motorhome' after a year of frustration and lack of support from the team owner.) But overall, I became so much stronger from all of that. We were just talking about 2017, when we did our first (interview). At the time, everything was going so well. We were winning a lot of K&N Series races. I had a great opportunity going into the next year at KBM, and in 2019 after that, I had such high expectations I was going to jump in and be able to win right away, and we weren't able to. That crushed me and took away all of my confidence. At the same time, that's not racing. Racing is not all winning and good stuff every weekend. That definitely prepared me for getting into the Cup Series and the grind it is, having to stay focused every week. 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take the sport to the next level of popularity? That's the million-dollar question. I saw a video where the guy said the Daytona 500 used to get 20 million viewers (the record was 19.4 million in 2006). That's a massive difference (the race drew 6.8 million this year). That's our biggest race, and it seems like it's doing good, but it's hard. We have to get into bigger audiences, but how do you get people to show up or to come to the race? Advertisement Going to L.A. (for the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) was super interesting because we put it right in the middle of everybody. It made it the easiest possible for people to come. And it was a big crowd, but it wasn't sold out and it wasn't as much of an event as I felt like it should have been. And NASCAR and all the drivers and the team side did a super good job of promoting it and everything. So I don't know. Nowadays, there's so much stuff on TV, so much content out there. To be honest, I don't even really watch that much normal TV. I'm always on YouTube or Netflix. So the Netflix (docuseries) is a really good thing. I've seen more drivers getting into YouTube (vlogging) stuff. That could really blow up. Those are two good steps. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. The last one was William Byron and he wants to know about the Easter break: What are you going to do and do you think it's enough time to reset your brain and get out of the grind of the season? On a normal one week off, it's not enough time to reset and get away. But this year is really nice with Talladega being our race after you come back. At least from a driver's side, the preparation is different than a mile-and-a-half (track). There's not going to be that massive emphasis on this weekend of doing everything. So that will feel like the off week is another three days longer, and that'll make it to where you can probably shut off and regroup and go right back within a couple days. We're going to Turks and Caicos. My wife (Marissa) has never been there. I went there as a kid a couple times, and I love the beach, love some warm weather. The next interview is with Ryan Preece. Do you have a question I can ask him? What is the best thing about having kids, and what is the hardest thing about having kids? (Top photo of Todd Gilliland during driver introductions for the Bristol race earlier this month: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
William Byron on competitiveness, middle fingers and aggressiveness: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: William Byron, the back-to-back Daytona 500 winner and current NASCAR Cup Series points leader heading into Sunday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This interview has been edited for clarity, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid, and what do you remember about that moment? Kenny Wallace when he was doing 'NASCAR RaceDay' (on Speed Channel). I was in the crowd. I loved that show (which was similar to 'College GameDay' with fans surrounding the stage). That was just a great show. I feel like we should bring that back. That was such a good vibe and everyone was so into it. Advertisement 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside a race car? Whenever it's really hot, so there's a couple. The Daytona road course in 2020 was really bad. And then Martinsville (in the 2023 playoff race) when I got overheated. I just wanted to get out, like claustrophobic. I remember the Martinsville one, but I don't recall the Daytona road course. Daytona was so hot that I don't know if a lot of us would have made it to the end. It was that warm. But we had a rain delay and then the weather cooled off after that. It was still humid, but it wasn't as hot. It was like 105 and humid before the break, and guys would have definitely had some trouble (making it to the finish). 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? Well, that's anything for me. But the thing that sticks out is cards with my family over the holidays. Anytime we go on a trip and we play Spades or something, I lose my s— if we lose. I usually storm off, and they laugh at me. (Laughs.) Is there trash talk that makes you do it? Or just the frustration of losing? Just the frustration of losing. And no offense to my mom (Dana), but we're always paired together, and we're not a good pairing. I won't blame one or the other, but it ends up in frustration, and I just lose my s—. 4. What do people get wrong about you? I don't feel like I listen too much to what people think. But probably just my style of racing. People think I'm not aggressive, but I'm plenty aggressive. I think I just show it in probably a smoother way than maybe what people see. I don't make a lot of errors, so maybe it doesn't look aggressive, but I feel like I'm pretty aggressive. On restarts, I'm always up toward the top of the metrics (Byron is the No. 2-ranked restarter this season, according to NASCAR Insights data). 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you, and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I'm a 4.91; I checked the other day. But I am super quiet. I don't talk. So if somebody is talking, I try to let it play out for a minute, and then eventually I just stop. I just like to chill. And honestly, those are the most relaxing rides. They're probably like, 'This guy is super quiet,' but that's what I like. Advertisement 6. This is a wild-card question. You recently posted a picture of doing your new seat-pour process, and you captioned it: 'Nothing makes me more nervous than today.' I'm imagining if you get stuck with the wrong pour, it could cause problems? Can you shed some light on why that made you nervous? You're so reliant on that (seating) position, and you only get one chance at it. You only get one take because that (seat-pour formula) fills around you. As soon as they start the clock and the foam is hot, eventually it cools off and it molds. It's a very intense process because you're trying to get it right, but you really only have about a minute. It's very time-sensitive. And you're stuck with that. You hate to make them re-pour and do it over. And then you really don't figure out if it's right or not until two months later. So it's one of those deals where you're like, 'OK, I'm going into this trying to make it right, and then I have to wait two months to see the final product.' You just never know if it's going to work out the way you intend it to. I imagine you could get three hours into a race and your back is killing you and you're like, 'Oh, great. Now I have this seat forever.' Yeah, it happens. I've had the same seat for eight years. My body type has changed, and it's just starting to get uncomfortable. So I needed something new. 7. This is my 16th year of doing 12 Questions interviews. I'm going back to an earlier one to see how your answer compares. In 2017, I asked you: What is your middle-finger policy on the racetrack? And you said, 'I've never used the middle finger' because you had gotten one from someone in your second-ever Legend car race, and that left an impression on you. Has that changed eight years later? It's not changed, man. I've gotten some middle fingers, but I use it sparingly. The last time I used it was on a lapped car about four years ago at Dover. I was really pissed because I was running for the lead and Dover is a tight exit and they came up in front of me. I was like, 'Screw you, dude.' But that was it. I usually just handle it in other ways. But I like to keep my hands inside. 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver who you would be one of the first people to go congratulate them if they won a race. Erik Jones. We have always been pretty close, so I'm always happy when he's running well. Advertisement Does that go back to your Truck Series days? No, we were actually in the Truck Series at different times. It goes back to when we were growing up. When I was getting through the ranks, I saw him around the local racetracks, running short tracks, and he was always helpful. He was tough to get to know at first, but then once I got to know him, we became really good friends. That would be one I have a lot of respect for (on the track) and personally, too. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? Only on the iPhone texting thing where it summarizes it (with Apple Intelligence). I get some long texts sometimes and it puts (the summary) in the subject. I'm like, 'Oh, great. I don't have to read this person's long text.' So I love that, and I leave them unread for awhile. (Laughs.) 10. What is a time in your life you felt was really challenging but you were proud of the way you responded to it? I was proud of our family when my mom went through her cancer (in 2021). I was racing all the time, and everyone stepped in and really contributed to help her out and make sure she was taken care of. And honestly in that moment, I realized how much bigger life is than racing, and that really reset my perspective. I was like, 'OK, I love racing, but I love my family. I love being there for them.' And that was honestly when some of my perspective started to change. 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take the sport to the next level of popularity? I could go on and on about this, but we need to become way more current in the landscape of social media and exposure. Looking at my generation and being around my friends, they would love to be able to follow the race more easily for their favorite drivers. Formula One has a really good interface for their apps, like how you follow Lewis Hamilton or how you follow Charles (Leclerc). We need to have a way to easily get to that, like the in-car cameras (on Max). And we just need to educate people on how difficult this sport is. People don't understand how difficult it is to drive these cars. They think, 'Oh, you're just turning left at 80 percent of the tracks,' and it's like, 'No, you're on the edge. You're literally fighting the car on the edge, like if you were driving on ice.' So we just have to educate people and do that in a current way. There's plenty of personalities in this garage, it's just trying to show it and we've got to do it in more current ways. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. The last one was Chris Buescher, and he wanted to know what kind of gambler you are in Las Vegas. Are you the kind of guy who will be OK losing $100, or do you not mind losing $5,000 when you come to Vegas? And what do you play? Oh, dude. I get pissed if I lose $300. I play $15 hands of Blackjack or Ultimate Texas Hold'em. I don't mess with the slots. Sometimes I do roulette. But I did not gamble at all (last month during the Vegas weekend). It's just not fun for me. I don't like losing money, man. I'm pretty tight. Pretty frugal. (Laughs.) Advertisement Do you have a question I can ask the next person? What are they going to do over the Easter break, and is that enough time to reset their brain? Or will they still feel like they're in the grind of the season? (Top photo of William Byron celebrating his Daytona 500 win: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
