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12 Questions with Kaz Grala (2018)

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Kaz Grala has three top-10 finishes in seven Xfinity races since teaming with Fury Race Cars. (Getty Images photo)

The 12 Questions series of interviews continues this week with Kaz Grala, the Xfinity Series driver who is now with Fury Race Cars after starting the year with JGL Racing. Grala’s playoff hopes recently came to an end after he missed the Kentucky race due to a lack of sponsorship, but the team is hoping to find funding for the rest of the season and beyond.

1. How often do you have dreams about racing?

I’m not much of a dreamer — literally. I don’t dream much. But I don’t think there’s ever a time I’m not thinking about racing. Even when I’m not racing, I’m doing it online like a total geek or something. So my whole life is racing. That’s all I’ve got.

2. If you get into someone during a race — intentional or not — does it matter if you apologize?

I feel like yes. If someone gets into me, especially if it looks intentional, I do appreciate an apology. It won’t fix anything, and I still probably owe them one, but I do appreciate the gesture. So I like to at least give people the satisfaction if it’s intentional. If it’s not, then they can deal with it.

You said you still owe them one either way. So does it change the degree of how bad you owe them if they’ve apologized?

Yes, I think the way you handle an incident afterward completely dictates what the ongoing trouble is between the two of you.

3. What is the biggest compliment someone could give you?

I guess the biggest compliment someone could give me is just saying they respect the way I race. I try to race guys the way I would want to be raced, whether that’s from a contact perspective or just common courtesy on the racetrack. I think you have to race everyone as hard as you can, but everyone in the garage knows there are a certain number of things you can do that are just not cool to do to someone else, so I try to avoid those things. If someone says they enjoy racing around me, I take that as a good compliment.

4. NASCAR comes to you and says they’re bringing a celebrity to the track and they want you to host them. Who is a celebrity you’d be excited to host?

I’m a big fan of the Migos’ music, and I didn’t realize that they were at the race at California and I was pretty mad that I didn’t get to see them. I had no idea they were there until after the fact. So I wish I could get to meet them and lead them around.

5. In an effort to show this is a health conscious sport, NASCAR decides to offer the No. 1 pit stall for an upcoming race to the first driver willing to go vegan for one month. Would you do it?

No. Not a chance.

You love your meat and cheese?

Yes. Vegetarian, maybe, because you can just overload on some pasta and some cheese — which you cannot deny is amazing. But if you’re taking cheese out of the equation, then it’s a no-go for me.

6. It’s time for the Random Race Challenge. I’ve picked a random race from your career and you have to tell me where you finished. This is the 2015 Loudon K&N race. Do you remember this at all?

Yes. Started sixth, finished third?

Started sixth, finished third! Wow.

Sweet.

That’s pretty amazing. This is a race that William Byron dominated pretty much, but you were able to move up.

So it was just a regular race in 2015. (Laughs) But I remember that one specifically because that was my home race, of course. I tend to remember the Loudon races.

7. Who is the best rapper alive? Oh wait, you just said you’re into rap with Migos.

Yeah, we actually covered that, but another good one that I can give you is I’m a big 21 Savage fan.

So you definitely like the new school guys.

Yeah. I’m more of a new school guy in everything. Everyone’s into these old vintage cars, the old music. I can attest to the fact that I’m totally into the new stuff only. No matter what it’s about.

8. Who has the most punchable face in NASCAR?

This is always a good question to read the responses of on your website. The problem with this question is there is no politically correct answer, so I’m just going have to go with, of course, my good friend Justin Haley because I think he would do me the honor of giving me the answer to that question himself.

He would like to punch you, so therefore you’ll just say him?

Yeah, we just like to give each other crap back and forth. So he’s got it coming.

9. NASCAR enlists three famous Americans to be involved with your team for one race as part of a publicity push: Taylor Swift, LeBron James and Tom Hanks. Choose one to be your crew chief, one to be your spotter and one to be your motorhome driver.

So our spotter is probably Taylor Swift because she’s got a pretty good voice. Then what are the other jobs?

Crew chief and motorhome driver between LeBron and Tom Hanks.

OK, I’m going to go with LeBron as motorhome driver because I think it sounds like it would be pretty fun to hang out with him.

And Tom Hanks is more of a serious guy. Like you’ve got to be serious to be the crew chief — you’ve got a job to do. So he’ll be the crew chief.

10. What is the key to finding the best pre-race bathroom?

That is important. You always have to eye out the closest port-o-potty or bathroom before driver intros because you have to make a stop there before the race. And some tracks do not make that easy for you. There’s been times I’ve missed the first word of the national anthem because I’m on my way back from the bathroom.

But I wish tracks would make that easier for you. They need to put port-o-potties where they’re gonna grid the cars because anytime that there is a port-o-potty nearby, you’ll see five drivers lined up before opening ceremonies to be in it. It’s important.

I did a interview with Denny Hamlin in the last 12 questions, and he was the first driver all year to go, “No, you don’t need port-o-potties, just go before you walk out to intros.” He didn’t understand why drivers need to wait until the last minute. Why does everybody wait?

For me, at least at some races, the particularly hot ones, I hydrate like crazy for the three days before. So I may go before intros, but I’m going to need to go after intros still. It’s either that or in the car, and the car is not a pleasant time to do it, so I’m going to try to squeeze it in before I get into the car.

11. NASCAR decides they miss the highlight reel value brought by Carl Edwards’ backflips and want a replacement. How much money would they have to offer for you to backflip off your car following your next win?

Not that much, just the medical bills. I don’t think I’d survive it. I’m not coordinated, nor do I have any balance, so I don’t think it would go well. But hey, if they cover the medical expenses, I’d try it.

12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next interview. Last week’s was with Denny Hamlin. He wanted to know: What’s the most disappointing loss you’ve ever had in your career?

The most disappointing race for me was Pocono ARCA last year. Going into that race, I had never in my career started on the pole of a race and lost. And I qualified on the pole for the ARCA race there and led the first half of it.

This was technically my second ARCA start, but my first was at Daytona so I’d like to say this was my first “regular” ARCA race. I was not aware of the restart rules — or lack thereof — and started on the front row with Justin Haley. He was well aware of them and we get within 100 yards of the box and he is gone and bringing guys with him, and I settled into fourth and was never able to climb my way back to the front and lost that race.

He knows that I’m still bitter about that because every time I’m at his house, he makes sure to put that eagle trophy in a different spot right in front of me.

I don’t know who the next interview is going to be with. Do you have a question I can ask another driver in the garage?

Two-part question: Do they know anyone who can sponsor me, and if not, do they have a backup car they are willing to lend me, because I’d like to get to do as many more races this year as possible, and right now this (Daytona) is the last one we’ve got planned. So I hope that I can do more this year. (Editor’s note: Although Grala wasn’t able to find funding for Kentucky, he raced last weekend at New Hampshire.)

This is the first 12 Questions with Kaz Grala.

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The Top Five: Breaking down the New Hampshire race

Five thoughts after Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway…

1. Beauty in bumping

A well-executed bump-and-run is NASCAR’s most magnificent work of art, full of intricacies and accepted by nearly everyone as a fair way to settle a race.

In one move, it sums up everything people love about stock car racing: Contact, close racing and aggression — but without any wrecked vehicles as a result.

Kevin Harvick’s bump-and-run to win Sunday night at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was absolute perfection, providing a textbook example that can be used for years to come.

Even the driver on the receiving end — Kyle Busch — calmly said the move was just fine with him.

“It was just a bump,” Busch said. “It wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t wreck me or anything like that. He did it early enough, but he did it way harder to push me out of the groove three lanes. It just takes you so long to recover here, there was just no possible way I could get back to him. I was in the way, so no harm, no foul.”

Busch’s only quibble? He wished Harvick would have raced him cleaner first before making contact. Busch said if the roles were reversed, he would have tried using lapped cars for a few more laps before deciding to play bumper cars.

“When you’re slower, you kind of expect it,” Busch said. “But you also think a guy is going to race you fair and pass you clean first. I don’t think he ever tried to pass me clean once he got there.”

But that’s exactly what Harvick anticipated Busch would be thinking, which is why the Stewart-Haas Racing driver decided to make the move at the first available opportunity.

“I needed to do it when he wasn’t expecting it,” Harvick said. “The more opportunities to get in his wheelhouse, his thought process, the less chance you have. He’s that good.

“If you wait until two or three to go, the entries are going to get shallower, he’s going to start grinding on the brakes a little bit harder. He’s going to put himself in a position not to get hit. He’s going to go on defense, start to really get aggressive, too.

“I wanted to do it earlier just to try to catch him off guard.”

There’s a fine line to executing the move — it means moving the other driver up the track enough to make a pass while escaping into the lead — “get away from him far enough because you know they’re going to be mad,” Harvick said — and all without causing a wreck.

Harvick did exactly that. And though it opens the door for Busch to do the same thing in the same situation, Harvick had no regrets about the decision.

“He still finished second, right?” Harvick said.

2. The Huge Three

NASCAR fans hate storylines that are overhyped, so there are likely some out there who can’t stand to hear one more word about the “Big Three.”

But as much as Harvick, Busch and Martin Truex Jr.’s dominance has been discussed, this is the rarely hyped NASCAR story that might actually be underplayed.

Seriously, this is almost surreal at this point in the season. There have been 20 races this season, and three drivers have combined to win 15 of them. Fifteen! WHAT!? There are only 16 races left in the whole year! How many more are they going to get? That’s amazing.

Another crazy stat: The Big Three have 88 playoff points — not counting the points Harvick had taken away with a penalty — while the entire rest of the field only has 45 combined.

How is this even possible? Two of these drivers have teammates (and the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are basically Truex’s teammates), and yet it’s still only three cars winning all the races. And they just keep doing it, even in races that seemed headed for a different outcome like Sunday.

Wild!

3. Almost Almirola

Aric Almirola appeared more bummed and upset about failing to win at New Hampshire than he did after being wrecked out of the lead at the Daytona 500 in February.

How’s that possible? Well, Daytona was just the start of Almirola’s rebirth as a driver, the first race with a team that could finally make him a regular winner. There seemed to be much more to come.

But now — in late July, the 20th race of the season — coming close and failing to win stings worse.

“Everybody keeps talking about the Big Three, but I feel like we were stomping them pretty good today,” he said. “That’s why they are so good — they execute all race long. Unfortunately, we didn’t today.”

Almirola had the fastest car in New Hampshire — even Harvick said so — but “lost control of the race” on the final pit stop. His pit crew had a slower stop than Kyle Busch’s team, which put Almirola at Busch’s mercy for the restart. Then Busch went at the soonest possible moment, which caught Almirola off guard and left him spinning the tires as a result.

He ended up finishing third and initially seemed devastated. But Almirola said there’s more to come from his team.

“We’re peaking,” he said. “As the 10 team, we’re peaking at the right time. You’ve seen the speed we had at Chicago (when he almost won) and we’re putting things together. … We’re starting to get what we need out of the race cars.”

4. Teammate blues

Speaking of Almirola, Clint Bowyer was gutted after hesitation to get off the track with a broken car potentially cost his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate a victory.

“It just sucks,” Bowyer said. “I hate that for my teammate (Almirola). He was dominating the race.”

With Almirola leading the race and Harvick running second, Bowyer was called into the pits to serve a one-lap penalty for pitting outside the box. Upon returning to the track, Bowyer radioed to the team and said something broke on his car.

At that point in the race, there was going to be no salvaging the day — Bowyer was already two laps down due to the penalty and broken part. As such, the No. 14 team should have brought Bowyer into the pits immediately.

What was the purpose in staying out? Bowyer is already secured in the playoffs this season with two wins and points mean little for him.

But for whatever reason, Bowyer was kept on the track. By the time the team finally decided to make the call, it was too late.

“I was trying to nurse it around,” Bowyer said. “Something in the left rear was broke and…Brett (Griffin, his spotter) told me, ‘We’re having trouble, let’s just get off the track,’ and I was kind of thinking the same thing. Literally, as he was saying that and I’m thinking it, something broke on the right side and away it went. That sucks. I hate it for him.”

Bowyer has been involved on the wrong end of a team orders situation before, but surely this wouldn’t have been viewed in the same category. Calling a car in for repairs — or to the garage — while a teammate is leading under green would be a perfectly acceptable move in future situations.

5. Points picture

The battle for the non-win playoff spots grew less dramatic this week after the three Hendrick bubble drivers all had top-11 days while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished five laps down in 30th place.

Jimmie Johnson (14th in the playoff standings) and Chase Elliott (15th) now have whopping 97- and 95-point leads over Stenhouse for the final playoff spot.

Alex Bowman, who finished 11th, is up by 28 points over Stenhouse.

The next-closest drivers to pointing their way into the playoffs? After Stenhouse, Paul Menard is 29 points behind Bowman and Ryan Newman is way back (-74 points). Everyone else behind Newman (like Daniel Suarez, William Byron and Jamie McMurray) pretty much have to win at this point with only six races until the playoffs.

The most likely wild card possibility could be if AJ Allmendinger (25th in points) wins in two weeks at Watkins Glen and moves the cutoff line up to Elliott’s position.

But that could generate even less drama heading into the final regular season races, because Bowman is 67 points behind Elliott.

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Does [Insert NASCAR Track Name Here] Have Lights?

Here’s a list of which NASCAR Cup Series tracks have lights and which do not. As of 2018, 15 tracks have lights and eight do not.

— Atlanta Motor Speedway: Yes

— Bristol Motor Speedway: Yes

— Charlotte Motor Speedway: Yes — oval; No — roval.

— Chicagoland Speedway: Yes

— Darlington Raceway: Yes

— Daytona International Speedway: Yes

— Dover International Speedway: No

— Fontana (Auto Club Speedway): Yes

— Homestead-Miami Speedway: Yes

— Indianapolis Motor Speedway: No

— Kansas Speedway: Yes

— Kentucky Speedway: Yes

— Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Yes

— Martinsville Speedway: Yes

— Michigan International Speedway: No

— New Hampshire Motor Speedway: No

— Phoenix (ISM Raceway): Yes

— Pocono Raceway: No

— Richmond Raceway: Yes

— Sonoma Raceway: No

— Talladega Superspeedway: No

— Texas Motor Speedway: Yes

— Watkins Glen International: No

 

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Friday notebook: New Hampshire

Here’s a roundup of the conversation that took place Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway…

— Kyle Larson wants NASCAR to stay out of the dirt game

Despite the success of the Eldora Truck race leading some in the NASCAR world — including Tony Stewart — to stump for an Xfinity or Cup show on a dirt track, Kyle Larson doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

“Tony is probably going to get mad, but I would like to see it just stay as it is,” Larson said. “I wouldn’t like to see Cup on dirt.  To me, Cup belongs on pavement and real road course tracks.

“If we went to Eldora, yeah, I would be excited because I would be really fast and I feel like I would definitely have the best shot to win. But at the same time, I think we are fine not going there.”

Why not? Well, Larson seemed to indicate it wouldn’t be a very good show.

“Maybe if Goodyear could make a way better tire and us be actually able to use the horsepower — or even more horsepower in our Cup cars — on a dirt track, I think it would be a lot more fun,” he said. “I don’t really know how to answer the question without making people mad.”

— Denny Hamlin says schedule changes are a fantasy.

People have been chiming in with their opinions on possible schedule changes this week (more short tracks, dirt and road courses among the proposals), but Denny Hamlin says the whole conversation is pointless.

Asked about racing on Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Hamlin said he’d “love to,” but…

“Honestly, none of this is ever going to happen,” he said. “Not until these tracks and NASCAR get together and are willing to make changes. No track is going to give up tens of millions of dollars every time the race cars show up at the racetrack, so it’s going to have take a bold change.

“It’s going to have to take someone way high up saying, ‘We’re making changes and this is what we’re going to do,’ for it to happen. But it definitely won’t happen in the next few years until that contract (through 2020) is over with.”

— Martin Truex Jr. wishes 5-hour decision had come sooner

Defending Cup Series champ Martin Truex Jr. said he wasn’t totally surprised by the decision for sponsor 5-hour Energy to leave the sport — company executives had been “on the fence for awhile,” he said — but the timing leaves Furniture Row Racing in somewhat of a bind.

“I wish it didn’t take quite as long as it did and (it) kind of puts us in a tough spot now,” Truex said. “… I don’t see (team owner) Barney (Visser) putting Furniture Row back on the car and doing that. I don’t know that he can make that work anymore. So we’ll see where it goes from here.”

Truex said he was optimistic the team would be able to find a new sponsor and also still plans to sign a contract extension with the team (his current deal expires at the end of the season). But despite the typical Silly Season months starting to arrive, Truex said he wasn’t too concerned with a contract yet.

“It’s not really a pressing issue for me,” he said. “I know what the team wants. I know where we’re all at. It’s not like I’m nervous they’re going to sign somebody else or I’m going to be searching for a ride. It’s nothing like that. It’s more just trying to focus on racing and feeling like it will get done when it gets done.”

— Joey Logano says New Hampshire could be a case study for tracks having one race.

NASCAR has oversaturated markets like Pocono, Michigan and Kansas by running two races per season at those tracks. Joey Logano is wondering how New Hampshire will respond to having its calendar reduced.

“I think if you go to a racetrack once, it makes it more of an event,” he said. “This weekend will be a great test to see how that works as Loudon goes from two to one. When you think there are two races and you’re a fan that can only afford to go to one, you’re most likely going to choose the playoff race here.

“So it will be interesting to see what the stands look like on Sunday, because now it’s an event. You can’t miss this one and have a chance to go to the next one.”

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News Analysis: 5-hour Energy leaving NASCAR, Furniture Row

What happened: 5-hour Energy, one of the main sponsors for Martin Truex Jr. at Furniture Row Racing, announced it would be leaving the team — and the sport — at the end of this season in what it termed a “business decision.”  5-hour joined Truex’s No. 78 this year after being the full-season sponsor on Erik Jones’ No. 77 last year. Prior to that, 5-hour was linked with Clint Bowyer during his time at Michael Waltrip Racing and HScott Motorsports (2012-16).

What it means: Even winning at a frequent rate doesn’t ensure continued sponsorship anymore. Truex is coming off a championship season and has been one of the “Big Three” drivers with four wins already this year. And yet, for whatever reason, 5-hour decided it was time to spend its marketing dollars somewhere other than NASCAR. That’s a discouraging sign, especially since Monster won’t be the Cup Series title sponsor for much longer and thus would have freed up 5-hour to go wherever it wanted.

News value (scale of 1-10): Seven, for a combination of reasons. Truex is a big-name driver losing a big-name sponsor, for one. But it’s also newsworthy that yet another major sponsor is departing from NASCAR after spending a couple hundred million dollars in the sport over seven seasons at the Cup level. It’s yet another punch in the gut for those hoping NASCAR’s slide will end soon.

Three questions: Can Furniture Row find a replacement, or will team owner Barney Visser have to put his company on the hood again? Does this end the speculation Furniture Row could re-expand to a second car next season? What does it mean for NASCAR when a company stops spending its money altogether instead of just staying involved at a reduced commitment level?

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12 Questions with Denny Hamlin (2018)

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Denny Hamlin has done a 12 Questions interview in all nine years they’ve existed. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

The 12 Questions series of interviews continues this week with Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing. These interviews are recommended as a podcast, but also transcribed for those who prefer to read.

1. How often do you have dreams about racing?

Four times a week.

That’s a very exact answer.

I just feel like most nights in my dreams, I’m thinking about racing of some sort — whether it be why my car is doing this or that or why we didn’t do this or that or why we did good. Four nights a week I feel is like a really solid number.

2. If you get into someone during a race — intentional or not — does it matter if you apologize?

Yes. I’m on the record for saying this many times. Even if you’re not sorry, you’ve got to fake it. If you don’t fake it, you get Matt Kenseth’d into the Turn 1 wall at Martinsville.

3. What is the biggest compliment someone could give you?

If they tell you you’re underrated. I think that’s the biggest compliment.

4. NASCAR comes to you and says they’re bringing a celebrity to the track and they want you to host them. Who is a celebrity you’d be excited to host?

Drake. Lil Weezy (Lil Wayne). Any rapper. I like them.

5. In an effort to show this is a health conscious sport, NASCAR decides to offer the No. 1 pit stall for an upcoming race to the first driver willing to go vegan for one month. Would you do it?

I only get the pit stall for one week?

Yeah, just for one race. You look conflicted.

Couldn’t do it.

6. It’s time for the Random Race Challenge. I’ve picked a random race from your career and you have to tell me where you finished.

I’m not going to be good at this.

You’re not good at remembering races?

No.

Do you happen to remember the 2012 New Hampshire spring race, the July race that year?

July. OK. We were fastest in first practice, fastest in second practice. Hold on — I may be thinking of the fall race. (Thinks for a moment) I’m just going to go ahead with this.

I think I was fastest in all practices, we qualified with race pressure air in the tires — we qualified 28th I believe — and got to the lead about lap 100 and won the race.

No, sorry.

That was the race after?

I wouldn’t pick a win because that would be too easy.

Hold on then. Yes, I remember the race I think. I think I finished second to Kasey Kahne. That was when we had the debacle on the radio with me and Darian Grubb and he says, “You need two or four tires?” I said, “I don’t know, I just need tires.” And he took it as I needed four tires. We restarted 15th and only got back to second.

I don’t remember the radio part, but that’s correct. You finished second to Kasey Kahne. You led 150 laps.

OK. I had the right year.

So you remembered both races that year. But you said you don’t remember races!

I know. But specific ones where you’re really fast, it’s easy. Ask me about the one I ran eighth at Kansas in blank year, I would never know.

7. Who is the best rapper alive?

Alive? Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive. I would just say Jay-Z — you can talk about, great history, fabulous rapper. He’s amazing.

But I just feel like as far as natural talent, Lil Wayne is the best alive.

Nobody’s said Kendrick Lamar all year. Why do you think that is? Am I just overrating him or something?

Probably. Nas said rap was dead many years ago (the 2006 album Hip Hop is Dead) and I just believe that it’s different now than what it used to be. But Lil Weezy can still kick it. It’s a shame he’s in contract disputes with his label or whatever, and got all these probably awesome songs that we’ll never ever get to hear because they’re arguing. (Editor’s note: Lil Wayne’s three-year legal battle with the label was ended last month, potentially clearing the way for a new album).

8. Who has the most punchable face in NASCAR?

Oh geez. I don’t know. If I want to punch somebody, I need to make sure I can beat them up. I don’t wanna get beat up.

Maybe Brad (Keselowski). That’s probably a popular answer. (Laughs) But I like Brad, just for the record.

Chase Elliott said a couple weeks ago you were his answer last year, but he seemed to indicate that is not still the case.

Yeah, we’re good.

9. NASCAR enlists three famous Americans to be involved with your team for one race as part of a publicity push: Taylor Swift, LeBron James and Tom Hanks. Choose one to be your crew chief, one to be your spotter and one to be your motorhome driver.

Taylor’s for sure gonna be the motorhome driver. We’ll say for obvious reasons there.

LeBron, for his vision, is going to be the spotter. Great court vision, and I see it as great track vision.

And I’ll go with Tom Hanks — smart guy — he’s gonna be the crew chief.

10. What is the key to finding the best pre-race bathroom?

Go before you leave the garage or bus.

You’re not one of these people who go last minute?

No. I’ve never understood that. Like I’ve never had to go and then five minutes later had to go again. Now everyone’s different, but I never understood the people who got off the truck after intros and hauled ass to the bathroom. I never understood that. Don’t know why they do that.

That’s true. I guess why not just go in your motorhome before you walk out to intros in the first place? It’s only a 20-minute difference.

Yeah, I guess. Unless you’re Matt Kenseth’s age and then you have to go every 10 minutes.

11. NASCAR decides they miss the highlight reel value brought by Carl Edwards’ backflips and want a replacement. How much money would they have to offer for you to backflip off your car following your next win?

They wouldn’t have to offer me anything as long as it wasn’t against asphalt or concrete. I’d give it a try.

Do you feel like you’d have a shot to land it?

No. But I’d give it a try.

12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next interview. Last week was Kasey Kahne. He wants to know how much time you spend a week on the Golf Guys Tour and the Hoop Group, because it seems like you spend a lot.

It is a lot of work running two leagues between basketball and golf. I’ll estimate between the chats, making rules…(it takes) 12 to 14 hours a week.

So a couple hours a day?

Yeah, somewhere in that range. That might be on the low side. It depends. If there’s an event that week, it’s 40 hours. Have you ever tried to line up 16 divas’ schedules? It’s not easy.

I didn’t think about that. You have arrange the tournament, but you have to make sure everybody is available.

What we try to do is we all meet for dinner in January or February and we say, “Alright, these are the dates we’re gonna hit.” We’ll look to see if anyone has any conflicts at that moment. And if not, we all lock it in on our schedules and then we build our real jobs around it.

So each driver or whatever has to go to their manager or PR rep…

…and mark it on their schedule and say, “Look, we’re locked in, can’t do it.”

What if a conflict pops up? Do you have the change the whole tournament date?

No. If there’s only one or two who is going to miss it, we move on and add a sub.

So they get no points?

Yeah. We have eight events and we drop two (worst performances). So there’s two drops.

That’s painful though, because you don’t get to drop a bad day if you’re absent.

That is correct. People think, “Oh, it’s just a throwaway.” But now you put pressure on yourself to perform in the other events.

Better have a good manager.

Yup.

The next interview is with Kaz Grala. Do you have a question I can ask him?

What’s the most disappointing loss you’ve ever had in your career?

Previous 12 Questions interviews with Denny Hamlin:

— Nov. 10, 2010

— Oct. 26, 2011

— Nov. 7, 2012

— Aug. 8, 2013

— Oct. 14, 2014

— May 28, 2015

— Sept. 7, 2016

— July 12, 2017