Posted on

12 Questions with Chase Briscoe

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

The 12 Questions series of interviews continues this week with Chase Briscoe, who is currently fifth in the Camping World Truck Series playoff standings entering next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. Briscoe, 22, drives for Brad Keselowski Racing.

1. How much of your success is based on natural ability and how much has come from working at it?

I think to a certain extent, natural ability can carry you a certain way, but you’re not gonna get good at pit stops or restarts just by natural ability. You have to work at that, and I think that’s where you see guys win a lot of races — they do that extra work and they do their homework. I feel like that’s what kind of separates the champions from the non-champions, is the champions work at it in all areas and know where they can win and lose races.

2. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and now Dale Earnhardt Jr. have all either retired in the last couple years or will retire soon. What’s your pitch for fans of theirs to become fans of yours?

I feel like me personally, I’m kind of that old-school driver. I don’t have family backing or a big sponsor. Literally straight out of high school, I moved to North Carolina, sleeping on couches and volunteering at race shops and somehow convinced a team to let me drive for them. So I feel like that’s kind of like the old days, how all those guys were. That’s probably my sales pitch, is that I’m kind of a throwback guy that’s kind of one of the few that’s done it that way, at least in the last 10 or 15 years. So that’s why I should be your guy.

What was the limit for sleeping on somebody’s couch? Did you overstay your welcome at times?

I stayed at one in particular for a really long time, and we worked a deal — like $50 for two months. So I could at least afford that. But yeah, after awhile you could tell he was kind of getting upset. I stayed there for a year and a half; I was there for a long time. But he was nice enough to let me stay there. If I wasn’t staying there, I don’t know where I would have been. I would have been on the streets, I guess.

Whose couch was this?

His name is Ross Wece. Me and (Christopher) Bell actually both stayed there for a couple of months. (Wece) works for the World of Outlaws, so I know him from sprint car racing. He always says that if me and Bell ever make it to Cup, that couch might be in the Hall of Fame or something crazy.

3. What is the hardest part of your job away from the racetrack?

Just the sacrifice you have to make, not being able to be at family events or family holidays. That part of it is tough for sure. I don’t think people realize how much goes into it outside the racetrack. I personally didn’t realize how busy NASCAR guys were. I thought they raced on weekends and had the whole week off, and that’s definitely not the case — it’s not the case at the Truck level and I know for sure it’s not at the Cup level. It’s just tough to balance everything outside of the racetrack, I think.

4. Let’s say a fan spots you eating dinner in a nice restaurant. Should they come over for an autograph or no?

Yeah. I’d be surprised if anyone even recognized me, though, honestly. (Laughs) But I’m all for that. I always try to go out of my way, even when we’re walking out to the starting lineup or whatever, I at least try to stay there as long as I can. So yeah, absolutely.

5. What’s a story in NASCAR that doesn’t get enough coverage?

I think the behind-the-scenes guys, the guys at the shop. I feel like you’re only as good as the race car that you’re in, and there’s a lot of people that put countless hours in it. There’s guys who stay in the shop until 10 or 11 at night who never even get recognized when it comes down to it. The drivers and the crew chiefs obviously get a lot of coverage, but if it wasn’t for that guy doing tear-down or building truck arms or whatever it is, we wouldn’t even get to go to the racetrack.

6. Who is the last driver you texted?

There’s a lot who I’ve texted (at New Hampshire) trying to figure this place out. Actually the last one would have been (Kyle) Larson. I texted him a little bit ago. He was curious about what the VHT stuff was doing, and I’ve been asking him a ton of questions.

Are there a lot of Cup guys that will help you out if you have questions?

Yeah, for the most part. A lot of the times it’s the sprint car guys, so obviously Larson. I’ve reached out to Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon has helped me out in the past. Between Brad and Kyle, those are normally my go-tos. And outside of the Cup guys, I do talk to Bell and Cole Custer quite a bit. So there’s a couple guys at least that I have to lean on and that makes it really nice going to a lot of these racetracks.

7. Do you consider race car drivers to be entertainers?

Yeah, I think so. People come for entertainment, so they’re paying to watch us race. A lot of the entertainment at times is not on the racetrack — so whether that’s guys getting into arguments or fighting or whatever, I think we’re entertainers.

8. What is your middle finger policy on the racetrack?

I’ve never given one, so I don’t have one, to be honest. I’ve received a couple, but I’m not a guy that’s gonna go out there and cuss somebody out after the race or flip somebody off. If you want to do it, more power to you, but I’m not too worried about it.

Is that because you don’t get mad inside the truck, or do you just keep in internal?

I was just raised different. Like if I ever got into somebody, my dad would make me go over and apologize to him, because I knew I would get my head thumped if I didn’t. So I was kind of racing the old school way. I was just taught you don’t need to be doing that; just focus on the racing.

9. Some drivers keep a payback list in their minds. Do you also have a list for drivers who have done you a favor on the track?

Yeah, I race people how they race me typically. I’ve never tried to wreck anybody on purpose, but if guys give me a little extra room and it’s early in the race or we’re struggling, then I’ll typically give it back to them or whatever. I feel like there’s guys I definitely race harder than others; we’re racing everybody hard, but there’s guys you tend to give a little bit of a break to.

10. Who is the most famous person you’ve had dinner with?

Probably Brad. He’s probably the only famous guy I’ve ever really had dinner with for sure.

11. What’s something about yourself you’d like to improve?

My eating habits. I’m like the pickiest eater in the entire world. Like I just ate pizza rolls. I’ve never had a hot dog, I don’t really eat fruits or vegetables. I could work out as much as I want to, but until I get my eating habits right, there’s not gonna be much benefit.

Is it not enough healthy food or just there’s just certain foods you just don’t like?

I just don’t like a lot of the foods. Like the texture and the taste of it. I don’t know. I’ve always been that way ever since I was little. I’ve only had steak maybe two or three times in my life. I’m just super picky.

Chicken?

I eat chicken, but not very much grilled chicken. Just recently, within the past year and a half or so, I started eating grilled chicken. I can’t eat chicken on the bone. It’s just a very processed diet.

So what’s a typical meal then? You’re just heating something up in the microwave?

A lot of the time, or going to fast food. Yeah, the only healthy healthy thing I eat, which is not the healthiest thing, is grilled chicken and rice. I like a lot of rice and pasta. It’s a very narrow path of stuff I do actually eat.

12. The last interview I did was with Jimmie Johnson, and I asked him to give a question for you.

He’s probably like, “Who is that?”

He seemed to know. But his question that he passed along was: What kind of underwear do you wear? Is it boxers or briefs?

I’m a boxers guy. Yeah, definitely boxers. Always have been. I never thought Jimmie Johnson would ask me that, personally. That’s one thing I’ll have to tell my buddies: Jimmie Johnson was curious about what kind of underwear I wore.

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

My question would have to be: Outside of NASCAR, what would be the biggest race you would like to win? For me, personally, it would be the Chili Bowl.

Posted on

Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Power Rankings: Week 2

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, Katrina was voted off after being ranked No. 6 of 18 in the preseason rankings.

Week 2 Power Rankings: 

1. Ben (Last week: 1): I liked how he played in Week 1 and he has potential to go pretty far, but his alliance with unpredictable Alan seems like it could be a concern.

2. Ryan (Last week: 9): I really liked this dude! Yeah, he’s quirky — but he obviously pays attention to details (found the Super Idol) and knows the game very well. He could make a Cochran-like run by relying on his social game if things fall his way.

3. Devon (Last week: 15): The surfer dude linking up in an alliance with Ryan was really cool (“We’re going to cause chaos together”). It made me feel positive about his prospects going forward, though he doesn’t seem like a strategic mastermind in the long run.

4. Chrissy (Last week: 7): She made a surprising — but correct — move in not using the Super Idol to save Katrina, which would have alienated her from her remaining tribemates and still left her in the minority. Hopefully she can make inroads with someone on the tribe before the next visit to tribal council.

5. Mike (Last week: 3): He was a bit geekier than I expected, leaving me a bit uncertain about the long-term prospects of his social game. Still, he’s obviously a very smart player and I think he’ll make good moves if given the chance.

6. JP (Last week: 10): Alan blew up whatever budding connection he had with Ashley, resulting in an awkward strip search for the idol. But JP stayed pretty calm about it, so maybe he can get past this if he can target Alan first.

7. Ashley (Last week: 11): She got caught up in being targeted by Alan, so I don’t know where that leaves her long term. But she handled it well, considering the circumstances.

8. Ali (Last week: 16): I was pleasantly surprised by her. She seems to be a better player than I thought after reading her preseason bio.

9. Lauren (Last week: 17): The fisherman seemed to be leading the way at the Hustlers camp. That could either keep her safe or turn her into an early target, and I’m not sure which.

10. Patrick (Last week: 4): The redhead linking up with Ali seemed promising, though there’s something about Patrick’s game I don’t totally trust.

11. Cole (Last week: 5): It was hard to get much of a feel for his game in the first episode. We need to see more, but a budding showmance with Jessica could be worrisome.

12. Roark (Last week: 8): She had one confessional, but overall that didn’t leave us with many clues about how she’ll play. Hard to say.

13. Jessica (Last week: 13): Showmances never work on Survivor — you don’t want to be looked at as a duo of any kind — so her potential relationship with Cole is trouble.

14. Desi (Last week: 14): I strongly disliked her preseason bio, so I’m not going to suddenly get on the bandwagon just because she had a quiet episode.

15. Joe (Last week: 2): Whoa. Way too aggressive, dude! Seeing him bully Mike into admitting the idol search was not a good way to start the game. That style won’t serve him well in the long run if he keeps it up.

16. Alan (Last week: 12): Dude! Just no. Freaking out in Week 1 and trying to blow up someone else’s game is playing wayyyyy too aggressively at the start. And that never works. Alan needs to be careful or he’ll get booted in the next few weeks.

17. Simone (Last week: 18): I don’t remember seeing her much in the first episode, so my opinion hasn’t changed.

 

Eliminated: 

Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18)

Posted on

The Top Five: Breaking down the Dover race

Five thoughts after Sunday’s playoff race at Dover International Speedway…

1. Learning from the best

Chase Elliott often beats himself up even after a good day, so coughing up a lead of more than four seconds over the final 60 laps left him understandably devastated.

After pulling onto pit road, Elliott took his helmet off and covered his face with his hands while sitting in his car. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson quickly arrived in hopes of letting Elliott vent a few curse words without the cameras around, and the two chatted for several long minutes — though the seven-time champ acknowledged there was little he could say in the way of comfort.

Elliott, who now has five career runner-up finishes without a victory, said Busch “did a better job than I did” and cited his “lack of performance” and “failure” in executing.

It might be painful for Elliott fans to hear this, but he’s right: This is big-time auto racing, and Elliott didn’t deliver when it really counted. People can feel bad for him and tell him not to beat himself up so much — and he’s certainly a sympathetic figure after several heartbreaks. But the reality is he got schooled by the best in the game.

Johnson said he told Elliott the Dover race is typically won by sticking to the bottom of the track. That’s the case 95 percent of the time, Johnson said, and “lapped traffic probably played a bigger role in it than anything” for Elliott.

But that wasn’t the whole story. Because as the leader approached, Busch later said, Elliott needed to change his line.

“When you are Chase and you have been leading for that long and you’ve lost that amount of distance to the car behind you, you’ve got to move around,” Busch said in response to a question about what Elliott could have done differently. “You can’t give up four seconds of the lead and not do something else. I feel like that’s kind of where they lost it today.

“I don’t know if he was getting communication from his spotter or his crew chief or somebody just saying ‘Stick to the bottom, stick with what has got you to this point,’ but that was obviously bad advice. He should have moved around and searched for something and tried to pick off cars and traffic as quickly as possible.”

Again, we can all tiptoe around the facts because they’re uncomfortable and people want Elliott (who got some of the loudest cheers in driver introductions) to succeed and be a regular winner on the circuit. And he may very well become that, but races like Sunday will serve as painful lessons on his road to success.

“The best guys at these type of tracks aren’t scared to move around, even if they’re making decent lap time,” Busch crew chief Adam Stevens said. “You’re not going to pass the guy if you’re running in his tire tracks, so you have to be able to move and find something different.”

2. Don’t hate the player, hate the game

Speaking of lapped traffic, no one should be upset at Ryan Newman for holding up Elliott in the final laps. Newman was two points short of advancing to the next round and raced his guts out in an attempt to get in position to make up spots — should something happen in the final laps.

So expecting him to suddenly pay a courtesy to the leader in that situation, especially since Newman always races hard, just isn’t reasonable.

In that regard, Jeff Gordon’s comment to Newman after the race that resulted in a minor incident was unfortunate — but understandable given the emotion of the situation.

Gordon, despite being a FOX Sports broadcaster, is still heavily invested in Hendrick and the No. 24 team. So he apparently couldn’t help himself in the immediate aftermath of Elliott’s loss (Gordon said something sarcastic along the lines of “thanks for the help”).

Naturally, Newman didn’t appreciate the comment.

“You don’t think I was racing for my own position?” Newman said. “Just watch what you say, man.”

Gordon tried to defuse the situation by saying Newman took his words the wrong way.

“You said it as a smartass,” Newman said.

Newman was right to object to the statement, and I’m guessing Gordon felt bad. The two later made up in the garage, according to tweets from writer John Haverlin, so it’s just another moment that can be chalked up to the emotion of an elimination-style playoff.

3. Quick sand

What’s the fastest way to make up ground in a crucial playoff race? Well, one way is to stay out and hope for a fluke caution.

That’s what happened to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during Stage 1. He was one of five cars that had yet to pit when Jeffrey Earnhardt spun out coming to Dover’s tricky pit road and nailed the sand barrels, causing a red flag.

That trapped all cars a lap down with the exception of those five — and it turned out to be a huge benefit for Stenhouse.

Just like that, Stenhouse went from seven points out of the cutoff line for Round 1 to more than 30 points in the clear. And by being able to having good track position for the rest of the stage, Stenhouse was able to finish fourth and gain seven stage points — something his rivals Austin Dillon and Newman weren’t able to get.

Ultimately, he advanced by less than the amount of those stage points — meaning that was a pivotal playoff moment.

“The feeling is lucky, really,” Stenhouse said.

He’s right, but in a survive-and-advance format, sometimes that can make all the difference.

By the way, Stenhouse’s good fortune could give him an opportunity that goes beyond just making it to Round 2. Talladega is the middle race of this round, and Stenhouse has won the most recent two plate races. What an upset it would be if he could be among the final eight drivers this season.

4. Saying goodbye

None of the four cars eliminated — Newman, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne or Kurt Busch — were serious title contenders, so their departure isn’t much of a surprise.

Even though the Richard Childress Racing cars finished ahead of them in the round, Kahne and Busch were probably the two who most people would have had advancing based on the strength of their teams. I actually predicted Kahne would make a mini playoff run after getting a fresh start following his Indy win, but it wasn’t to be.

Busch is probably the most puzzling of all. He started off by winning the Daytona 500 but never was much of a factor after that despite Stewart-Haas Racing having decent speed with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer.

“Winning the Daytona 500, you always see the jinx that happens afterwards,” he said. “We experienced it. There’s a lot that goes on with it. My car never had the handle in it this year; I was always loose in, tight on exit.

“I don’t know why we had that so bad this year.”

It’s definitely weird and hard to explain, as Busch’s average finish declined from 12.0 last year to 16.2 so far this season.

5. Who’s the favorite?

Three Chevrolets and one Ford were eliminated from playoff contention, leaving each manufacturer with four cars remaining.

There are four Toyotas (Truex, Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth), four Chevrolets (Kyle Larson, Johnson, Elliott and Jamie McMurray) and four Fords (Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Stenhouse and Ryan Blaney).

Truex remains the favorite, of course, but Busch has now gained 10 playoff points on the No. 78 car in the last two races. He’s now just 18 behind, which could come into play if the teams have to race for the last spot in Round 3.

Honestly, it’s hard to predict and I’m just as unsure about who has the championship edge as I was when the playoffs started three weeks ago.

My pre-playoff picks included Truex, Busch, Larson and Hamlin — with Busch as the champ. So I guess I’ll stick with that for now, although it seems to be constantly changing.

“Week to week, you can probably change your favorite,” Busch said. “Early on the first third of the race, I probably would have said Larson is your new championship favorite. But you’ve got to let these things play out.

“I still think it’s 78, 18, 42 — and there’s different distances between us every week, depending on how we run and what all kind of goes on.”

There’s still so much left to be decided, and now it gets a bit more intense as Round 2 begins.

Posted on

DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR picks: Dover

I’m playing DraftKings this season and will be posting my picks here each week. Disclosure: If you want to play and sign up using this link, DraftKings will give my website a commission.

Last race’s results: Played $1 Happy Hour contest. Finished 2,500th of 14,700. Won $1.50.

Season results: $89 wagered, $104.50 won in 23 contests.

This week’s contest: $4 Brake Pad contest (single entry).

Dover picks:

— Martin Truex Jr. ($11,000): How can you leave Truex off your team these days? He piles up the laps led — which will be a big factor at Dover — and starts from the pole on Sunday. Oh, and he’s good here — he led 102 laps in the spring and 187 laps last fall en route to a win. Obviously, the other choice (and just as worthy) is Kyle Busch ($11,000).

— Erik Jones ($8,600): I want as many of the top Toyotas on my team as possible, and Jones almost had a top-10 finish here in the spring until a last-lap wreck left him in 15th. I would have liked to pick Dover master Jimmie Johnson ($9,400), but he was too expensive for a No. 2 slot if I pick Truex.

— Jamie McMurray ($8,100): McMurray has a favorable starting position for fantasy purposes (26th) and a good car to help you with place differential points. Plus he’s scrambling for a Round 2 playoff spot, so the team is going to be giving it everything they have after being fourth-fastest in 10-lap average for final practice. Another option at this price range is Ryan Blaney ($8,300).

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($7,900): It’s scary to pick Dale Jr. because something always seems to go wrong for him this season, but he has a strong car and is feeling optimistic about a strong run. He starts seventh, which may be too high for fantasy purposes, but he offers a decent value at this spot for someone who could pull a top-10 finish.

— Austin Dillon ($7,400): I’m shaky on this pick because Dillon doesn’t seem to have a great car this weekend. He was 24th of 32 drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps in final practice — and this after qualifying 23rd. Still, Dillon is on the cut line for the next round, so I assume he’s going to give it his best shot at a place where he has finished eighth and 13th the last two races.

— Daniel Suarez ($6,900): This feels like a steal for another strong Toyota that could get a top-10 finish. Even though he starts too high (fifth) for place differential reasons, you’re not going to find another driver at this price with a better chance of turning in a solid fantasy points day.

Posted on

Fan Profile: Kristi Lowe

These 12 Questions-style fan profiles are one of the rewards offered as a tier on my Patreon page. You can catch up on the other profiles so far this season here.

Name: Kristi Lowe

Location: Hockessin, Del.

Twitter name: @SakeBomb48

Age: 38

1. How long have you been a NASCAR fan?

Since 2002.

2. How many races have you attended?

More than 40.

3. Who is your No. 1 favorite driver?

Jimmie Johnson.

4. What made you a fan of his?

As a recent college graduate who was broke, I was new to the sport when I picked JJ’s starting position in a NASCAR pool at my local sports bar. He ended up winning the race — and winning me money at the same time.  As I didn’t have a driver yet, I went with him.  It proved to be a very smart decision!  As I have matured as a fan right along with him as a driver, it has been an epic ride. 

5. Who is your most disliked driver?

Brad Keselowski.

6. Why don’t you like him?

I can’t quite put my finger on it. Honestly, it might just be because my best friend’s brother likes him!  He is a heck of a driver, though and I respect him!

7. What is your favorite track?

Dover! It is my home track!

8. What is one thing you would change if you were in charge of NASCAR?

I would love more Saturday night races so I could travel to more tracks. And of course, I would love to have a night race at Dover.  I understand that isn’t entirely up to NASCAR, though. 

9. What is one thing you would keep the same if you were in charge of NASCAR?

The strides the sport has made with safety.  I would keep the emphasis on making the sport safe for everyone involved — the drivers, spectators, crews, track staff and media.

10. How often do you yell at the TV during a race?

I’m always yelling at the TV during a race.  My family is used to it. I’m a Philly sports fan; it’s what we do. When I’m not yelling, I may or may not be hiding my face with a pillow.

11. Do you have any advice for other fans?

Bring your friends that are just casual fans to races. Once you get them to a race, they will be hooked and become much more than a casual fan/friend who will go out for a beer with you to watch the race and whatever else is on the other TVs at the bar.  Plus, it is so much fun to take a “newbie” and see the experience through their eyes — and feel it, hear it and smell it.

12. What else do you want the NASCAR world to know about you?

NASCAR is my lifeblood! But it wasn’t always the case. The very first race I watched was the 2001 Daytona 500 in a fraternity house at the University of Delaware. The boys were having a Daytona 500 party and I was intrigued. I sort of had one eye on the race and the other eye on some playing cards. A huge wreck happened and my heart stopped and I couldn’t figure out why everyone was cheering. Once I figured out everyone was OK, I abandoned my card game and moved over to the couch to focus on the rest of the race — only to see a much smaller wreck on the last lap that took the life of Dale Earnhardt Sr. I just stared at the TV. The entire house was completely silent. I swore that day I was never going to watch a race again.

But the following Spring, I had made a new group of friends that ran a NASCAR pool during Friday Happy Hour before qualifying. Not wanting to be left out, I joined in. We each picked qualifying positions out of a bag and the winner of the pool was the qualifying position of the race winner.

I started following the sport closely from that point forward and attended my first race at Dover. My self-imposed ban was over and I was HOOKED. My squad and I started playing NASCAR Trivia on race day and my extreme competitive nature caused me to study intensely. I dove into research to learn everything I could about the sport and the tracks. I have come a long way from that day in 2001. In the last 16 years, I have traveled all over the East Coast to attend races, I plan my weekends around race schedule and I just got married in victory lane at Dover earlier this month.

My married name is Lowe. Fitting for a JJ fan, don’t you think?

Below are some of the pictures from Kristi’s wedding:

Posted on

Social Spotlight with Rutledge Wood

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Each week, I ask a member of the racing community about their social media usage. This week: Rutledge Wood from NBC Sports.

You have a really special ability to connect with people. That makes social media perfect for you in a lot of ways, because you have a very positive spirit. How do you feel like that comes through in your daily social media use?

This may surprise you a little bit, but I was a weird kid. (Smiles) I’ve always been weird, a little bit different, and I was really lucky that my parents were always there to support me and make sure that I knew it’s OK that I’m not like anybody else. That’s not a weakness, that’s your strength, so go be that person. I always believed in standing up for people who couldn’t stand up for themselves and that certainly has gotten into a few dust-ups in my life.

Social media is this funny place where — good, bad or indifferent — we have opened this thing that we call “social” that is in fact completely anti-social, and we’ve allowed people to have this influence on us. I’ve definitely seen over the years there are really positive influences on social media and there is the total opposite; in that range between is where you hope most of your stuff lies.

So for me, it’s not about following people that I believe everything that they do politically or on any kind of scope. I just try to follow a lot of people that bring joy to my life, bring joy to other people’s lives, and I think I will find those right things through there.

I’m a person who came from the fan base of this sport. I started at Speed channel in 2005 from a Craigslist ad. I had gone to school for marketing and they basically needed somebody for the marketing department who could do all their on-site marketing and be an MC. So I would ride around the campgrounds and go meet fans and say, “Come to the stage, we’re having this big party later, it’s called Trackside.”

And what they started to notice is that people started to hang out with me when there was nothing going on. So I would have a crowd there and they said, “Hey, we know you’re kind of different, but fans seem to really like you. We should do more.” And the more time I spent out there, (they) realized I come from this huge car background, I love cars, I love racing. I really came from a place where I didn’t know much about NASCAR in the beginning, but everything great that’s happened to my career has happened because the fans of this sport have supported me and supported it.

The way that Top Gear (the History Channel show that ran from 2010-16) found me was a race fan loaded something that I did for RaceDay at Atlanta Motor Speedway with John Schneider from the Dukes of Hazzard onto YouTube illegally. And because that person sat down and said, “This was fun to me, I want to share this with other people,” that person forever changed not just my life, but my wife’s life, my children’s lives — all the things I’ve gotten to do are because of moments like that. And that person didn’t have to.

So I try to use social media in a way to share joy, to have fun, to tell people, “This is what I’m doing, here’s where I am, these are the car projects I’m working on.”

Someone asked a long time ago, “Why do you post pictures of your kids?” because I certainly some people do, some people don’t. And for me, I did enough stuff during Top Gear and I’ve been on enough weird flights where I think everyone has those kinds of moments of, “What happens if I don’t make it out of X, Y, or Z?” And I wanted to make sure that people never had any doubt what was actually important to me. Because work is really fun, and I’m so fortunate to get to do stuff that I love — but life is what I love, and my wife and my daughters, that’s my heart. (Gets choked up.) That’s my world.

So I want to make sure people don’t ever wonder — if God forbid I don’t make it to 95 — “What was important to him?” “Let’s go back and look. Well he liked sneakers, he liked cars and he loved his family.” So I just try to put that hat on with social. And sometimes it works out well.

I also find out every time that we’re on big NBC for the races that it is like an all call for, “Hey, if anyone has anything negative to say, come on over!” And you just gotta roll with that stuff, too.

There’s a lot to unpack there. Let’s start with how you avoid getting sucked into the negativity, because as you touched on, you’re a positive person who loves life and you like to spread the positivity. How do you not get brought down by some of these people that are deciding to yell at you on social media?

The hard part is when you feel like someone has no idea of anything about you, and you know nothing about them because most of the time it’s just they signed up and there’s no information and they’re not real. That’s hard because you feel like, “Man, you don’t know the first thing about me.”

So when I remember, “This isn’t a real interaction. This isn’t somebody that sat down next to me at a restaurant and asked me about whether politics.” This is like a drive-by shooting, but the shot is a comment. And to me, it’s just not real. There’s no reality in that moment.

I used to block people on Twitter when I first got on, and I think there’s only a handful of people who I’ve ever blocked. Then I realized then you can just mute them. And if you mute them, you don’t give them the satisfaction of blocking them. Some people get excited, like “Yeah, he blocked me!” It’s like, “Cool. Way to go man.” But if you mute them, then they can still feel like, “This person is totally reading it.” So now we’re at the point where I can see something bad and I’ll just read the first two words and then I just mute them and roll on, because there is definitely an algorithm.

I have leaned on people before, because sometimes I just want people to know there’s a real person on the other side of this. I feel bad sometimes — my mom reads comments that people leave and I know that she gets upset because she’s my mom and she’s awesome and that’s what you do — but I always look at it like if I think they don’t know better, then I can’t waste any time or energy on them. Like they just don’t know better. And that’s OK; everybody is brought up differently and what people do every single day is far different than what we do. Cool. Just roll on.

But if I think they should know better, sometimes I think about, “What would I want to say?” One day, this guy said, ”You’re fat, you’re stupid, you’re ugly, you shouldn’t be on TV,” whatever else he said. I looked at his profile picture on Twitter and it was him and his daughter in a canoe. And I wrote back and said, “Hey man, I hope no one ever says to your daughter what you said to me, because this will be really hard for you to try to rationalize.” That’s all I said. I didn’t attack him, I didn’t say anything about it, I just said, “Hey, this is gonna be hard, because kids are mean.” And that guy just burned it down. He lost it. “How dare you! How dare you look at my picture!” He goes off on this whole thing. It’s like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You brought this to my doorstep! I just held the mirror up and asked if you liked what you saw.”

And that’s the tough thing. Let’s take NBC. I’m so lucky to work with the people I do and the people who are passionate about this sport. We have a ton of sponsors on every single side. And it’s tough because there are times where you feel like saying something, but I also don’t want to alienate anybody who wants to be a part of this great sport, the things that we’re doing. So sometimes, you just have to bite your tongue because there’s no other side to it, whether it’s people pointing the finger, whatever it is. At the end of the day, you just want to be like, “I love this sport. I think we all do. That’s why we’re here.”

And sometimes we have to remember that people like you, me, anybody who’s on PRN, MRN, every writer, every blogger, everyone who has come inside to be a part of this sport — we are definitely on the inside of the fun, the joy, the experience, everything else. And sometimes there are people who just can’t comprehend how much hard work it took to get here. And that lack of knowledge of understanding how much sacrifice, how much hard work, how many late nights you stay up transcribing a press release or what a driver said after the race, trying to load up your interviews so the fans who support you can see it — those people don’t understand what it took, and they believe that it’s all chance, that we all knew someone, that everything was handed to us.

So when they make comments, they’re coming from this place of confusion and hurt and feeling like, “Well I wanted to be a part of that and nobody found me.” Turns out I’m not related to the Wood Brothers and I’m not related to anybody that runs a network. I’m a guy that loved cars and I found a way to work with cars and TV, which is what I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve got one of my closest friends from college, a guy named Jason Millican, who said that I looked at him senior year in college while studying at the University of Georgia, and said, “I’m gonna get on TV for cars because that’s it. That’s what I love. I want to make people smile.”

For me, I thought I’m either gonna go back to school and be a youth minister — minus my terrible language — or a high school counselor if I can’t make TV work. Because trying to be on TV and make the most people smile was always my dream. That’s what I wanted to do. I felt like that’s what I was supposed to do with my life.

But if I couldn’t do that, then I wanted to have a really positive influence on people and target the time of life where it was always the most important for me. Watching Columbine and the insane amount of guns and stuff happening in school, that’s what breaks my heart the most, because those are the same kids that were at some point a lot like me. They were different, and all of the kids that weren’t different were afraid and they attacked them — just like social media. They went after the square peg that didn’t fit in the round hole.

But it’s really themselves that they’re worried about. It’s (the ones attacking). It has nothing to do with the other kid. And because I had these parents whole told me it’s OK and I should push through and that life is gonna be great, then I didn’t end up going through one of these other paths that so many of the kids end up going down, which is a really dark place.

I think we all have that choice everyday. You can get up and look for sunshine or you can look for clouds. And whichever one it is that you’re looking for, you can find it. So I think at the end of the day, I just try to do my best every day to get up and live my life like that.

And as you know, adulting is hard. Like this stuff is real, the sacrifice that it takes to be out here, to be a part of this. Sometimes (I try to) remember: I’m bringing joy to somebody right now that I don’t know. I’m in someone’s living room and I hope they enjoy learning that Jimmie Johnson has all these amazing layers to him and they’re fun and caring and funny.

And I hope that they know that and think about that, because I might be missing a friend’s wedding, or I might be missing playing the backyard with my kids or whatever it is. But it’s because I believe at the end of the day, it’s all gonna be worth it.

I don’t mean that in terms of financial gains. I know it’s tough in a sport where people have private planes, but you see me flying Southwest or Delta. I’m a Delta guy, but I met somebody on my Southwest flight the other night and they’re like, “What are you doing here? You’re on TV.” I’m not Ryan Seacrest! Like Ryan Seacrest is on TV! The rest of us are just on TV, that’s a totally different thing.

But it’s some of those moments where you get to educate people, like yeah, started from Craigslist, 13 years later I’m lucky to still be a part of this. You think about all the different sides.

You asked one question and this is a 15-minute answer. That’s my bad. But at the end of the day, I think that’s how you gotta do it: Just try to be the best you that you can, and I think at some point the trolls will get tired of not getting a response and they’ll just give up because they’re bored anyway. That’s why this whole thing started, because they were bored.

I guess in the manner of spreading joy and sunshine, how do you do that with individuals who are replying to you? How often do you write back to those people? At one time you would call random people from Twitter. So how much time and energy do you put into those interactions?

I think it’s a hugely important thing for me to do, because all these people that follow me and interact are the same people who watch the shows and help give me ideas. So what I try to do it sort of compartmentalize that as, “This is definitely part of my job,” and I try my best to get back to every person that reaches out. It’s sometimes impossible, and sometimes it will take me months. But I try to get back to Instagram messages, Facebook messages, tweets. I always feel like when I’m at an airport, it’s a great time to do that. If I’m sitting in a hotel room, it’s a great time to do that. I used to try and do it constantly and I realized that the time that it was taking out of me being in the moment, being home and being present with my family was not worth the benefit of that instant gratification for me or the other person.

So I said OK, I have to remember that this is time here (at home), and if I’m out of the house and when I’m out working, then that’s everybody’s time. Because like you, the same people that support me are the same reason that I get to go do it. So I want to try and devote as much time to them for that purpose as I can.

And that’s what Phone Call Friday came out of. My brother-in-law had ridden with me to Charlotte for something (in 2012), and we were coming home and I said, “Man, I wish there was a way that I could call people and just say thank you.” He said, “You should do that. Why don’t you?” It was like, “Oh, I never thought about that, maybe I should.” So I said, “All right, everybody tweet me your phone number and for the next two hours I’ll call as many people as I can.” I did a *67 to block my number because believe it or not, I didn’t want everybody in the world to get my number. But I would just go down the list and just call every single person. And some of them would not pick up, and I love leaving voicemails — it was really fun. But it was just a great interaction, like, “Hey! What are you doing? It’s Rutledge.” And the first half of each call was them being, “No it’s not. It’s not Rutledge.” I’d be like “No, it’s definitely me! What’s up?” “Oh, it is you! Hey!”

In my mind, things like Facebook Live and Periscope do that in a way that feels less intrusive than putting your phone number up. But I wish there was a way that we could say, “Hey, from 2 to 3 I’m gonna video live and pop in and say hi,” and there’s a way to see people back. I would love that sort of iMessage/FaceTime kind of app where people just come in and say hi.

That would be so cool, because those are ultimately the people that guys like you and I — and there’s plenty of females out there, too — that owe our placement of where we are to those people in the sport. So I do think it’s really really important.

I also try to remember that if somebody’s mad about something that I covered or mad because Junior is out of the race, whatever the moment is, it’s not worth it to waste the time on that person when personally you could be spending it on somebody that is asking a real question or wanting to know more. Like, “Hey, I really thought that was neat how you mentioned this thing about Jenna Fryer (in last week’s Social Spotlight). How can I see more of that? I want to learn.”

The stuff we have to keep in mind is, “OK, it’s all about the time we spend and how. So let’s make sure we do it in a good way.”

This is something that sort of drifts away from social media, but I’m really interested in knowing more about your instant warmth toward people. I feel like if people walk up to you and haven’t met you, they could probably give you a hug and it probably wouldn’t be that weird. So through interactions with people on social media or wherever it may be, what is the secret that I could learn or somebody else could learn in their daily life where you are able to express that? What can people do to be more like Rutledge?

That’s a really funny way to put that. First off, thanks, because I really appreciate the kind words. I think at the end of the day what you’re saying is, you enjoy the way that I love. And for me, the way I love people and share love and show love and express love is — not in a weird way — a pretty physical manner. I just think the world is a better place with a little more love. So when I see people, old friends — whether it’s (Jimmie Johnson spotter) Earl Barban, who many not look like a great hugger on the outside and may not seem like that kind of guy, or if it’s Clint Bowyer, I’ll hug whoever. I’ll let my friends know that I’m a hugger.

It’s funny, some of the things we talk about sometimes with family and friends. They’re like, “Why are you such a hugger?” I definitely think that if people aren’t into hugging and aren’t into expressing warmth and stuff like that in that way, I’m in no way implying that that means there’s something wrong or they aren’t built like everybody else. Like I’ve got some friends that are really uncomfortable when I try to hug them. I’m always like, “Just let me get it out of the way — just one good hug and we’ll just roll on.” And that’s just part of it.

I’m certainly not perfect, but I try to be real comfortable with myself because if I feel like I’m getting up every day and I’m trying to do the best I can with all of the things that this world has to throw in your face every day, if I can just get up and try to get the best job I can, I’m doing something right. And so I’m almost always real comfortable with that side of my life.

And look, we all have good days and we all have bad, but a hug can change that. You can have a bad day, and someone can see that in your eyes or in your face or whatever, and come up and give you a good squeeze and you can literally feel like that tension and that anger just be completely wiped away through one single little interaction there.

So yeah, race fans will see me — and it could be out in the garage, it could be in the campgrounds, it could be in the airport — and be like, “Can I just give you a hug?” Yeah! I’d love a hug! Yeah, let’s hug it out, because it’s this one moment that can change so much in a person’s day, and whether you see it or not, it has a very real effect.

My two oldest girls will get off the bus and they come running to me, and it is hug central. There is nothing that makes me feel better in the world than moments like that. But I do think that in a crazy world that we live in now, love is what has changed in the world. From colonial days — pick any time period to now — it’s harder to love people. We’ve created this great technology that does all these things, but all it does is put these constant restraints on your heart, on your time, on your placement with everything else.

I am most attracted to people who love like that, who can just be immediately warm and open and it creates great friendships. I think that’s honestly one of the reasons why Kyle Petty is one of the closest friends I have in the world, and I hug him almost every time I see him. I called him earlier and he’s not flying up until tomorrow, and I was like, “Aw, alright. Well I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” And I know when I see him, I’m gonna give him a hug. And when I leave the track on Sunday, if we’re not on stage and one of us is running for an airplane or whatever, it’s always a hug and “I love you” because that’s really important.

So often we just miss those little opportunities to say something when you have the chance. If the last thing people remember is, “Man, he gave me a really good hug when I saw him,” that’s a really cool thing to leave people with. It’s kind of that How Full Is Your Bucket? kids book that was always about if you say something nice, if you give someone else a compliment, it will make them feel better and it’ll put a drop in your bucket.

I think hugs are a great way to do that — but I think high-fives are, too, or smiles, or sometimes I’ll just shout your name. Like when I see you in the garage, sometimes I’m just gonna shout, “Jeff! HEY!” I think that’s fun. People need it. But I think at the end of the day, they’re all just different ways to show enthusiasm and fun for life.

Because let’s be honest man, there’s some hard stuff out there. The more that we grow, the more that we learn, we’re also constantly faced with the things that are not what we thought, and they are way more difficult. And there are people with huge fights out there, and if we can put our best foot forward and be those people that we wanna be, it will make their day better.

At the end of the day, that’s what I strive for: What can I do to make that person (happy) who is sitting on the couch who doesn’t have a ton to be pumped about this week? They’ve got a 50-hour work week, they’re barely getting by, the car hopefully starts every day they go to work. And they’re just laying there and watching this moment. If I can bring a smile to them by something that I’m doing or sharing, and if you can bring a smile to them because they go, “Oh my gosh, I want to learn more about my favorite driver. This is great, I love this angle,” then we are making a difference. And at the end of the day, that’s all everybody really wants to do. I just want to make a difference.

With this new food show that I have (Southern and Hungry), that’s been such a cool thing to see. So many race fans and Top Gear fans and people who really watch food shows and all those cooking channels, so many of them are the same people because they’re all the people that love. The reason why people like to go out and eat and love to do stuff like that is because they’re sharing with someone. That’s a moment of joy. The reason why people love to go to races together are because it’s with their friends, and they’re gonna go tailgate and they’re gonna watch people literally ride around in circles.

We are not saving the world, but we’re doing something really fun because this sport — like every other sport in the world — is a form of entertainment. We are taking our minds off of the very real things that lurk in the back of our heads all the time and we’re taking time away from that to live and to have fun, express joy and do all these things together as a group. So at the end of the day, if a hug is something that can change another person’s day, then I want to be that person who is first in line to give it out.

That’s not everybody’s cup of tea and it doesn’t have to do with me. It’s OK. If you’re a hugger and you need a hug, tell somebody. And if you’re not a hugger and you need a hug, then you should tell somebody. You’ll feel a lot better if you do. Or just throw a high-five out there.

But I’ve also learned in my life it’s not a weakness in saying that you need help with anything. If it’s, “Hey, I could really use a ride to the airport” or “Hey, I could use somebody to go to dinner with,” whatever it is, it’s truly a sign of strength.

And I’m telling you, there have been days where a person has come up and hugged me or I’ve seen someone else hug another person and change an entire week, a weekend, a moment in time, whatever it is, because of one action — and that’s a hug. So don’t be afraid to hug it out, people.

This is awesome. Well, where can somebody send you virtual hugs? You’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram — I know you dabbled in Snapchat at times. Where are all the places people can they find you?

Not Snapchat. I’m not a hater, but I went to school for marketing and it goes against everything I believe. If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth being around and people sharing it. I get why a lot of the younger folks like this whole idea, but you know what, let’s just send some real hugs. Let’s put a picture up on Instagram, let’s put it on Facebook, I’m on all of those. It’s just @RutledgeWood.

My new show comes out Oct. 9th on the Cooking Channel. It’s called Southern and Hungry, because anywhere I go, I am in fact Southern and hungry. It’s Damaris Phillips and I. I hope you’ll check it out, tell me what you think.

And of course, you can see me every week on NASCAR on NBC.

Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust and I are gonna get the (Top Gear) band back together and go make some fun car show, and I can’t wait to tell you where that’s gonna be and when. We’re working very hard on that.

And I’m going to the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February. And if people want to send virtual hugs, just know that I’m just a little bit nervous, like a pinch Idiot Abroad meets a pinch of nervous about global war, and it’s really hard for me to be away from my family that long.

So that’s me in a nutshell. Just a guy who’s just hustling to make sure his wife and daughters can have a lot of fun and a roof over their heads and scooters under their feet. And bicycles.

But thanks for letting me do this, it was really fun. I thought it was gonna be a 10-minute thing and we’ve been hanging for half an hour, so thanks for listening. You guys are awesome out there! And if you ever see me at a racetrack, say hi. And if you have to shout, it’s probably because I have earphones in and I’m listening to a producer in a truck tell me what they think I should go do next. So if I don’t hear you, it’s no offense, OK? Let’s hug it out.

This interview was brought to you by Dover International Speedway. Thanks to Dover for sponsoring the Social Spotlight interviews for the past few months. It’s not too late to go, so here’s a link to buy tickets (and make sure to come say hi at the tweetup).