Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports. This interview has been edited for clarity, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions Podcast.

1. Do you typically arrive for things early, late or on time, and why?

I used to be a really early guy. I think it’s because my mom was always late with us — not in a bad way, just running behind a little bit — but now I’ve pushed it more toward right on time. There’s a sweet spot there. Two minutes early is great.

2. What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?

I’m kind of particular about my visors right now on my helmet. For whatever reason, if there’s any scratch at all…it’s just happened in the last year. My whole career, I never really changed visors that much at all. But in the last year, I’ve just gotten super picky about any scratch or anything, which is super random. I don’t even know how I got to this point.

My interior guy this week, we’ve had to check out a few different ones. So it’s been a mess, but it’s good.

Do you see it before you get in the car, or it’s when you get in the car and go, “Ugh, that scratch is really irritating me” during a race?

It’s just as soon as I get in to actually drive or race that I notice it. It’s really weird. I never notice it outside the car or anything. And then as soon as I get in, for whatever reason, I get way too focused on it. It definitely annoys me.

3. What is something you’ve learned to stop explaining to people?

A lot of times people in racing ask me if I’m a good golfer or a bad golfer. I’m OK compared to the normal population. But then it’s one of those questions where you can get into a long rabbit hole of if you’re actually good or bad. But realistically, everyone’s bad at golf because it’s a really hard game. So I feel like that’s just a hard one to explain to people.

4. If you could go back to the early days before you reached NASCAR, what is one different decision you wish you had made in your career?

When I was in Trucks at (Kyle Busch Motorsports), I definitely wish I had some moments back at the end of my time there. (Actually) kind of the whole time at KBM. It was obviously very exciting to go there and get a great opportunity, but I didn’t make the most of it.

At the same time, I learned a ton of different lessons during that time period. I feel like if you do everything right there, you get to the next level and then you still make some bad mistakes and learn other ways. So it’s hard to say. But I wish I would have handled things differently over the course of those two years.

5. What is it like to be in a debrief after a bad race?

Debriefs are tough anyway. Ours are very interesting with myself, Zane (Smith) and Noah (Gragson). Everyone talks very differently and just the way people explain things is different. So it’s a lot of fun for the most part, but after a bad week, it’s not the most fun. Even some of the superspeedways when you maybe didn’t do the best thing as a teammate, those are the ones I look forward to the least when I know I’m going to get yelled at for some moves I did out there.

Over a bad weekend, those are the ones you really have to dig in and really figure out the most.

6. I’m doing two wild card questions — one about the past and one about the present. In terms of the past, I wanted to look back at the time when you were taken out of races when Zane got some opportunities in your car and you had to scramble for opportunities. How did you handle that period and get through that?

That was definitely a really interesting time. It was my second year. I ran my whole rookie year with the first year of the Next Gen car (in 2022). Everything was crazy. People were wrecking every single week. I felt like I learned a lot. I think at that time Michael (McDowell) and I finished first and second in most laps completed. I felt like I was learning a lot. Obviously, we weren’t probably fast at times, but I felt like we were doing a lot of the right things.

Then to be taken out for five races, it was a scramble. At that time there were a lot of different options on the table. I’m really proud that we were able to come together and make the most out of it.

I got five races at Rick Ware (Racing), which I still think was a really good opportunity because I got to see a different perspective of the Next Gen car early on. That early in the process, everyone was still trying to figure it out. You can really get down a certain path and think it’s the right way, but once you go somewhere else, I feel like you can broaden your horizons a lot.

Between Zane and me, it was awkward at times. But we kind of knew it wasn’t really between us personally. It took a couple months, but we got past it. And now it’s funny to look back on, especially since we ended up teammates again.

7. And in terms of the present, what was it really like going through the uncertainty of the lawsuit last year and not knowing what might happen with the team? How worried were you?

As soon as it happened, you don’t really know which way it’s going to go. During the race season, I truthfully didn’t think about it much because you get so focused on racing.

But once the season ended, all the possibilities start popping into your mind whether you want them to or not. As there was more talk about the trial and everything, it definitely creeps in. Day one of the trial, I got super nervous. I was like, “Wow, this is literally going to come down to a handful of people on a jury.” It’s hard not to think about the team not even existing.

When it finally settled, we were supposed to have our team Christmas lunch that day. We pushed it back an hour so our team owner (Bob Jenkins) could come. Zane and I brought some beers into the shop. Everyone was super happy. That was the coolest part. Once it was finally over, you could really see the amount of stress taken off everybody.

Now we’re back to work like normal and it’s nice that we’re able to look much further into the future and feel really good about everything.

8. If you could get any driver’s helmet in the history of motorsports, whose would it be?

In the history of motorsports is crazy! The first one that pops into my mind is Jimmie Johnson’s from when he won his seventh championship. I think he gave it to Tony Stewart right there on the stage. That would be a really cool one to have.

I also think a really cool old-school open-face helmet, like something Richard Petty used to wear, would be super cool.

9. When things are not going well, do you prefer people leave you alone or check in on you?

That’s a tough one. There are certain moments where I could use being around people. But when it’s going really bad, I probably need like three minutes by myself. Then I’m ready to get back going.

I feel like I move past things really fast. But with human nature, maybe two minutes by myself, then I’m ready to get back going again.

10. What is something about yourself that would surprise people who think they know you?

I love to sleep in. I love to play Xbox and iRacing. I love to be on a beach. I’m a big warm-weather guy.

What do you play on Xbox?

On Xbox, Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes and I play a lot of PGA 2K, the golf game. We used to play a lot of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty. We jump around a little bit. We’ve played F1. We’re kind of all over the board.

11. What is something you laugh about now that was absolutely not funny at the time?

When I was 14 or 15 years old in Late Models, Chris Lawson — who is my crew chief now — was my Late Model crew chief back then. I was wrecking a lot of Late Models. He says this story is different, but I remember he was very mad that I wrecked again, and he tossed a bumper in my direction. He says he wasn’t throwing it at me, and I was like, “Whoa dude, this guy means business. He’s over me. I better stop wrecking this thing.” But now we look back on it and it’s definitely a lot funnier.

So you feel like he threw the bumper at you but he says was just throwing it generally in anger?

He was just “getting it out of the way” apparently. I was in the way, it just so happened. We’ll never know about that one.

12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. Last week was Chase Briscoe and his question is: If you could pick three teammates for a four-car team, who would they be and why?

I’d say Denny Hamlin would be one. I’d love to see the behind the scenes of how he operates, especially right now. He always talks about how hard he works and everything, so it’d be cool to see.

Kyle Larson would be another one. I’d love to also see behind the scenes what he does.

And then Austin Cindric, since he’s a Ford guy right now. We’ve been working together and talking a lot (at Daytona). I feel like he’d be a fun teammate.

I love my teammates now, too! But I had to put them out of my mind to choose different ones.

Do you have a question I can ask the next person?

(Gilliland said he’d submit a question when he knows who the next person is.)