What’s been the most surprising part of the experience so far?
I didn’t know if people would accept it, or even if other drivers would accept the fact that I belong here. In fact, I did late-model racing last year to prepare for this season, and I was pretty quick, finishing top four in every race. But near the end, the same guy started taking me out on the last corner of each race. I finally went to confront him afterwards, and he said to me: “You don’t belong here. We’ve been working our whole lives for this and now you just come in.”
I thought I’d get more of that this year, but everyone has been very accepting. Of course, the season’s early, and maybe I just haven’t pissed anyone off yet!
How does being a professional racecar driver compare to being a professional actor?
As an actor, I can work as hard as I ever have on a role, really get into the character, do what I think is my best work ever. And then you’ll come along and say, “Eh… it’s okay.” It’s subjective, and some people will love it, some won’t. But as a racecar driver, you put in the work and you see those results in black and white. If you’re fast, you’re at the top of the timesheets. If you’re not, you’re at the bottom. So I see my effort paying off, and that’s something I really like about it.
Motorsports seem to be having a popularity surge lately, particularly Formula 1. Has that surprised you at all?
Yeah, I raced in that open-wheel world. I raced with Formula 1—not in it, but I was in a support race at the U.S. Grand Prix, the Canadian Grand Prix. I even raced in Spain. Now that I’m in NASCAR, I’m not saying I’m mad I didn’t do it sooner, but the racing is so much more intense. I love Formula 1, and I’m not bashing it, but after the lights go out and two corners in, it’s single file. You’re just hoping someone makes a mistake. In NASCAR, it’s a battle whether you’re in the lead or fighting for 38th. It’s intense, and I love the racing.
But yeah, there’s been a huge popularity growth in Formula 1, I think because of Drive to Survive. Hopefully some of that popularity from Formula 1 falls over into IndyCar. And NASCAR, obviously, was and has been the pinnacle of motorsports in North America, the most popular for 30 or 40 years.
Racing on NASCAR’s oval tracks must be totally different from what you experienced in open-wheel racing.
I always say it’s like Olympic diving and swimming—they both involve pools, but they’re totally different sports.
It’s surprising to me still: the one place you don’t want to be in a NASCAR race is leading on the last lap, because you might not even finish the race. In every other racing series, they’ll strip you of your license if you take someone out. But in NASCAR, I don’t want to say they like it, but it sure gets the fans talking. So it’s racing, but it’s also entertainment—all the crashes, the drama.
Gregory Leporati
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