Jeff Gluck

USA TODAY Sports

Our series of weekly NASCAR driver interviews continues with Austin Dillon, who is currently 10th in the Sprint Cup Series standings entering Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Q: What is an errand or chore in your daily life people might be surprised to learn you do yourself?

A: I take the trash out. Oh, and I put the cap on the toothpaste. That’s been hard for me. My girlfriend (Whitney Ward) reminds me to put the cap on my toothpaste; that’s quite a chore.

It sounds like that’s a pet peeve of hers.

Yeah. If I don’t do that, I get yelled at.

Q: If you could do any race over again, which race would you choose?

A: There was the July Daytona race (two years ago) when we were running third and it got rained out. If I could have taken the lead before the rain came, that would have been nice (Dillon finished fifth).

Q: The longest race of the year is this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. How long of a race could you physically handle without a driver change?

A: It would be pretty cool to see who would pass out first, I guess. Until I couldn’t drive anymore, I don’t know. The time limit would be hard to pinpoint. I mean, I’m not going to give in until everybody around me does. It’d be interesting to see. Would you go until the motor blew or what?

Fast forward: Six storylines to watch heading into the Coca-Cola 600

Q: Let’s say president of NASCAR was an elected position voted on by the drivers – and you decided to run. What would one of your campaign promises be?

A: It would be: “Stick with me and I’ll make you a star.” (Laughs)

So basically with you at the helm, you’d launch their careers to a new level of fame?

Yeah, fame and fortune. That’s what they’d want to hear.

Q: At the start of this year, exactly 2,900 drivers had ever raced in the Sprint Cup Series. Where do you rank among those 2,900?

A: Wow, that’s tough. I’d like to be in the top 10 or top 15 by the end of my career. But I’d say the top 300 for now.

Q: What do you think your reputation is – and is that reputation accurate?

A: I have no clue what my reputation is; don’t really care.

Well actually, I do. I do care. I take that back. I want to be respected. You want the other drivers to think highly of you. When I walk away from a conversation, I don’t want to feel like I’m being talked about in a bad way. You want to be held in a good light and know that person is telling the truth when they talk to you.

Q: A famous chef wants you to invest in the new restaurant he’s opening, but he wants you to pick the cuisine. What type of food would your restaurant serve?

A: I would want it to be a really fresh, healthy food place that tastes good. I don’t know how you can do that, really. But for example, I like what Panera has going on with their food choices. I’m a sandwich guy – I kill sandwiches – and I love their sandwiches and soups. So I'd have any kind of fresh food that you can put on a sandwich, like avocados, and then you can have a choice of a salad bar, a pasta bar and gluten-free pizza.

Q: What is the most daring thing you’ve done outside of racing?

A: My favorite thing was probably flying in an F-16 (with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds). We pulled 9.5 G's. I didn’t pass out, but I did see red the first time and then (the pilot) talked me through it.

Q: In a move to generate more excitement, NASCAR decides in an upcoming race they’re going to require every driver to have a passenger in the car. You get to pick the passenger. Who do you choose?

A: You know what? I owe Max Papis. He took me for a ride in a road course car one time and scared the living crap out of me. And he’d be entertaining, because I feel like he’d be smiling no matter what happened. He’d always be positive and pumping me up. So I’d like Max Papis on my side.

Q: How often do you talk inside the car without hitting the radio button?

A: All the time. Actually, I catch myself making engine noises while I’m out there. I’ll be going along and I’ll have to tell myself, “Oh my gosh, you’re making engine noises again.” I’ll be like, “MWAHHHHH!” Like when it gets loaded up in the center of the corner, I’ll be like, “WUHHHHHH!”

I don’t get it. Why the engine noises? Is it because you’re becoming one with the car?

Partly that, but I think it’s more just the intensity and the G forces you pull and stuff. It makes me kind of grunt sometimes: “RAHHHHHH!” Or like if you’re coming off the corner and you know it’s going to be tight right next to the wall, it's my way of talking myself into going faster.

Q: Who will win the Sprint Cup in 2021?

A: Austin Dillon.

Q: I’ve been asking each driver to give me a question for the next interview. Last week was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and he wanted to know if you’ve ever tried livermush and whether you liked it. He said it’s a North Carolina delicacy and you’re from North Carolina. Are you familiar with livermush?

A: I’ve tried livermush and I’m not a huge fan of it at all. It tastes like ground-up raw meat, kinda. If you mix potatoes with it, it’s OK. I’m just not a huge fan.

And do you have a question for the next interview?

If NASCAR allowed you to put a turbo button on the car – like how the IndyCars have their push-to-pass – what tracks would you want it at the most?