Jeff Gluck

USA TODAY Sports

Our series of NASCAR driver interviews continues this week with Justin Allgaier, a Sprint Cup Series rookie who drives for HScott Motorsports.

Q: When you're on a long green-flag run and not racing around anyone, what do you think about?

A: That's one of the things over the years I've really had to focus on. When I was younger, it didn't take much to get enthralled by fans in the grandstands or something crazy going on in the infield. Or even at a place like Texas, now that they have the Big Hoss TV, you catch yourself watching it like, "OK, where are these guys at? What's going on?"

So I've really tried to get into a pattern. I'll try to tell them how my car is every couple laps and do things to keep myself occupied without using some other form of entertainment. Usually when you're paying attention to something other than what you should be, that's when bad things happen.

Q: Fans sometimes come up to you and want to talk about moments from your racing career or maybe a time they've seen you race. What's the moment or race that comes up most often?

A: I have two. The dirt fans of the world come up and talk about the year I finished third at the Chili Bowl (in 2007). Tony Stewart won, JJ Yeley finished second and we were third. That was really cool. Obviously I wanted to win, but it was a big moment.

And the stock car fans, I think the biggest thing is the ARCA championship in 2008. A lot of people have said things like, "Hey, we started watching you then and we've become big fans and still follow you today."

I'm good with either one. I'm like my dad in that I like reminiscing about old racing stories; and I like to talk, as you can already tell. So I tend to have pretty long conversations with people about racing.

Q: If somebody paid you $5 million to design a new racetrack with an unlimited budget, what kind of track would you build?

A: I would definitely design a short track, something very similar to Gateway (Motorsports Park). I like the shape of Gateway. It's probably a little big for the purpose of what I would want, but I love the fact one end is banked and narrow and one end is flat and kind of open.

I grew up racing short tracks and still love them to this day, and I would definitely want to add another to the list.

Q: If you had a day off to do anything you wanted — but you're not allowed to race — what would you do?

A: I've been thinking about this since I read last week's 12 Questions, and that is the one question I couldn't come up with an answer to. I would say I'd probably be at a racetrack somewhere watching.

But honestly, maybe just have my wife (Ashley) and daughter (eight-month-old Harper) out on the boat. Just sit and relax. I think that would be a good day.

Q: You guys get to have a lot of cool experiences away from the track because you're NASCAR drivers. What's one that sticks out to you?

A: One of the coolest ones I've done is throw the first pitch at a (Washington) Nationals baseball game. That was super cool.

But the neatest event we've ever done is the tour we did last year at Walter Reed (National Military Medical Center). Being there with our injured veterans and being able to see some of their routine and how they're trying to get back to normalcy and seeing what they've gone through was truly something that's amazing.

Q: When your daughter gets old enough and starts walking and talking, what driver would you point to as a good example of how to conduct yourself the right way?

A: My answer isn't a racer, but it's probably either Joe Gibbs or J.D. Gibbs. Watching them and their demeanor, their attitude and how they treat people, there's a presence they have when you're around both of them that's pretty impressive. I feel like everyone respects them because of who they are. If I could raise my children to be like anybody, it would be somebody like those two.

Q: When you've had a bad day on the track and you get home from a race, who hears about it? Do you discuss it with your wife or keep it to yourself?

A: The cool thing is my wife is actually probably more of a critic than anybody else or even you guys in the media. If I do something well, she tells me I did something well. And if I do something bad, she's usually the first one ready to smack me in the back of the head. She'll be like, "Hey, that was stupid, why did you do that?" (Laughs) It really is true. Well, she doesn't hit me.

But honestly, she's been the reason why I'm at where I am today. Sometimes you can have a cheerleader and that's great if you're doing well, but when you need to make changes, having people around you who can say, "This is where you screwed up and this is how we can fix it," that helps. She's right there cheering me on and pushing me forward.

Q: When you're standing around and telling old racing stories, what is one of your favorite stories to tell — either about yourself or someone else?

A: The funnest ones are reminiscing about old crashes. I've got one open wheel crash that was in a midget at Sun Prairie, Wisc. I can remember the crash was happening, and I'm (flipping) over and over and over. I remember holding onto the steering wheel and all the sudden the wheel started going farther away from me and coming closer again. I thought I pulled the wheel off or something.

When the ride finally stopped, I was sitting at a 45 (degree angle) in the car. I had wrecked so hard that it actually busted the seat in the car. So it turned out I was the one moving and going back and forth, not the wheel.

I didn't get hurt — I was very fortunate and God was watching over me on that one — but it's a fun one to try and explain to people.

Q: What's a TV show you're really into right now?

A: My wife and I watch Nashville, Scandal and Revenge. We've got all kinds of them. The DVR is always full when we come home from a race weekend.

The one I enjoy watching the most is Supercross. I watch that all the time. But I guess that's not technically a TV show.

Q: What is the last movie you saw — either in the theater or at home — and was it any good?

A: The last one I watched was Rush. When we flew out to the West Coast, I downloaded it and watched it. It was a great movie.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self — something you know now that you didn't know then — what would you say?

A: Patience and a better work ethic. My parents did a great job when I was growing up teaching me to have a good work ethic, but I never really applied myself in some of the areas I wish I had been able to go back to now and done more of. And patience — when you're on the track or off track, you always want something to happen. Especially in our sport, you want it to happen right now. I wish I would have learned to have more patience. It would have not only helped me on the racing side, but also in family life.

Q: I've been asking each person to give me a question for the next interview. Last week was Chase Elliott, and he wanted to know how the balance of your life has changed since you and Ashley had your daughter?

A: I grew up in a racing family, so a lot of the time I spent with my mom and dad is when we traveled together to the track, and I cherish those memories. But I also remember a lot of the times when they were gone and I remember some of the milestones that were hit when they weren't there. So my big goal is to make sure I'm there for every one of my daughter's milestones. Now, I've missed quite a few of them already, but that's the main goal. I hope I'm doing all the rest of it well.

The cool thing is Harper doesn't care if I finished 43rd or even if I have a job. She doesn't care about any of it. We ran really good at Bristol (17th) and I went in and Harper was miserable and cranky and didn't want to hear any of it. But we crashed at Daytona and she was smiling and ready to give me a hug. So that's been a huge balance shift for me. Honestly, I think it's the best thing that could have ever happened to me as a race car driver.

And can you give me a question for the next interview?

​If you could go back in time and race any type of car against any driver, who would you race against and in what?

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck