Q: How do I become a successful, professional driver?

A: That's a very difficult question to answer. A lot of top drivers in the world had a family connection or patron that got them into motorsports. Of the ones who built their careers totally on their own, there are a thousand different stories.

I know guys who started out as car jockeys at a local dealer until they could convince the dealer owner to sponsor them in a race; guys who scraped pennies together to go through a driver development program like Skip Barber; and even guys who got in through winning at car driving video games and getting the chance to try their skills in a real car.

Race driving is such an improbable career and so many people fail. The only way to possibly succeed is to absolutely love it, believe in yourself, and never give up. Never. Never.

All the successful one drivers share a few traits: they are 100% determined; they have passion and confidence; and they are quick to spot an opportunity and jump on it. If you don't, someone else will.

Q: What does it mean to be "smooth"?

A: A huge part of "being smooth" is literally how your hands and feet adjust the controls. The first time I rode with my current ex-wife, after a few miles in her Durango, I asked how many throttle pedals or cables she had replaced in the last 6 months, for she was on and off the gas 17 times every 30 seconds! (I actually timed it!)

It was as if she was thinking, "Here’s some gas, let’s see how far this shot goes.” She'd coast a minute, pop the gas again, etc.

Good news/bad news. She thanked me profusely for pointing that out (I’m joking), but she did clean that up!

Instead, she swapped it for "steering response!" I would literally reach over and grab the wheel to show her we did not have to saw at the wheel every 3 feet.

It was a lot like popping the gas pedal: "Let’s steer right, oops too much, let’s go left!” So I advised we go back to popping the gas, since power steering pumps are more expensive than throttle cables. She actually was a pretty good driver, awesome with a manual tranny, but has now moved on to another driver coach. Or whatever. We’re still friends.

I'll also never forget a lesson my Dad taught me: "Pretend you have a nearly full glass of water on the dashboard. Be smooth enough to never slosh out any water.” My Dad had great cars, from Lincolns to Porsches to Jaguars, and he never ever put a scratch on one the 71 years he drove. And he drove quickly. We always compared “elapsed time, from say, Atlanta to Sebring. He was smooth, because he loved to drive, so he paid attention to details.

Q: What’s your favorite stunt driving story?

A: I went to Eastern Europe this year to do stunts on a spy film. When I got there, I learned that, instead of doubling an actor, I would be driving a specially-built car from the back seat while the star sat in the front seat and pretended to drive.

The stunt was a high-speed, reverse-180 down a narrow European street. So there I am, crunched down in the rear seat with a second steering wheel, pedals, and gearshift, wearing a ninja outfit so the cameras don't see me. Meanwhile, one of the sexiest female stars in the world was leaning back against my knees as I'm whipping the car backwards at 50mph. It's at times like that you absolutely have to be confident that you're going to nail the stunt!