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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Campuses filled with racing fanatics
By Jack Arute
Special to ABC Sports Online
This is the time of the year when my two passions -- Indy Car racing and college football -- intersect. It makes for some interesting travel scenarios, but it also mixes two sports with similar disciplines.
I know. It is a stretch to parallel racing and football, but don't tell former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs that. Gibbs took his football resume and his Super Bowl ring to NASCAR a number of years ago and never missed a beat. Wins and Winston Cup Championship trophies fill his display case along with his football awards.
|  | | Joe Gibbs, right, has been just as successful at the track as he was on the gridiron. |
A number of years ago, Gibbs drew a direct comparison between football and racing. He said that a driver is the quarterback of the team. Alone, he is worthless. He needs a good cast of supporting players -- offensive linemen, running backs and wide receivers in football, a pit crew, engineers and specialists in racing -- to execute the game plan.
In auto racing, Gibbs said the role of coach is filled by the crew chief. He's the one who makes adjustments to the game plan. If a car is loose, it's the coach/crew chief who decides upon the fix. If the driver gets rattled, its the crew chief who talks him back into a rhythm and says "Don't worry, we'll fix it on the next pit stop."
General managers in both sports play similar roles. Their job is to assemble the team, make sure that there is a cohesive package that can out perform the competition.
The owner? He's the guy who pays the bills.
Gibbs' analogy is a good one. Sure, in football, the team gets the glory, while in racing it seems as if the spotlight shines on the driver. But, both are team efforts, and without team, there are no wins.
When I travel to college campuses to prepare for games, I never cease to be amazed at the number of coaches who have an interest in racing. Is it the speed? The daring? The glory?
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops once told me that it was a little of all of that. He loved the action and admired the physical side. He added though that he was fascinated by all of the coordination that goes into producing a winning on-track effort.
At Purdue, head coach Joe Tiller's assistant, Brock Spack, never misses a chance to catch a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Countless times Brock has left his world of X's and O's to quiz me about the latest gossip from the racing world.
In Big Ten country, even trips to the stadiums are filled with talk about racing. Countless times, fans will stop me and talk about the latest racing news. In the SEC, racing and college football mix like grits and country ham.
Once the Winston Cup season is over, Tennessee will get one of their top fans back on their sidelines. Current Cup point leader Sterling Marlin is a Volunteer fanatic. The Coors Light Dodge driver doesn't just watch his team at Neyland Stadium, he has been part of their travel party to away games and bowl games for more than a decade.
Alabama's football voice of the Crimson Tide is Eli Gold, who is also a NASCAR broadcaster. He once told me of a time when Alabama was recruiting a prospect who happened to be a big NASCAR fan. Not wanting to leave any stone unturned in their effort to land him, the coaching staff enlisted Eli's assistance.
"The next thing you know, I'm getting an autographed picture of Richard Petty and sending it to the football office," laughed Gold.
I don't know if there are any NCAA rules about racing heroes.
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 Gil de Ferran discusses his win with ESPN's Jack Arute.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Gil de Ferran holds off Helio Castroneves and Alex Barron for his second IRL victory.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Roger Penske is all smiles following a 1-2 finish at Gateway International Speedway.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Third place finisher Alex Barron talks about his troubles off the restart.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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