Ben Brust has grown accustomed to the importance of team in sports over the years as a standout basketball player for the University of Wisconsin. So in many respects, he understood his value to the team when he arrived as part of a different uniformed group over the weekend.
The biggest contrast? This wasn't basketball, when a mistake could lead to two points for the other team. It was racing, when a mistake could lead to a wreck and put lives in danger.
"I could potentially ruin the whole day for the whole race team," Brust said. "I could've maybe made the wrong call, cleared him when it wasn't time for him to be cleared on the race track to go make a turn."
Brust, a NASCAR fanatic, found himself serving as a spotter for Richard Childress Racing driver Brendan Gaughan during a Nationwide Series race in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Saturday. He was stationed in a portion of the track known as "Canada Corner," the first of two right-hand turns near the start of the track. And despite his nerves as a first-time spotter, Brust managed to guide Gaughan through the race unscathed. Gaughan finished 11th out of 40 drivers.
"I did my job and it was a lot of fun," Brust said. "We got through a couple wrecks. There were a couple spins in front of us. I had to be like, 'Spin in front, check up, check up, all clear, good job, bud.' Just be encouraging and make the right calls. It was a lot of fun."
The relationship between Brust and Gaughan began last year when Brust sent him a tweet introducing himself. Gaughan was a former walk-on basketball player at Georgetown during the Allen Iverson era, and Brust figured it was a good starting point to create conversation. Eventually, they met up in person at Chicagoland Speedway before a race and again this spring in Las Vegas.
Gaughan's family owns South Point Hotel Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, and Brust spent part of his spring break in Vegas. It was there when the two discussed the possibility of Brust serving as a spotter for a future race.
"It ended up working out," Brust said.
Brust's fascination with the racing scene dates back to May 2010 when he was training in Los Angeles before his first college basketball season at Wisconsin. He was stuck in a hotel room with a television that featured only six channels. And one of those channels happened to be FOX, which was broadcasting the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C.
His brother-in-law already was a huge Kevin Harvick fan, and Brust had watched races periodically in the past. But that day, Brust watched every lap and said he officially caught the racing bug.
Brust arrived for Saturday's event at 9:30 a.m. and spent time in the garage for a team meeting, where members discussed race strategy. He studied up on the track because he didn't know what area he would be placed in as a spotter.
Brust's job on Saturday was to call out for any wrecked cars in front of Gaughan that could block the track or tell Gaughan if he had room to pass another car in tight quarters.
"He told me I did a good job," Brust said. "He could tell it was my first time. In a way that I was cautious because I didn’t want to make a mistake and cost the team the day. I could be more aggressive maybe with my calls, letting him know when he's clear or not. But I think I've learned a lot. If I would do it again, I think I definitely could do a better job."
While Brust, a senior, has developed quite a reputation in NASCAR circles -- he has met several drivers in person and beaten Harvick in a game of H-O-R-S-E -- he also has become a leader on the Badgers' basketball team. Last season, he started all 35 games and led the team in scoring (11.1 points) and was fourth in rebounding (5.1). He also set the UW single-season record for 3-pointers made with 79.
"He's been playing a lot of minutes and he's going to be kind of our senior leader out there," Badgers guard Josh Gasser said. "So he's got to take more control that way and I think his game has progressed a lot from last year. He's driving to the hoop, scoring. You saw his rebounding and defense improve last year, so he's just improved in all facets."
Although Brust has another year of school and basketball to worry about, he wouldn't mind the opportunity to improve his skills around the race track in the future.
"It was a cool experience," Brust said. "I'll remember it forever. Maybe I'll do it again one day."
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