BROOKLYN — The similarities between football, basketball and NASCAR may seem few and far between, but for Michigan State coaches Mel Tucker and Tom Izzo, the parallels are striking.
Izzo and Tucker shared grand marshal duties during Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway and as they walked the racetrack grounds with MSU athletic director Alan Haller and staffers, the two marveled at the same phenomenon.
“I read a book a few years back, ‘Racing to Win’ with Joe Gibbs and it talked about how similar the sports are in terms of the teamwork,” Tucker, the Spartans football coach, said. “The driver is like the quarterback and things like that, so I’ve been fascinated with that aspect of NASCAR.
“To get a chance to see it up close and personal for me is quite a treat.”
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Izzo has long said his basketball program is successful because of the attention to detail. He says it’s a major reason he has the most Final Fours of any active head coach — from the custodian to the players to the coaches, everybody in the program has a role.
“For me just walking through by the garage and all those things, you really just realize how many people it takes,” Izzo said. “Here, it’s so split-second and that’s what’s amazing to me. When they talk about winning or losing, they’re talking about making up a quarter of a second or half of a second.
“I was very impressed with just how many people, guys running around, everybody doing their job was amazing.”
So, who do Tucker and Izzo think would be the most likely candidate from their teams to be a NASCAR driver? As Tucker pondered, Izzo asked, “What kind of crazy man do you have?” to which Tucker responded “I’ve got quite a few of those guys.”
Tucker ultimately chose the quarterback of his team, Payton Thorne. Tom Izzo chose his “quarterback” as well.
“I’d say for me it’s AJ Hoggard,” Izzo said. “He’s on the certifiable list.”
Even beyond Tucker and Izzo telling drivers to “start their engines,” the Spartans will be well represented on the track.
Josh Bilicki, driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet, will sport an MSU paint scheme as Tucker and Izzo are official guests of the Zeigler Auto Group. The hood and roof are forest green, with a Spartan head and the words “Michigan State” just above the grill.
The side panels are white, with the word “Spartans” and 77 in green.
The car made its rounds Friday in East Lansing and after a few photo sessions, Izzo wondered how the drivers don’t get claustrophobic. He told Tucker “You wouldn’t fit in one of those.”
“You’re probably right,” Tucker said with a laugh.
Izzo has fit inside a stock car before; he drove the pace car at a MIS Cup Series race t in August 2010.
While Tucker and Izzo said they were at MIS to have a good time, they admitted they do have a preferred outcome for the day.
“We’re going to be cheering for (Bilicki),” Izzo said. “I want you to know we’re going to be prejudiced. We’re pulling for the whole race today, but we got a little special interest.”
Contact Tony Garcia at a[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism