FanHouse Brendan Gaughan

One of the bigger stories of the weekend's Nationwide Series activities at Nashville Superspeedway, thanks to the fine folks over at Scene Daily, involved a potential move of Rusty Wallace Inc.'s two teams to Sprint Cup in 2010.

According to the story, team owner Rusty Wallace said that he'd like to make the move in 2010, but that a lot of things would have to line up for it to happen -- like equipment, sponsorship and other necessities.

But doesn't it seem a little perplexing that the former Sprint Cup champ would want to move an organization that has one total win in Nationwide Series competition to NASCAR's top level?

Without a search, answer this pop quiz question. [Don't touch Google, cheater!]

Which of these Georgetown Hoyas went pro?
A. Jerome Williams
B. Brendan Gaughan
C. Othella Harrington
D. Allen Iverson

... (Jeopardy! music) ...

Answer: A, B, C, and D

OK OK, so maybe it's a tad misleading. However, all four of these guys played for Georgetown men's basketball from 1994-1996, and yes, each of them ended up in the pros. Brendan Gaughan (who averaged 2.3pts/year and hit 1-7 field goals) just didn't quite have the jumper to make the NBA, so he perfected his right foot throttle connection. (That's good, he's got 8 wins in the truck series)

And this weekend, Gaughan has already admitted his heart will be in another place. The G-town grad will be competing in the NASCAR Craftman Truck Series (with Hoya decals on his Chevy) Saturday afternoon in Martinsville. But his mind will be in Atlanta where the Hoyas open up the Final Four against Ohio State. Gaughan even suggested a change in the racing schedule, tongue-in-cheek.

"I was at the East Regional championship game on Sunday. I got to watch them cut down the nets and cheer 'We Are... Georgetown' with the team. I'm really upset right now that I can't go to Atlanta for our first round Final Four game.

"We need to talk to Wayne Auton and Mike Helton and the powers that be at NASCAR and discuss the whole scheduling thing because I see a serious issue with scheduling conflicts."

Actually, Brendan, I'm up for that too. And why not have your old team put you back on the roster for your fourth year of eligibility?

It'd be nice to see him and his high-scoring potential in the starting lineup against UCLA in the national final. (Come on Bruins, save my bracket!)

With all three of NASCAR's national series running at AMS this weekend, schedules will be busy for drivers across the board. Despite the track time, appearances and other commitments, several drivers will have one eye turned towards the NCAA Tournament – especially Brendan Gaughan.

Gaughan is a former college basketball player himself, spending four years as a backup to Allen Iverson at Georgetown University. During his time at Georgetown, the Hoyas made two Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight appearance.

"I don't know if there is a way to really get people to understand what its like to be there and be part of the phenomenon," Gaughan said. "You're 18, 19 years old. You're a child, and you walk into an arena and there are 30,000 people. You walk in there, you know the national media is there, all of the main announcers are there, the entire sports world is there. And you take the court – its amazing."

Gaughan's former team will take the court Thursday night, one day before he takes the track for the American Commercial Lines 200.

Several NASCAR competitors weighed in on the NCAA Tournament, here are their picks:

Brendan Gaughan (No. 77 South Point Resort Chevrolet), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Final Four Picks: Georgetown, Kansas, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Champion: Georgetown
"I was there – I got to play it, I got to live it – so for me, for the rest of my life it will be a big part of every March. Whether I'm racing or not, I'll be watching the games – yelling for the Hoyas and loving the Cinderella stories. And when I'm at home in Las Vegas, you'll find me sitting in front of 10 TVs at a Sports Book at the South Point watching every game."

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four Picks: Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA
"I always let my heart weigh in more than logic and rarely is that a smart move. For my final four, I'll have to go with UCLA, Kansas, Arizona...the Wildcats will have to have miraculous tournament play, but I just have to hang with them since they did get a bid (Kurt attended Arizona for a year prior to deciding to go racing fulltime)... and of course I have to throw the North Carolina Tar Heels in there, too."

Robby Gordon (No. 7 Jim Beam Ford), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four Picks: Florida, Nevada, Texas, UCLA
Champion: UCLA
"For the national championship I'm going to stick to my California roots and take UCLA. The Bruins, like my sponsor Jim Beam, know that the stuff inside matters most and that will take them to the title."

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four: Florida, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Washington State
Champion: Ohio State
"I can't overlook our teams from the Northwest. Washington State will make the Final Four. Florida is the defending NCAA champion; the Gators know tournament pressure. Virginia Tech has been a giant killer at times this year. There's just one giant they can't handle...Ohio State. The Buckeyes win the championship this time, just not against Florida."