AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Brent Brennan, decked out in a full race suit and helmet, angles his body through the window and slides into the NASCAR cockpit.

A track official helps the Arizona football coach with the safety harnesses and head restraint, attaches the steering wheel and shows him how to fire the engine. After a few sputters, Brennan roars the engine down pit road and heads up the bank of Phoenix Raceway, completing several laps as a spotter feeds him information through the headset.

“That was awesome,” Brennan said. “It was neat to be able to sit in one of these cars and feel what it’s like with the parallel branding of redline and our football program with redlining these cars, which is what these guys do every day on a professional level.”

Brennan arrived at Arizona two years

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