Senior business major Brandon Davis is a student like none other. Just like his sport: auto racing.

This is a profession, not an NCAA sport or casual weekend activity, and Davis is a professional and has been since 2004.

“I just love to compete,” says Davis. “It is always something that I have been pretty good at. It’s a lot of fun. I don’t have any more fun doing anything else.”

No, Davis is not running laps with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the NASCAR circuit. Instead, he is a competitor on the SPEED GT circuit that this year will have 10 races across the country.

Davis explains the difference. “It is a totally different circuit. This is more road racing. There is a lot more money in NASCAR because of the commercial appeal, but I think car racing is a lot more fun.”

At the tender age of 22, Davis already is a veteran, entering his fifth year on the circuit. He is eager to rebound from what he says was a disappointing 2007 season, although to the casual racing fan, it would look anything but disappointing: four top-10 finishes, over $20,000 in winnings and, oh yeah, 10th place overall in the point standings out of 42 competitors.

Davis first caught the auto-racing bug at the age of nine when his dad, Mike Davis, was an amateur racer and got his son started in go-cart racing. By the age of 14, Davis started competing in shifter-cart races, which are basically go-carts that go up to 120 mph. Just a couple years later, Davis not only got the traditional driver’s license like any teenager, but also earned his car-racing license.

In June 2004, the Los Angeles native became pro and made his racing debut in Portland, Ore.

“Just getting offered to drive for a team in my first pro race, I was fortunate to race with my dad’s team,” said Davis about the process of becoming professional.

The SPEED GT circuit contains both grand prix races, where the courses are on actual streets like the Long Beach Grand Prix, and also permanent road courses.

In his first full year of racing in 2005, Davis finished in the top 10 in eight out of 11 events, which helped him earn Rookie of the Year honors.

Davis collected his first and so far only win in 2006 at the Grand Prix of Denver, where he and his two teammates swept the podium.

“It was pretty cool. It was definitely a great experience. We had a team podium sweep and it was an awesome feeling,” he recalled.

The same awesome feeling is not felt by Davis and his competitors when that thing called a crash ruins a race and sends someone to the hospital.

Yet Davis downplays the risk. “There are a lot of dangerous situations, but it is not too bad because the safety technology has come a long way.”

Although speeds on the SPEED GT circuit average less than the NASCAR circuit at about 100-120 mph, there is much more movement as cars make numerous turns throughout the race unlike NASCAR where there is just the left turn.

Also different from NASCAR is the vehicle itself. The car that Davis drives, a Ford Mustang Cobra, is more road styled than the ones used in NASCAR.

Of course, leaving competitors in his dust isn’t Davis’ only preoccupation. In addition to focusing on challenges on the race course, he also is a full-time student at DU.

Davis’s juggling act can be tougher than for most student-athletes.

“The biggest problem is that on the academic side it is not a recognized sport by the school. I don’t get any exemptions and socially I am gone a lot and miss a lot of weekends with my friends.”

Even if Davis passion poses unique personal speed bumps on campus, his academic training pays dividends behind the wheel. As a business major, he has a greater appreciation than most drivers for the expenses to run his team. Just to get his car ready for every race costs between $40,000 and $50,000, including a new engine every two or three races, a pit crew, tires, traveling expenses and other needs. Those expenses are all covered by the support of a corporate sponsor, which for Davis is Sun Microsystems.

For now, the senior plans to continue racing after he graduates in June, but has already secured a day job just in case the racing career goes south.

“I think one of the best experiences that has come out of it is that I have gotten to meet a lot of people in a lot of different places. I think it has really help me broaden my horizons.”

As the checkered flag drops on Davis’ unique DU stint, he also hopes to see it waved his way at the end of one or more races this year.