Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s hypermiling tricks help win NASCAR race
Photo by SoldiersMediaCenter. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Hypermiling techniques are nothing new for people who want to save fuel. Often, these techniques involve avoiding sudden acceleration and slamming on the brakes. So, what do you do if you want to conserve fuel while speeding up and slowing down as quickly as possible? Why not turn to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for some advice.
Dale, Jr. squeezed out a recent win at the Michigan International Speedway by, basically, race hypermiling. He drove his last 110 miles (55 times around the two-mile track) without refueling. At his last pit stop, his crew estimated he'd need to refuel with about six laps to go, but Earnhardt turned the engine off and coasted when the caution flag was out to stretch his distance. He was actually coasting when he crossed the finish line, and ran out of fuel almost immedieately after the win.
According to Earnhardt, hypermiling techniques are not his trick alone on the track: "Everybody's doing it," he told the AP/ESPN.
[Source: ESPN via EcoModder, h/t to Darin]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 2:57PM (6/23/2008)
Maybe they can somehow incorporate this into a commercial? :) Maybe a Gen III Prius and Honda CRZ racing eachother?
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catherine 2:19AM (6/24/2008)
I have a question since I'm not an engineer or a mechanic or "gearhead" ,,,how long does a car have to idle before its beneficial to just turn the car off? Is the answer "always' or is there a timeframe I should be paying attention to?? I have a basic American car Ford Escort 1997 with 205,000 miles on it. Thanks, I figured at least one of you will probably have a solid answer on this.
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John 3:28PM (6/24/2008)
catherine -
i've heard it's 20 seconds
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GTOwill 7:00AM (6/24/2008)
The worst thing you can ever do to your engine is to start it. That has always buged me when I hear people telling everyone to shut off there engine and restart it. Ya, you may save a few pennies in gas but its gona cost you a lot more when you shorten the life of your engine.
--I'll put my flame suit on now--
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Goat boy 7:01AM (6/24/2008)
The worst thing you can ever do to your engine is to start it. Thathas always buged me when I hear people telling everyone to shut offthere engine and restart it. Ya, you may save a few pennies in gasbut its gona cost you a lot more when you shorten the life of yourengine. --I'll put my flame suit on now--
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CNCMike 11:45AM (6/24/2008)
Actually it is just cold starts that are hard on an engine. Starting a hot engine with all the internal components at normal operating temp and a stable oil film established does no measurable damage. If you are going to idle for 30 seconds or longer you are better off turning off the engine.
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jon 1:17PM (6/24/2008)
a lot of old nuggets of common sense like "the worst thing you can ever do to your engine is to start it" are becoming outdated. how many modern vehicles do you know whose lifespans were cut short by cylinder wear? not to mention that as frequent stopping and starting becomes more normal (e.g. something your engine computer does for you automatically), the mechanical designs will change to account for it. already we have much harder and slicker cylinder liners, high tech piston rings, better oils, et cetera.
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catherine 2:21AM (6/26/2008)
Thanks guys,I was thinking in terms of "hot starts" where I'm sitting at a loooonnnggg light ,a drive thru ,a traffic jam on the freeway where everyone is just sitting etc etc.I was concerned about fuel use and emissions not so much wear and tear since I've taken good care of my little escort and it still runs great. This site is such a great source of practical info!
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Viki 10:41AM (6/26/2008)
Very interesting! It will be interesting to see if Dale keeps up that technique through more races. I'm pulling for a good win in Talladega since I signed up to have my name on his car for the race :) Just enter 'DALEWINS' at ampenergy.com if you want your name on there too!
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