NASCAR pays some lip service to being "green"
Traditionally, the only green associated with NASCAR was the color of money. While Formula 1 has allowed teams to add hybrid systems to cars for 2009 and the American Le Mans Series explicitly encourages alternate fuels, NASCAR has been in the alt fuel dark ages. The "stock" car series just switched from leaded to unleaded gas in 2007 and still mandates the use of carburetors. Ethanol, diesel, hybrid? Hah!! As the 2009 season gets underway next month, NASCAR officials finally seem to be seeing the writing on the wall; at least a little bit.
Unlike ALMS, which has a full blown Green Challenge, NASCAR CEO Brian France this week hired a managing director for "green innovation." During France's press conference last week, he declared that, "Mike's responsible for planning and executing a comprehensive industry-wide green initiative." It's not clear what that means, exactly, but given NASCAR's traditional conservatism, we probably shouldn't expect to see any dramatic changes any time soon.
[Source: NASCAR]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gorr 10:38AM (1/26/2009)
It's a very very limited technology race class where evrything high tech is prohibited for keeping team on a low par level. They still mainly use 1950 car specification. But green algae fuel is a prehistoric technology and they can surrelly make standard butanol for all their cars.
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jpm 12:18PM (1/26/2009)
Just shut down nascar all together. One, it's boring. Two, waste of gas. Three, Waste of everyone's time and money.
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Brian 8:02AM (1/27/2009)
I agree with jpm shut it down. What is so exciting about watching a bunch of low tech. cars making hundreds of left turns? There is no advanced technology that has ever come from NASCAR.
Carney 12:53PM (1/26/2009)
They should abandon the pretense that their cars are "stock" and switch to methanol, as the Indy 500 did decades ago, for both performance and safety reasons.
Higher octane, and less likely to explode in crashes.
I could list the environmental benefits, you could just see a NASCAR fan's eyes glaze over.
Emphasize more vroom, less boom.
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JDred 8:57PM (1/26/2009)
Carney, I take it you've never seen Outlaw class racing. Or noticed that with methanol, you don't see the flames but it still burns the same.
I think you're mistaking the eye glazing response as ignorance. It's quite the opposite, it's a response to having to be near or listening to a rude and opinionated a-hole!
Carney 12:12PM (1/27/2009)
Sorry JDred. I take it back.
While methanol is of course flammable (wouldn't be much use as fuel if it weren't) and thus isn't explosion-proof, it is still less likely to explode in crashes than gasoline.
A major reason for this is that it has a more narrow range of concentration in oxygen (or a gas mix with oxygen such an atmosphere) requiring ignition. Too rich or thin and no boom.
Phil L. 1:05PM (1/27/2009)
Carney -
Good, polite response; something we could use more of around here.