When it comes to passions, cars are top on my list. Racing is the pure extension of that passion, and for a car enthusiast, is one of the best experiences you can have. When you think of nationally recognized racing, NASCAR is probably the first name that would come to mind. Forty plus cars going around a track at speeds of up to 200 mph for the pure thrill of thousands of fans on the edge of their seat, waiting for that ultimate finish. Ok, the real thrill is the crashes, and we all know that’s why we watch.
Regardless of if you like NASCAR as much as I do or not, we all know that they use a ton of fuel and create a bunch of waste. What are they going to do to make up for their carbon footprint? The NASCAR organization has actually stepped up and started to install solar panels at their grand stands to help with the electricity used from the air conditioners, they are planting 10 trees for every caution flag during 11 races, they’ve installed an idle air system at many locations to prevent the car haulers from idling, and are maximizing the recycling programs throughout the stands. Goodyear and Safety-Kleen stepped up by recycling their tires and oil.
We all understand that there are more issues in the racing industry to address, however this is a great first step in the process of going green. It shows that the companies are actually trying to make an impact on the foot print they are leaving behind. This is better than turning off the lights for 30 seconds for a marketing gimmick. I believe that we will find a way to make a race exciting, and have it become more eco friendly in the near future. I don’t believe that they will be electric cars, because I just don’t see the grand stands filling the way they do now, but would bet that the race cars will become much more fuel efficient in the next few years.