Race fans watch the sunset during the NASCAR Dodge Charger 500 auto race Saturday, May 13, 2006, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Gene Blythe)
Posted on 05/15/2006 1:12:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Mashed-up corn is heated to produce vapor, which condenses into grain alcohol.
Sound familiar, NASCAR old-timers? It's the recipe for moonshine, the largely forgotten foundation of a sport that has moved from backwoods to big time.
But moonshine is going mainstream, too. You know it as ethanol -- a gasoline alternative that isn't much different from the hooch (shh!) Junior Johnson used to hide in his trunk.
And given the current political climate, it might be smart for NASCAR to fire up the still.
The Indy Racing League is leading the way on alternative fuels, beginning a two-year transition to ethanol.
NASCAR? Those dinosaurs are still burning dinosaurs.
Last year, General Motors officials privately asked NASCAR to consider switching to ethanol. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, made a similar public plea to NASCAR CEO Brian France.
Their appeals didn't gain much traction. But that doesn't mean it was a bad idea.
``It fits the racing mode, and we would definitely be in favor of any move that moves us away from dependence on foreign oil,'' said Brent Dewar, vice president of sales, service and parts for GM.
Dewar, who became an ethanol evangelist after overseeing GM's successful sale of ethanol-ready cars in Brazil, said the automaker plans another round of lobbying NASCAR to switch.
And why not? People are spending $3 a gallon to fill up, and a lot of people think oil is beginning to dry up. Even the alpha NASCAR dad, former Texas oilman George W. Bush, said America is ``addicted'' to oil and needs alternatives.
NASCAR could help get people fired up about ethanol -- and help itself in the process.
Two years ago, the sport polished its public image by weaning itself from big tobacco sponsorship money. Given the public backlash against oil companies' record profits, now would be a savvy time for NASCAR to break its other bad habit.
It's already happening at Indy, where later this month the entire Indy 500 starting field will be fueled by a mixture of ethanol and carbon-based methanol for the first time. Next year, Indy cars will run on 100 percent ethanol.
IRL vice president of business development John Lewis said ethanol fits in with the league's image as a technology leader.
``We believe ethanol is the right decision, a responsible decision,'' Lewis said.
You might consider ethanol a novelty, but star drivers Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan probably don't. They're from Brazil, where the majority of passenger cars run on ethanol.
Ethanol has advantages, but isn't a magic potion. It has higher octane, increasing power, but doesn't get quite as many miles per gallon. Advanced refining techniques are quieting concerns that ethanol takes more energy to produce than it delivers.
And you'll have to buy a new car if you want to burn a richer mixture of ethanol than the 10 percent blended with gasoline now commonly available. American car companies already build ``flex fuel'' vehicles that can run on both gasoline and ``E85'' -- an 85 percent ethanol bled sold at a handful of gas stations nationwide -- and they'd like to sell more of them.
Hmm ... if only there was a group of celebrities who knew how to influence car-buying decisions. Sound like anybody you know?
Brazil does it? Big deal.
Jeff Gordon does it? Sign me up!
GM already uses NASCAR's Craftsman Trucks series to advertise its E85-capable trucks, but actually using ethanol in races would send a stronger message.
``It fits with what's good for America,'' Dewar said. ``The racing fans are really mainstream, heartland folks.''
It would be a big leap for NASCAR, which only this year established a two-year timeline for switching from leaded to unleaded gasoline.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said officials are focusing on the transition to unleaded, which might begin with tests in the trucks and Busch Series this year, but would consider ethanol or other alternative fuels down the road.
``We'd certainly look at it,'' Poston said.
Another potential roadblock: NASCAR has a sponsorship deal with an oil company, Sunoco. A Sunoco spokesperson referred a call Monday to NASCAR officials.
And while NASCAR teams often complain that rules changes cost them millions of dollars, NASCAR already is working with them on developing an ``engine of the future'' -- so why not make those new engines truly futuristic?
And, by the way, it only costs automakers about $200 in parts to make a new passenger car ethanol-capable.
Beyond that, there's only one reason for NASCAR to be wary of ethanol: Keeping folks in the infield from trying to chug the leftovers.
AP is full of feces as usual.
Race fans watch the sunset during the NASCAR Dodge Charger 500 auto race Saturday, May 13, 2006, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Gene Blythe)
How about all of the Limousine Liberals using it in their cars, boats, jets, and all of their assorted toys?
With the war between IRL & CART, these guys aren't leading the way to anything but failure.
I bet freeper racing fans like me couldn't name 2 drivers from either open-wheel league, most their drivers are from Europe and elsewhere?
I'm not sure what the exact losses in performance and speed would be,,
side note, I had a cousin that built a huge ethanol still and used their locally grown corn, they went bust, this was in the late 70s , The Carter Age.. never tried any of their product. They went into fish fertilizer after that and did OK, fish emulsions,, ulp,, glleeyyaa.. should have stuck to moonshine. ;-)
Just remember, Change IS Good! lol
So then what about the NHRA? They've been burning nitromethane for eons.
I was kind of bummed that Indy got rained out this weekend..
I agree, I know few names as well..
That's true.. I guess performance wise, it's plenty potent ,, sounds like mileage would be the trade-off.. it may not be a trade-off worth taking.. maybe they could have the 10 worst teams try it at a few races, see how it works out... if they take off like banshees for a few laps and then belly up, :)
It used not be that way.
Nascar has really done a great job promoting it's racing leagues.
Doesn't the split into IRL & CART go all the way back to a fued between A.J.Foyt and Al Unser?
Not to mention the cost. Pure nitromethane costs around $40 a gallon. Drag racers usually run about 80% nitro and 20% methane, and a racing fuel blend with other additives costs around $50 a gallon. They only use about a gallon a run, though.
re: the split, It goes back a ways,,
I still know a few names today, I just don't follow it like I used to tho.
and Yes, Nascar has been very successful leagues wise.
Indy has some old timers coming back....Al Unser Jr and Michael Andretti. John Andretti has also stated that he hasn't ruled out a run at Indy. [getting a little late for him if he hasn't made up his mind by now]
The big difference between Indy and Nascar engines is.....
Indy = Whiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnne
Nascar = Roaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr
Al Jr. is running a lot slower than the leaders, Michael has a shot at it,, John? save the gas. ;-)
I'd like to see an all-diesel (maybe biodiesel?) class/series. Wouldn't be as popular, obviously, but could be interesting from a technology perspective, and could open some eyes to what has happened with diesel tech in the past 10 years.
The driver/crew competition is great, but sometimes I'd like to see some new tech.
Seems to me that you could dissolve finely powdered agar-agar in gasoline or alcohol and give yourself a boost a bit more robust than the nitro-ethanol concoction.
Nextel Cup engines presently run a 12:1 compression ratio; ethanol would allow that to increase to 15:1.
A biodiesel class could be sponsored by McDonalds' . . . the french fry smell would be overwhelming. It would really be interesting to have a diesel-electric hybrid division. You could do a dual-fuel diesel running lean ethanol ignited by a diesel charge of soy oil, with the electric batteries providing the load control. Awesome! Just think of the sprint to the finish!
You all are forgetting SCCA World Challenge. You get the roar with the squealing tires from all the turns. Not just turning left there all the time. They actually use the steering wheel haha.
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