NASCAR Goes Green, Switches to Ethanol Mix for 2011

Filed under: NASCAR

CONCORD, N.C. -- NASCAR Chairman Brian France announced Saturday that the stock car series will be switching to a 15 percent American-made ethanol mix in its Sunoco race fuel beginning in the 2011 season.

NASCAR's exclusive fuel supplier, Sunoco, has been working with the series to develop a suitable mixture -- called Sunoco Green E15 -- and race teams have been using it during test sessions for the past several months. It's a big step for NASCAR, which only began using unleaded fuel a little more than two years ago.

"A couple of years ago we laid out what we hoped would be a smart, environmentally smart approach in all areas of the industry of NASCAR, given we have lots of partners and most importantly our fans who want to continually see this sport evolve and be smart in every area when it comes to the environment and when it comes to things they care about,'' France said.

All three of NASCAR's national touring series will use the fuel. NASCAR Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton said the initial feedback from teams has been positive. He expects there to be a slight increase in horsepower and to have a negligible affect on fuel mileage.

"All drivers like more power so they all have smiles on their faces for that,'' Pemberton said, promising further development during test sessions and also at NASCAR's Research and Development Center.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton Richard Allen Craven