The Race to be Green

How NASCAR is going green.

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This is how they used to go green.

The latest issue of The Mag takes a look at the American Le Mans Series' attempts to be eco-friendly with their Green Challenge, which tested drivers' abilities to go the fastest and furthest with the least environmental impact.

Not to be outdone, NASCAR's got some green initiatives of its own. They ended this year's Sprint Cup Series a few weeks ago by unveiling the Ford Fusion Hybrid as a pace car at the Ford 400, formally introducing the use of alternative fuel cars to the sport.

Off the track, they're looking at amped-up recycling efforts at races, wetlands protection at the Michigan International Speedway and LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Rating System) on two newly constructed buildings (the waterless toilets at Infineon Speedway in Sonoma may be a harder sell for some fans…).

Still, fuel emissions have got to be the biggest concern for environmentalists. NASCAR switched to unleaded fuel in 2007 and company officials are working in tandem with Sunoco to find alternative fuel options. They've identified E85, which has an 85-10 ration of ethanol to regular gasoline, as a viable option and are currently researching its effectiveness on the racetrack. E85 was the fuel of choice for Corvette Racing, the team that won the ALMS Green Challenge. It's a great idea, especially if researchers can follow through with their plans to develop a form of ethanol made with wood chips, grass and other biodegradable waste. Just think—there will finally be a use for those endless leaf piles collected every Sunday afternoon in the fall.

But we're probably a long ways away from seeing hybrids or alternative fuel cars as the norm in NASCAR. The Ford Fusion Hybrid features a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, and has a horsepower between 160 and 175, but those specs aren't going to cut it on the racetrack (regular NASCAR cars throw somewhere between 750-800 horsepower).

Plus, we doubt a hybrid could never lead to a scene like this, or this.

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