NASCAR Will Survive

With the Wall Street Journal reporting last weekend on the fall of Chrysler, and its effect on NASCAR, and the Orlando Sentinel’s recent report that the automotive task force is giving Chrysler half of the money it requested for marketing, many are predicting cutbacks of both Dodge and Chevy in NASCAR.

This is no surprise to anyone, as most thought it was only a matter of time, given how long the automakers have been struggling. With Chrysler filing for backruptcy and GM expected to follow suit, can they realistically sustain putting money in motorsports? Most say no. Add in the fact that they’re taking tax payer money, and the “no” becomes more definitive.

The WSJ calls Chrysler’s troubles “another humbling blow to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.”

As I’ve said before, I’m not sure this is a humbling blow. Sure ticket sales and attendance are down, viewership is declining, and sponsors are having a hard time staying in the sport during these tough economic times. But, that’s not because Chrysler and GM are struggling. It’s because we’re in an economic downturn that resulted in job losses for a large portion of NASCAR’s working class fanbase.

I’m sure many auto-plant workers are or were NASCAR fans. And, with the automakers laying off a large number of workers, those NASCAR fans can’t afford to go see races live. Add in other NASCAR fans in different professions that have been layed off, and it’s no surprise that there is a decline in attendance.

But again, that’s due mainly to economic conditions, and tangentally to the fall of the automakers.

If GM and Chrysler were to pull out of the sport, NASCAR would still survive. The COT almost guarantees that. The cars don’t resemble anything that is sitting on a showroom floor in any auto dealer.

The cars are nearly identical, with the only distinguishing factor being the decals. If automakers pull out, those decals would most likely go away. But, the teams would still exist.

The cars are built in-house by teams. They have their own shops, and engineers, so even if factory support were to cease, the teams with major sponsors would find a way to function.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that NASCAR isn’t struggling or that things wouldn’t get worse, if automakers started pulling out.

I am, however, saying that NASCAR would still survive, because in the end, the logos emblazoned on the hood and quarter panels mean more than the fake head and tail lights on the cars.

Chrysler Bankruptcy Not Expected To Affect Sprint Cup

Despite announcing that it would file for bankruptcy protection and its recent partnership with Fiat SpA, Chrylser said that it remains committed to the Sprint Cup series and NASCAR.

Mike Accavitti, an official with Dodge Motorsports, said:

The partnership not only will transform Chrysler into a new, stronger car company with many strategic advantages, it will enable the company to better serve our customers with a broader and more comprehensive lineup of vehicles. NASCAR is a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand. We plan to continue our Dodge sponsorship and relationship into the foreseeable future.

The Treasury Department is planning on giving Chrysler as much as $3.5 billion, while the Canadian and Ontario governments are going to provide ths company without about $800 million in exchange for 2 percent equity.

NASCAR To Electric Cars? Not That Ridiculous

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Imagine if you will, a future where NASCAR Sprint Cup races feature not the pushrod, V8 engines found in today’s stock cars, but electric motors that run off of lithium-ion batteries.

And, instead of filling a car full of fuel on a pit stop, teams would pull out the used lithium-ion battery and replace it with a fully charged, new battery.

Does this sound far-fetched? A decade ago, I would have said yes. It would have sounded almost as preposterous as flying cars — at least in my lifetime. 

But, with the way things have gone and are going, I wouldn’t be surprised to someday see the Chevy Volt, Dodge ZEO, Ford Focus and Toyota FT-HS circling NASCAR tracks. 

Chevy Volt

Granted, we have a long way to go, but this could work. With the technology used in Tesla Motors’ Roadster, powerful electric cars are not that far off. The company’s roadster accelerates from 0-60 in less than four seconds. And, while the car’s top speed is limited to 125 miles per hour for safety, the technology could probably be used to go much faster.

If NASCAR were to someday switch to electric cars, they would probably do away with the onboard fuel system found in the Volt because the combustion engine would not need to power the car while the battery is recharged if teams just remove the old battery once its charge is lost. Ford is currently working on an electric Focus without the combustion engine.

Toyota FT-HS

Any switch to electric NASCAR race cars would most likely hinge on advancements in the batteries. Currently, lith-ion batteries have a high internal resistance, which increases over time/use, resulting in a drop in the voltage at the terminals. Basically, at some point the batteries wouldn’t be able to be charged enough to power a Cup car.

The amount of power needed to crank out 200 mph would give the batteries a very short life, even though they are rechargable. At this point, getting one use out of a battery may not make it cost effective, but zero emissions might be alluring enough to consider one use worth it.

Lith-ion batteries can also explode if they overheat or are ruptured. As you all know, temperatures inside Cup cars can reach 120 degrees, and there is always the risk of an accident that results in an explosion.

Ford Focus

So, before any switch can be considered, NASCAR would have to redesign that car to make a nearly indestructable compartment for the battery. I should, however, note that the COT already has a pretty stout fuel cell compartment. 

NASCAR would also have to do more to protect drivers from possible explosions, which would become more of a concern with a switch to lith-ion batteries.

A switch would also require track owners to invest a significant amount of money in switch their current fueling stations to recharging stations.

Track and safety crews would also need to be re-trained on how to deal with accidents because there are different protocols when dealing with the litium-ion batteries and their chemicals.

Dodge ZEO

Outfitting NASCAR teams with electric cars would cost more initially than using the gasoline-powered equipment. Teams would have to build all new cars. And, some of the smaller series would lose the ability to buy old race cars from the larger teams, thus resulting in a larger effect on grassroots racing.

Switching to electric cars would also result is layoffs from all major teams because they would no longer need their engine departments. That said, teams would have to hire new engineers and scientists to work on these electric motors, so perhaps these layoffs would be offset by new hires.

At the end of the day, switching to electric cars is quite a ways off, but the idea is not as ridiculous as it once seemed.

RPM Signs Seven-Race Sponsor For Allmendinger

Richard Petty Motorsports announced that it has signed Hunt Brothers Pizza to a seven-race deal to sponsor the No. 44 and driver AJ Allmendinger.

The deal extends Allmendinger’s season through the Richmond race in September.

Allmendinger said:

I want to thank Hunt Brothers Pizza for coming on board and supporting us. I know our fans and NASCAR fans in general certainly appreciate all they are doing for the sport. We plan to give Hunt Brothers Pizza a lot to talk about in the coming weeks.

Scott Hunt, CEO of Hunt Brothers Pizza said:

Partnering with Richard Petty Motorsports is exciting for everyone involved with Hunt Brothers. We feel blessed to be in a position to support AJ while connecting with our convenience store customers, many of whom are NASCAR fans. Getting the opportunity to work with “The King” Mr. Richard Petty, AJ Allmendinger and all the professionals at Richard Petty Motorsports, offers us a unique opportunity. We are excited and looking forward to seeing the Hunt Brothers Dodge on the track.

What Would Happen If Chevy, Dodge Pulled Out Of NASCAR?

As GM considers bankruptcy, and Car and Driver publishes hoax articles about Dodge and Chevy being ordered out of NASCAR, I asked myself what would happen if Dodge and or Chevy pulled out of NASCAR.

The answer? Probably not much would happen.

While NASCAR touted the safety aspects, the savings, and the closer competition as reasons for the new car design, I think that the Car of Tomorrow also freed NASCAR from the mercy of the carmakers.

Sprint Cup cars are made by teams individually. There are no NASCAR factories that crank out COTs like GM or Chrysler plants. These cars are custom built in race shops by Sprint Cup teams. I imagine that other than providing parts, the carmakers have little to do with production or maintenance.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that carmakers provide support for their cars. But, if that support goes away, the make wouldn’t necessarily.

Last year, Dodge announced it would pull its factory support from what is now the Camping world Truck Series. At the time, Mike Delahanty, senior manager of Dodge Motorsports, said:

We’ll have no factory-funded teams. When times are tough, there are certain things that are lower on the priority list than others. There’s a lot of Dodge trucks, engines and parts out there, [teams] may choose to run them. We just won’t be writing the checks to any teams.

I’m sure that any carmaker that left the sport at this point would take the same stance.

Sure, some teams might stop using their cars. But, teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports would continue building their race cars, and would still compete.

Large sponsorships would, most likely, keep the bigger players in the sport. And the relatively low cost of competing these days, with the testing ban, would keep most of the smaller teams in the sport.

So, even if Dodge and Chevy were to leave, the sport would find a way to survive. After all, this isn’t the first time automaker support was in jeopardy.