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.

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.

Biffle To Miss Bristol Nationwide Race Due To Injury

Greg Biffle will miss Saturday’s Scott’s Turf Builder 300 from Bristol Motor Speedway due to a rib injury. Matt Kenseth will take his place, piloting Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 16 CitiFinancial Ford.

Biffle injured his ribs in a fall he took after fishing with friends on Tuesday. He attempt to jump from a dock to a boat, and lost his footing.

He said that he had felt progressively better in the days following the fall.

Earlier this week, he sat in his Martinsville car, as his Bristol car was already headed to the track. He said that sitting in the racing seat felt comfortable:

Its hard foam and it’s molded so it doesn’t create any pressure points.

Biffle indicated that he could have driven the car in the Nationwide race, but decided to skip it rather than risking further injury if he sustained a crash during the race.

Menard Draws Bud Shootout Pole

Picking 22nd to determine his starting spot in the Bud Shootout, Yates Racing’s Paul Menard picked the pole and will lead the field to the green on Saturday night.

Richard Petty Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler will start outside row one. Sadler’s teammate Reed Sorenson will start third, with Scott Speed of Red Bull Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will round out the top 5.

The field consists of the top six drivers, based on owners’ points from the previous season, from each of the four manufacturers, and one addition driver per manufacturer, either a past champion or another driver based on points. 

The complete lineup:

1. Paul Menard – Ford
2. Elliott Sadler – Dodge
3. Reed Sorenson – Dodge
4. Scott Speed – Toyota
5. Denny Hamlin – Toyota
6. Tony Stewart – Chevy
7. Brian Vickers – Toyota
8. Bobby Labonte – Ford
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Chevy
10. Kyle Busch – Toyota
11. Carl Edwards – Ford
12. Kurt Busch – Dodge
13. Robby Gordon – Toyota
14. Kasey Kahne – Dodge
15. Jamie McMurray – Ford
16. David Ragan – Ford
17. Michael Waltrip – Toyota
18. AJ Allmendinger – Dodge
19. Joey Logano – Toyota
20. David Stremme – Dodge
21. Jimmie Johnson – Chevy
22. David Reutimann – Toyota
23. Jeff Burton – Chevy
24. Casey Mears – Chevy
25. Matt Kenseth – Ford
26. Greg Biffle – Ford
27. Kevin Harvick – Chevy
28. Jeff Gordon – Chevy

Academy Sports To Sponsor HOFR No. 96, Labonte

Hall Of Fame racing announced that Academy Sports + Outdoors will sponsor Bobby Labonte and the No. 96 Ford for five races next season beginning at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The retailer will also sponsor the car at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

HOF Racing, in addition to signing Labonte, recently formed an alliance with Yates Racing, and has secured sponsorship from Ask.com.