According to this AP story, there are “critics” of NASCAR’s use of gas at races and for practice and testing. I’d love to know who the “critics” are. So far though, NASCAR rebuffs the idea of shorter races, the story says.
Even so, there are critics who complain that NASCAR races are dipping into the national supply. But NASCAR officials claim the amount of fuel being used — less than 175,000 gallons per year on the Sprint Cup Series — doesn’t come close to the 366 million gallons that Americans average in daily usage.
So NASCAR has no current plans to shorten races, as it did in the early 1970s when OPEC hoarded oil to increase prices, causing long lines at the pumps.
How do higher gas prices impact multi-millionaire drivers and owners? Jet fuel is their headache, since a number of them own planes.
The real pinch, though, comes in jet fuel. Many team owners shuttling crew members, and drivers flying private planes on weekends, are considering cutting down on the luxuries.
Jeff Burton said he recently sat down with his wife, Kim, to discuss removing any nonessential travel from their plans, and in March, Childress had crew members make the three-hour drive from North Carolina to Bristol, Tenn., instead of sending planes.
“That’s directly related to fuel costs,” Childress said. “We’ve gotten rid of some planes this year and gone to some different programs to save money in that area.”
Many drivers own their own planes and use them for personal and professional travel. But at about $4.30 a gallon, Carl Edwards estimated it costs him $2,000 a trip to fill his airplane — not worth it for a spur-of-the-moment vacation.
