It Ain’t Easy Being NASCAR Green

January 22, 2008

By Brian Watkins

Brian Watkins

Compact florescent light bulbs, hybrid vehicles, corn based ethanol and a host of other “green” initiatives have taken the U.S. by storm and are frankly driving me nuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as happy as the next guy to do my part to keep from contaminating the air we breathe and the earth that has played host to us humans. At the same time however, I’m growing tired of those that shove their “Earth friendly” ideas and ideals down the throats of everyone around them.

Among those that wish for what at times amounts to a people free earth, there is a small but seemingly growing group of individuals that have taken issue with the “carbon footprint” that is NASCAR. Asking for everything from alternative fuels to even an all out end to motor sports, these kooks (and I use the term without reservation) really have no grasp on reality.

Some online blogs have called for NASCAR to implement hybrid technology and even hydrogen fuel cells.

As if NASCAR doesn’t have enough on its plate keeping drivers and crews safe, let's add high pressure tanks of hydrogen or oversized batteries into the mix. In my opinion, switching to unleaded fuel is just about as far as NASCAR needs to go to appease the carbon footprint crowd.

Am I being callous or “un-earth-friendly”? No -- just realistic.

Why?

Because the only major change that NASCAR can make to truly better protect the environment is to stop selling hamburgers and hot dogs. The human activity with the greatest negative impact on the environment is meat production, specifically beef.

Between the raising, processing, transportation and preparation, the activities associated with our insatiable appetite for meat is far more detrimental to the environment than anything else we as humans do -- it’s worse than driving SUV’s, it’s worse than using a good old fashioned light-bulb and it’s even worse than sending a thundering herd of 43 cars screaming around an oval spewing spent fuel, oil and flecks (sometimes chunks) of tire rubber.

So what does this mean for NASCAR?

Well, unless they’re going to start serving tofu dogs and soy burgers, not much. NASCAR will have to do what every other corporate entity is doing, making feel good “green” changes that really don’t amount to much more than positive PR. That’s not to say that I’m being critical of NASCAR. They gotta do what they gotta do to appease the “green” masses, and as long as they don’t close the concession stands (or all you can eat grand stands) I’m fine with that. Because the only green I want to worry about on race day is the green flowing in the breeze as the pace car pulls off onto pit lane.

Fox Getting Ready for Daytona

Commercials during the final NFL games of the season provided a refreshing reminder that in just a few weeks, the 2008 NASCAR season will be off and running. Even more refreshing is the fact that until the July 27th race at the Brickyard, ESPN won’t be providing any coverage. That gives the ESPN just over 6 months to study the methods and techniques of Fox and TNT. This will hopefully give them the opportunity to change their ways and make watching ESPN / ABC broadcasts of the second half of the ’08 season much more tolerable than the way they covered it last season.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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