Racing fans ready your flamethrowers

[shadowknows69]

If, as it is looking from several recent stories, we are in a potential peak oil situation. Shouldn't we think seriously about banning stuff like NASCAR and other races that simply use 1000's of gallons of gas nightly purely for entertainment? Don't run me over.

[unhappycamper]

1. oh man, you are tugging on superman's cape

remember that little phrase "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?"

just in case you didn't know it, pursuit was a code word for NASCAR.

[shadowknows69]

2. what if my pursuit of happiness

includes NOT paying $5 a gallon for gas so Jeff Gordon can go around a track for 4 hours.

[neebob]

3. *sprays the shadow with a coat of eco-friendly flame retardant* nt

[shadowknows69]

4. does it come in pine scent? n/t

[punpirate]

6. As much as I dislike roundy-round...

... (for purely personal reasons), you won't be paying $5/gal because of NASCAR, and you know it--and making that assertion is just flamebait.

Jeff Gordon (and others like him) doesn't have a clue about the reasons for why the oil market is as it is, and couldn't influence it if he tried.

Truth is, all the fuel expended by all the racing in the world in a year is likely less than that used in the first ten minutes of gridlock on the 405 in SoCal on any given day.

[shadowknows69]

8. I'm all for banning southern california too

:hippie: San Fran and north are all I care about.

[Mr.Green93]

5. I agree

there is too much discretionary movement in this country.

[HamstersFromHell]

7. You're really grasping at straws here...

Let's take your theory and put it in numbers:

At 5mpg (about what they get) times 43 cars times 500 miles you'll "waste" 4300 gallons of gas. Not all of the races are 500 miles, many are 500 laps on a much shorter track. For the sake of argument, double it for practice and qualifying sessions, now you have 8600 gallons. Let's for the sake of numbers extrapolate that to a full season...32 races. Now we have 275,200 Gallons.

Now, let's say the average NASCAR fan drives 100 miles each way to and from the race and only gets 10mpg in the family SUV. Now (150,000 * 200)/10 = 3,000,000 gallons "wasted" by those attending ONE race. A hell of a lot more than all the drivers combined will use....far more than they will use in a full 32 race season. So maybe we should just televise them and tell everyone to stay home?

For comparison: If we assume that only 5% (14,750,000) of Americans (295,000,000) go to church on Sunday, and they have to only drive 2.5 miles each way, and they also get 10mpg. Then they have consumed 7,375,000 gallons of gas as you say it "for pure entertainment". (And I would suspect that many more go to church than 5% and drive much farther than 2.5 miles each way.)

Maybe they should stay home and watch NASCAR?

During the '70's gas crunch, NASCAR (and other auto racing sanctioning bodies) were very aware of their public image, and many races were shortened from miles to kilometers (so a "500" was still a "500" for advertising sake), even though real numbers show they aren't a major factor in the use of gasoline.

You could make the same argument that you're making against racing for a lot of other "sheer entertainment" venues...recreational boating and fishing (not to mention all the pollution caused by 2-stroke outboard motors), taking vacations anywhere but staying home, attending the kid's soccer practices/games, little league, the NFL, MLB, driving down to the park to jog, etc., etc.

How much fuel was burned up by political candidates during the last election cycle? Should we ban that as well?

The question is, where do we draw the line at what's an "acceptable" use of gas vs. what isn't? I prefer to let the market decide that...if it means something to you, then it's obviously acceptable to you.

on edit: spelling

[shadowknows69]

9. WOW

sorry you went to all that trouble. I was just achingly bored with Schaivo posts and wanted to talk about something else. See doesn't it feel good to rant about something else?

[HamstersFromHell]

13. No trouble at all.

I too am somewhat tired of 100 new threads "revealing" (as new) something that was posted 10 minutes previously and scrolled off page one. :)

But if someone was to look back about two weeks here, you'd see there were a few of us who said "this (Schiavo) was gonna be big" and a lot of others who were blowing it off. I guess a lot of folks here, even those who didn't see the blowback coming for the GOP, are really enjoying this moment.

I don't necessarily agree NASCAR is a good thing, but not for the reasons you've mentioned. I am a fan from a long way back. I grew up on it in the 60's and 70's, and to me it seems that all that is missing from today's NASCAR is "black hats vs. white hats". It's been regulated and restricted in the name of "competition" to where it's not even anything close to "stock" cars anymore. To me, it's getting closer to the WWF than racing now. (But that's a whole 'nother flame fest!)

As for me, I've always been a racer...from racing the other neighborhood kids on mini-bikes way back when to motorcycles, go-karts, and finally some SCCA events. It's in my blood, and you kinda touched a nerve there on "wasting" resources when I can look around and see 10,000 things others do that I don't participate in that I can consider a waste. But to me, it's to each his/her own.

:toast:

[quinnox]

10. I agree!

Ban NASCAR, it would acutally be a service to America in my opinion, besides the saving of gas.

[Charon]

11. Banning Stuff

While we are at it, we could ban using private automobiles for things like vacations. We could ban tour busses used to transport bands,and entainers. We could ban the use of automobiles for transportation to such entertainment venues as baseball, football, Operas, Plays,and Rectials. Why waste gas on entertainment anyway, no body "needs" entertainment. Makes good sense to me.

[ohio_liberal]

14. Private Aircraft

We've got to ban those too. No millionaire should be able to waste that much gasoline. And how about those traffic helicopters?

[htuttle]

12. Weren't they going to switch to bio-fuel?

I thought I'd read something about NASCAR switching to a bio-blend, with the intention of going pure ethanol in the future. They already run dragsters on it (+NO2) -- don't see any reason not to use it for NASCAR.

[ohio_liberal]

15. I believe you're talking about

the IRL.

[htuttle]

17. Whoops, you're right -- it was the Indy 500

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/ereports/er032305.html

The Indy Racing League (IRL) - home of the Indianapolis 500 - recently announced it will power its racecars with ethanol beginning in the 2006 season. IRL Chief Executive Officer Tony George was joined by U.S. Senators Jim Talent (R-MO) and Evan Byah (D-IN) for the announcement.

(snip)

In 2006, a blend of 90% methanol and 10% ethanol will be used for the IndyCar Series. Beginning in 2007, the IndyCar Series will utilize 100% fuel-grade ethanol. The cars run on 100% methanol today.

(snip)

[HamstersFromHell]

18. It would be a severe financial hardship on the teams.

And a lot of them are already struggling to remain competitive.

To change fuels would mean entire engine departments for those teams would have to be scrapped and re-done just to be able to tune for an alcohol blend, much less a pure methanol or ethanol fuel.

I've been saying for years they needed to phase in rules reducing engine size. Not only would it allow for better racing at the "restrictor plate" tracks by doing away with them, but it would also serve to be a bit more energy aware in the eye of those who dont like racing.

I think in both cases, NASCAR has "let it be" in favor of not inflicting severe financial hurt on smaller teams. Let's face it, only 1/3 of the field each week really has a decent chance of winning...the rest are hoping to be noticed by the teams with the money.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

16. 82% of Americans will say, "no, we should not suspend NASCAR."

Just drill ANWR. :smoke:

[Red State Rebel]

19. You will take my NASCAR from me when you pry it from my -oh you know...

I think the above information is the best way to look at things. When you stop and think how much fuel is wasted by politicians flying in private jets and Air Force One, it really makes NASCAR's consumption look trivial.

You would be suprised how many NASCAR Fans are Democrats, no need to piss em off.

[ohio_liberal]

20. True that

I've said it before--posts like the OPs do more harm than good.

[Ouabache]

21. No flamethrower here

but I seriously believe that if El Kieda has targetted anything far out in the future, a major racing event with lots of gasoline, innocent spectators, and tv cameras rolling might qualify. The month after 9eleven there was a shady Middle easterner arrested/detained in Tennesee with a buttload of pit passes for Nascar, and at the time they could see NO reason for him being a big racing fan. That raised a lot of checkered flags for me and some others. I had a link and a picture at one time, but it is buried in my c drive somehwere now.

[ohio_liberal]

22. I think it would be pretty difficult

to blow up a NASCAR event with gasoline available on-site. The bulk of it is kept at an area that is pretty heavily monitored.