Hybrid pace car sends positive message to fans

The country elected its first "green president" and now it may be a step closer to its first green NASCAR.

Perhaps taking a page from President-elect Barack Obama's playbook of greening the nation's auto fleet, NASCAR and Homestead-Miami Speedway announced their plan to debut the first hybrid pace car this weekend at the Ford 400.

With this, NASCAR fans have been sent a message: Hybrid cars are no longer exclusive to tree huggers and environmentalists; it's cool to go green in the off-track sense.

But like Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green."

Changing mind-sets and educating the public takes time. Costly advertising campaigns and effective leadership is required to persuade the NASCAR stronghold that driving a plug-in car is better or at least more socially responsible than a sport utility vehicle that averages 18 miles per gallon.

It's a message NASCAR executives are seemingly taking more seriously these days, having created a post for Mike Lynch, who was hired last month to head the sport's new industry-wide green initiative (read more).

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid pace car

"Ford's hybrid pace car and EP SmartWay vehicle display at Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of many ways the industry is promoting to fans fuel-efficiency messages," said Lynch, the managing director for NASCAR Green Innovation. "This is a small, but noteworthy example of the kind of green collaboration fans will continue to see: manufacturers, tracks and NASCAR working together to raise awareness of conservation."

Is it as ambitious as Obama's goal to put a million plug-in cars on the road by 2015 including the White House fleet within a year of taking office? No, but it is a clear step in the right direction to reducing the sport's carbon footprint.

And the more prominent message this weekend for fans in Miami will be watching the first-ever hybrid car pace the season-ending Sprint Cup race. The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid will be available to consumers in the spring of 2009.

"The message really is that hybrids are becoming more main stream as opposed to fringe," said Gil Portalatin, Ford's hybrid applications manager. "It's not just your green segment of buyers anymore. It's for anyone and everyone looking for an everyday car." (Continued)