Environmentally friendly fuel options on the agenda

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just two years removed from using high-octane leaded racing fuel in its cars, NASCAR has been somewhat behind the curve when it comes to environmentally friendly fuel alternatives. But speaking Tuesday at the inaugural Motor Sport Business Forum North America, NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said the sanctioning body is in the process of taking the next step toward going green.

"We're looking at the technologies as well as it relates to the product on the track," Phelps said.

According to Phelps, that could mean an alternative fuel sometime in the near future. Other series, like the Indy Racing League and American LeMans Series, already are using biofuels and oils.

"The first thing we're going to be looking at is the fuel," Phelps said. "We're looking at that right now. It'll probably be some type of blend, most likely an ethanol blend, a corn-based ethanol blend, perhaps as soon as 2011. For us, green is certainly important. There are many opportunites on many levels, not the least of which is for NASCAR, our teams and our tracks."

NASCAR's current initiatives include a plastic bottle recycling effort with Coca-Cola and tree planting at tracks to mitigate the carbon emissions from races. Hybrid vehicles have been used as pace cars, but Phelps said the idea of an electric-powered car racing in one of NASCAR's national series is probably quite a ways down the road.

"As to racing electric cars, sound is such an important part of the sensory aspect of what happens at the race track," Phelps said. "That would need to be addressed, obviously. It's off into the future for us. We're looking at all forms of alternative energy that might available, but that's off into the future."

When it comes to eliminating some of the vehicle emissions from fans attending NASCAR races, Phelps admits many of the tracks on the circuit aren't particularly suited to mass transit, although Auto Club Speedway is served by a Metrolink station. He mentioned shuttle buses as one alternative being discussed.

"We're looking at ways to have preferred parking, based on the number of people in each vehicle or perhaps perferred traffic patterns," Phelps said. "A lot of our races are held in rural areas and the infrastructure isn't there, with respect to trains and regular buses."