When NASCAR announced its first long-term carbon emissions goal on Tuesday as part of a robust new impact platform, the move signaled the beginning of a new era in sustainability for America’s top motorsport.
At the core of NASCAR IMPACT -- an umbrella platform spotlighting sustainability, community engagement and other social initiatives -- is NASCAR’s plan to reduce its carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035.
“It’s an ambitious goal but one that holds us accountable as we begin to think about sustainability differently,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR’s Chief Communications & Impact Officer. “There is much work to be done but the fundamental objective is clear: we must reduce our emissions over time.”
The commitment to achieving net zero operating emissions over the next 12 years followed NASCAR’s first comprehensive measurement of its carbon footprint. The study measured total emissions from all NASCAR offices, owned race tracks, national series races and other related operations in 2022.
“This begins the next phase of our sustainability effort,” said Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s Head of Sustainability. “Measuring our carbon footprint will become an annual process, and as we improve year-over-year with the support of the industry, we’ll identify new ways to contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment.”
In addition to the long-term operating emissions goal, NASCAR’s carbon measurement informed near-term sustainability priorities including 100% renewable electricity at owned race tracks and facilities, the development of a sustainable racing fuel, expanded recycling efforts and on-site EV charging stations.
NASCAR will track progress toward its sustainability goals in an annually published NASCAR IMPACT Report. The report will measure the collective impact of other impact-driven functions including The NASCAR Foundation, diversity, equity and inclusion, STEM education, supplier diversity through sourcing and procurement, as well as a national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America -- the Official Youth Community Partner of NASCAR.
In celebration of NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary season, The NASCAR Foundation will host a 75-hour giveathon on May 16-19 with a goal to raise $750,000 for more than 500 nonprofit organizations across the country.
Last season, NASCAR hosted Boys & Girls Club teens at 15 NASCAR Cup Series race events as part of immersive, workforce readiness experiences designed to showcase career opportunities in the industry.
NASCAR’s elevated focus on community engagement parallels new milestones in sustainability. In February, the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum became the sport’s first zero waste event. Supported by the University of Southern California and LAMC staff, the race event achieved a 90.1% waste diversion rate, diverting more than 11.7 tons of waste from landfills.
Earlier this year, NASCAR became the first global sports property to join the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), a community consisting of more than 350 energy customer companies and their partners. CEBA counts nearly 100 companies from the FORTUNE 500 list among its ranks.
Now for NASCAR, the attention shifts to reaching net zero operating emissions -- or emissions that fall under the categories of scope 1 or scope 2. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these are the emissions that come from sources that NASCAR controls or that are associated with the company’s purchased electricity.
As NASCAR waves the green flag on a new approach to sustainability, its leadership is excited about the opportunities to build on its environmental strategies.
“With NASCAR IMPACT, we’re striving to achieve a higher standard in the areas of sustainability and more broadly, social responsibility,” said Nyquist. “NASCAR has a significant role to play in improving the well-being of our communities and the health of our planet, and our commitment reflects that.”
Note: With the launch of NASCAR IMPACT and new sustainability strategy, NASCAR has discontinued its NASCAR Green platform. NASCAR Green was established in 2009 as the sport’s first industry-wide sustainability platform.