At Small Tracks, High Fuel Prices Put Racers in a Pinch

[Don]

At Small Tracks, High Fuel Prices Put Racers in a Pinch

By JOHN BRANCH: NY Times.com
Published: June 3, 2008
NEW EGYPT, N.J. — The cost of high-octane fuel for the racecars is up to $8.25 a gallon. And that is not the worst of it.

iMost racers at a track like New Egypt Speedway are not supported by large sponsors; they do their own work on their cars.

The truck-and-trailer rigs that log long miles to haul the cars to tracks generally have miles-to-the-gallon averages in the single digits. And with diesel costing roughly $5 a gallon, about double what it was a year ago, the escalating price of fuel is altering the already skimpy economics of lower-tier racing, the type that takes place on the half-mile dirt oval at New Egypt Speedway and at most tracks across the country.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/sp...html?th&emc=th

[Sharroll Celby]

One fix for the racers could be to detune their engines to run on the (kinda) cheaper 91 octane pump gas.
It would all depend on how bad they wanted to go racing.

[HI Cobra]

They did that here in Hawaii to try to level the playing field at Hawaii
Raceway - but then they closed the track down shortly there after so
it really didn't matter anyway.

[Ron61]

Here they buy their fuel in 55 gallon barrels and haul it to the track but I don't know what that costs. My last barrel was over two years ago and for the first time in years it had went up. And then it had jumped by over $1 a gallon. I think I may call the supplier I use and see what it is per 55 gallon barrel now if that long of a number will go over the telephone.

Ron

[Wes Tausend]

...

There was a time I wanted to buy a motorhome so that I could pull a car trailer to a distant show or tracktime out of state.

I might still buy a motorhome, the price is right, but I won't be going too far with it.

Another dream dashed.


...

[Silverback51]

It's not just the small guys at small tracks either.

Last week at the NHRA races, they only had 15 Top Fuel cars. At a couple other races they only had 15, but were able to bring in a local car to fill the field.

A few years ago they would have 32 plus cars competing for the 16 Pro Stock qualifing positions. Now they are down to the low 20's in car count.

Times are bad for a lot of people.

[Don]

"Last week at the NHRA races, they only had 15 Top Fuel cars. At a couple other races they only had 15, but were able to bring in a local car to fill the field ".

It was also mentioned that there is a shortage of the Fuel being used which has another impact on participation

The Sunoco race fuel used in the top three NASCAR series, does anyone know whether the fuel is provided free or ?

[Ron61]

Don,

When Sunoco took over from Philips 66 as the NASACAR fuel provider it was all free. But I am not sure that it is now. If you listen to the broadcasters the past year it seems every other word out of their mouth is Sunoco Racing Gas. They never used to mention the gas except that the cars had to make a stop to fuel up. I have looked on the NASCAR site for a long time and I once saw a small blurb that they may have to start paying for fuel about the time they stated talking about going to unleaded fuel.

Ron

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by Don

"Last week at the NHRA races, they only had 15 Top Fuel cars. At a couple other races they only had 15, but were able to bring in a local car to fill the field ".

It was also mentioned that there is a shortage of the Fuel being used which has another impact on participation

The Sunoco race fuel used in the top three NASCAR series, does anyone know whether the fuel is provided free or ?

Yes,it's free to the race teams, that's part of the sponsorship package..............

Bought some last year in Nashville at the NASCAR track there....seems whatever fuel was left over after the race was left in the track fuel tank-----for free----and they sold it to us for about 5 bucks a gallon.........

David

[Ron61]

David,

I think it was early this year that I was watching one of the practice sessions and most of the cars were having problems with running well. They got to checking and found they had left some fuel in a tank and it had set so long that when they filled it with new fuel it was all contaminated. I believe they said they had to pump that whole tank out and dispose of it. That had to have been an expensive waste.

Ron

[427 S/O]

I once read that total fuel used for racing in the U.S., amounted to what one average gas station would pump in a year?.

[427 S/O]

Should have read, total racing fuel used in one year...sorry...

[Excaliber]

I think the article missed the point, it's not so much the cost of the RACE GAS itself, it's the cost of the pump gas required to get your CAR from the shop/home TO the track itself. If the track is 500 miles away and your towing the car and getting 14-15 mpg THAT transportation fuel cost is what is hitting you hard. If your taking a motor home, figure 8-10 mpg for the trip. It's the TRAVEL that's killing these guys!

[HI Cobra]

I may be wrong on this but - when I had a part ownership in a skydiving
airplane (Cessna 206) which used 110 avgas you could not store it more
than 3 or 4 months (we had a small tanker truck) before it would start
breaking down. More important for an airplane obviously but would not
help performance n a race car either. We would send in gas and oil samples
periodically for analysis and thereby learned about the gas breakdown.
It would be a bummer to learn that that drum had gas you couldn't use
for racing, couldn't use in a "modern" car but would have to burn up in
something like a Cobra.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Flip: two different distributors/wholesalers have told me as long as the drum has not been opened it should be good for at least 12 months.....for auto use, I thinks it's o-k, for aviation use, I would not trust my life to one year old gas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Normally a drum will just about last me a race season. Our season starts in October and ends in March....Last time I bought gas, I bought two drums at the beginning of the season...due to unexpected engine problems, I have missed the entire last race season, should be ready to go in another month or two, I'll probably buy another drum of gas and maybe mix the two just for added insurance.....
I had about 15 gallons left in the opened drum and have used it in my 65 Mustang, street car and on an occasion or two in my riding mower when I din't feel like going get a few gallons of gas to mow the lawn....That 18 hp Briggs does run great on 100 octane!!!!!!!!!!!!

David

[Ron61]

and on an occasion or two in my riding mower when I din't feel like going get a few gallons of gas to mow the lawn....That 18 hp Briggs does run great on 100 octane!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darn David, Are you related to Tim Allen. I remember one of his Home Improvements shows where he improved the power on his riding lawnmower and before he got it stopped he had runied all of his neighbors lawns and flower beds. But it sure did run great.

Ron

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Darn David, Are you related to Tim Allen

My wife thinks I am at times........more power, we need more power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David