Rookie Stripe: Fuel for Speed -- NASCAR Gasoline
Credit: Logan Stewart for Skirts and Scuffs |
I have a little red Prius. She’s six years old and takes unleaded gas. I’ve never named her, though I thought about it a few times. At the gas station, I pull out my credit card and fill her up to her capacity of nine gallons, which usually lasts me almost two weeks, if I’m careful.
Back when I was still learning about NASCAR, I noticed that race cars go through a lot of fuel. So I thought, Stock cars probably run on the same unleaded fuel as my red Prius, right?
Not exactly. Let's put on the brakes and focus on racing fuel.
First-Class Fuels
Sunoco® has been the official fuel of NASCAR since 2004 and is the exclusive gasoline for the three top series -- Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. Estimates vary, but around 5,000 gallons are needed to fuel the Daytona 500, or as much as 450,000 gallons of Sunoco racing fuel in a season for all three series combined. Race teams use Sunoco Green E15, actually green in color, and made specifically for high-performance race engines. According to Sunoco's website, the gasoline is a 98 octane fuel blend and contains 15 percent ethanol by weight to keep moisture out of both gas cans and race cars. The fuel is made at Sunoco’s facility in Pennsylvania and transported cross-country by tanker to every NASCAR race.
Credit: Logan Stewart for Skirts and Scuffs |
High-Octane Handlers
As high-powered as Sunoco racing fuel is, you’ll find some of NASCAR’s most powerful athletes handling it. Gas men, part of the six-man over the wall pit crew, are some of the largest and strongest on the teams. On race days, gas tanks are filled an hour or so prior to the race and put in a staging area in each pit box. Gas runners get the fuel from a fuel distribution area in the infield, which is close to pit road and staffed by Sunoco crew members.
Credit: Logan Stewart for Skirts and Scuffs |
Credit: Logan Stewart for Skirts and Scuffs |
Want to learn more?
For a quick video on the No. 14 team's gas man:Smokin’ Aces: Life as a NASCAR Gas Man
Read about how teams figure out fuel mileage on NASCAR.com: When Fuel is All that Matters
Rookie Stripe: Fuel for Speed -- NASCAR Gasoline
Reviewed by Logan Stewart
on
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Rating:
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