Sprint Cup racing this season has been a gas for some drivers and a lack of it for others. Many races, including the past two — at Chicagoland and New Hampshire — have turned into fuel-mileage contests.
At Chicago, race leader Tony Stewart stretched his fuel to the end to win. Then on Sunday at New Hampshire, he took the lead with two laps to go when Clint Bowyer’s tank ran dry.
With tire wear not a significant issue at most tracks, the Car of Tomorrow relatively easy to control and leaders having an aerodynamic advantage over pursuers, fuel mileage has become the deciding factor in many races, particularly those which see long green-flag runs.
Jeff Gordon was leading Sunday’s Sylvania 300 late in the race and appeared poised to win, but he ran out of fuel, resulting in a slow final pit stop. Then he had to conserve gas just to make it to the checkered flag in fourth position.
“I don’t think that we wanted to see back-to-back fuel-mileage races like this, but it is kind of the name of the game these days,” Gordon said in his post-race interview. “Somehow we misjudged how far we could go on that second-to-the-last run and we ran out. ... We didn’t feel like we were even close to running out, so it just shows you how important every little detail is.”
Gordon said fuel conservation is “something that we need to be better at.”
Drivers use various tactics to save gas, from coasting into the corners to depressing the clutch at times to even switching the ignition on and off. Most don’t want to divulge the details, for competitive reasons, as Carl Edwards pointed out.
“I don’t think anyone wants to talk about the specifics, because that’s a part of the sport that’s becoming more important and you want to get every advantage you can and keep every advantage you can with fuel mileage,” he said, adding that it’s not just drivers who seek new ways to stretch a tank of gas.
“The engineers are working on it, the engine guys are working on it and there are tricks that the drivers do.”
Jimmie Johnson said fuel mileage will continue to be a big factor as the Chase plays out.
“This year I think we’ll see fuel mileage play a larger role in the championship than we have in years past,” he said. “Phoenix, it’s now repaved and we were there for a tire test. You can’t wear the tires out on this new asphalt, so it’s going to be a fuel-mileage race.
“Talladega to a certain degree will. We have a lot of tracks with very low tire wear that will promote fuel-mileage races.”
About the Author
