NASCAR Drives $marter

NASCAR has become the latest partner of the Driver $marter Challenge, a campaign to increase awareness about the little steps we can all take to increase our fuel economy, no matter what we drive. (Readers of www.GoodGreenCars.com know all about these tips — the tires, the excess weight, the speed limit obeying.) Other partners include 3M, Con Edison, and Exxon Mobil.

NASCAR will give the challenge props on its reality show, “NASCAR Angels,” on its weekly radio show “NASCAR Performance Live,” and in podcasts by the likes of Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Mobil 1 Dodge.  Driver $marter calls NASCAR “a leader in promoting conservation messages,” which I’m not sure is the most apt description of the race organizations eco-efforts.

But race teams would do well to improve their own fuel economy. As I mentioned a few months ago, they’re feeling the pinch of fuel prices — if not the pangs of guilt at sucking up the earth’s resources — at the track, in testing, and in team transportation.

Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR