Elizabeth Zeccola
Words: 456
Matrix Post 1
NASCAR
NASCAR ( National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ) is a sport where
ridiculously fast cars ( reaching speeds up to about 200 mph ) drive 500 miles around a circular
race track. Due to the fact that the race cars were once not regulated by the EPA and only get 2 to
5 miles per gallon NASCAR is one of the least environmentally friendly sports of all time. In a
typical race weekend with at least 40 cars cruising at high speeds for 500 miles at 5 miles per
gallon total fuel consumption is about 6,000 gallons. It’s estimated that in an average race
weekend cars cruising at 5 mpg burn about 120,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. If multiplied by
35 races it becomes an astounding 4 million pounds of CO2 burned per year1. That figure only
takes into account the cars involved in the race and doesn’t include the amount of CO2 expelled
by traveling fans or the crew traveling with the racers.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a colorless, odorless, incombustible gas that can naturally be
found in the atmosphere as well as from respiration. Carbon dioxide has a melting point of 108.4 ° F and a boiling point of -70.6 ° F and is soluble in water. As a solid, carbon dioxide is
called dry ice and it changes phase from a solid to a gas.
NASCAR also is guilty of incredible waste. The amount of tires each NASCAR team
goes through ( on average around 8 to 10 sets ) in a single race weekend is astounding and
unnecessary. Individually each team requires 32 to 40 tires. If assuming 40 teams per race
weekend that comes to around 320 to 400 sets of tires and 1,280 to 1,600 individual tires. It is
estimated that it takes 7 gallons of oil to make one tire. If assuming there are 40 teams then that
is around 8,960 to 11,200 gallons of fuel required for the entire race weekend for the tires alone2.
The damaged vehicles are also taking up space in landfills and leaking chemicals into the
ground.
There are some arguments that claim that NASCAR is doing a lot to change its impact on
the environment. They are recycling the hundreds of tires used by each team and recycling the
motor oil used by the vehicles. Some also even claim that they are recycling and refurbishing
damaged vehicles. Although these are improvements I feel as though there should be no need for
such “improvements” and that all resources should be put toward improving the performance of
cars that people drive every day rather than trying to improve cars that get 2 – 5 mpg by default.
NASCAR is a waste of gas and energy no matter what spin you put on it.
Works Cited
3
"Carbon Dioxide (CO2)." Wisconsin Department of Health Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct.
2014. <http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/carbondioxide.htm>.
Annotation 1
1. Full citation.
1
Layton, Julia. "Is NASCAR Really That Bad for the Environment?" HowStuffWorks.
HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/nascar-environment.htm >.
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his
credentials?
Julia Layton is an author on HowStuffWorks and has a B.A. in English literature from Duke
University and a M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Miami.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
NASCAR contributes extensively to the human carbon footprint.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
The text adequately explains the issue using images, math, and statictics.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“The energy expended in one race could power more than three houses or drive seven cars for a
whole year”, “When you see a car doing dozens of laps at close to 200 mph (322 kph), it
becomes pretty obvious that aside from the internal-combustion thing going on under the hood, a
race car has little in common with the cars we drive to work”, and “Also, the devices that the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated on normal cars to keep emissions to
a safe level, like catalytic converters, are not built into race cars”
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
The article gives a list of reasons why NASCAR is bad for the environment.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your
presentation and wiki post.
The carbon emission rate and the lack of EPA standards on race cars are included in the post.
Annotation 2
1. Full citation.
2
Frankel, Max. "NASCAR's Effect on the Environment." Oil Price. N.p., 26 June 2012. Web. 27
Oct. 2014. <http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/NASCARs-Effect-on-theEnvironment.html >.
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his
credentials?
Max Frankel is an intern at the Center for American Progress and is a senior at Vassar College.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
NASCAR impacts the environment in many different ways.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
Statistics, facts, and definitions.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“Beyond just the fuel, NASCAR cars go through a lot of tires.”, “that popularity has its
environmental impact beyond what the casual fan might think about.”, and “From constant travel
to keeping the stadium lights on, every sport is energy intensive.”
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
It again explains why it’s bad for the environment.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your
presentation and wiki post.
The quotes from number 5 are what I used.