I was thinking rather off the cuff today when I had a brilliant revelation — well, maybe not a revelation but something oddly close to it.
I asked myself this question: What if NASCAR is discontinued? How much would gas prices plummet? Hmm…very interesting question indeed.
I thought it seemed quite relevant because of the gas struggles we've been having lately ('lately', who am I kidding…people have been complaining about gas prices since the invention of the car). With prices hitting $3.31/gal. in Los Angeles and $2.95/gal. here in Wisconsin and the overall price per barrel tipping at $75, I thought that getting rid of NASCAR not only seems logical, it is logical.
I know this is a rather insensitive statement to make towards NASCAR fans, but the sport it basically pointless. Come on, do we need high-powered cars gulping up our precious fuel and causing supply and demand prices to go through the roof? I don't think so. Maybe if these vehicles were carrying cargo and actually going somewhere, I might reconsider. But because they whizz around in a big circle carrying nothing but a slender male (except Danica Patrick) for miles upon miles (did I mention they are going nowhere?)
This might be a far-fetched idea considering that millions of people are NASCAR fans, but all I ask is for you all (or ya'll for you NASCAR fans) to stop and think about how maybe, just maybe, prices might fall .60-.70 cents/gal. if we either stop NASCAR completely, or, cut down on overall use of gasoline. Maybe we could even have hybrids race against each other instead of gas-guzzling high-powered death traps some people consider cars.
I know the comments I'm going to get, I'm sure they will consist of something along the lines of: "How would you like it if we cut off the sport of football?" or the even more unintelligent, "Garsh, you're just an ignorant little kid." I don't care about the comments all that much. I'm just throwing out a thought for someone to ponder; agree or disagree, it's your choice.
Wouldn’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
If you want a really marked improvement on gasoline consumption, you have to hit a real source of fuel-guzzing–hummers and the like, and unnecessary car transportation. If NASCAR uses ten thousand galleons of fuel, well, yeah, that’s a lot–but look at all the money it’s making.
I’d never even thought of this! How little is my mind?
I think Evan is right, in a way. But getting rid of NASCAR AND making some serious changes in the everyday, unnecessary use of gasoline on a day-to-day basis would make a huge difference.
Although, I don’t think it matters a bit if NASCAR makes a ton of money. In fact, that almost makes it worse. Who is making the money and where is it going?
Interesting thought. I’ll ponder it while I drive my Hummer 90 mph down the highway downtown, when I could have taken the train which is only 2 blocks from my house.
Kidding! Kidding! I don’t have a Hummer.
I’m going to take you totally seriously on this and not find the humor and sarcastic joking tone in it at all, and then completely disagree with you. So there!
Adam, didn’t know you had internet access on your senior trip. Shouldn’t you be sunbathing and lolly-gagging with your fellow school chums instead of being on here?
The fact that NASCAR has money means that it is almost entitled to its fuel–although if you want a real source of extravagance and severe pollution, look no farther than airplanes.
Three simple ways to reduce fuel consumption of the world.
1: Cut down air travel significantly.
2: Mandate that all supertankers and large-displacement seafaring ships are propelled by nuclear reactors, overseen by legitimate governments.
3: Include a small electric motor in all vehicles to shut off the engine while idling and accelerate them up to 10 miles an hour or so. A weak hybrid, one could say–but it’d save a lot of gas if everyone sitting in traffic behind an accident had one in their vehicle.
Too bad nobody’s making me President yet.
Don’t let ‘em get you down – it’s an intelligent questions, and I will link to your post when I write about gas prices.
While NASCAR is the most flamboyant user of gas, I don’t necessarily think it’s the highest – consider the way that football teams criss-cross the country in jets to play one another. I don’t have an analysis, but it would be interesting to figure out which sport is most petroleum intensive.
And retrogressionist conesrvation loons just make me tired. Let’s just go back to wearing clothes made out of deerskin which we have personally scraped and tanned after shooting it with out bow and arrow, too, Evan!
BTW – did you know the Senate opponent of the biggest wind farm planned in the Unite States, five years into the permitting process, is – Ted Kennedy? Because it will screw up his view of the ocean in Hyannisport!