Some say that electric cars will take over the roads soon. In a hypothetical situation where all road cars are now sold as full EVs (assuming that an overwhelming majority of consumers now adopted them), what will happen to the single most popular form of amateur motorsport - dirt track racing? In dirt track racing, all of the cars (from street stocks to modifieds) are built completely from parts produced by private reproduction companies. These cars still use carburetors despite modern cars all using direct injection. Not only, but almost all of the street stock classes still use reproductions of body panels of cars that were sold almost 40 years ago. So we know that these cars already use "classic" parts, so what would become of them if all cars on the roads made a full transition from gasoline to electric? In a sport where a screaming V8 engine is almost as important as the race track itself, what would become of dirt track racing if all new cars on the road were sold with electric drivetrains? As a guy raised around NASCAR and dirt track racing (no, I'm not a redneck), I'm curious. I'm fine with innovation (so long as the new change is legitimately a change for the better), but something like dirt track racing is a bit of an anomaly since the cars on the track don't seem to change much while the cars on the road are always changing.
They might as well cut up the gasoline models, and use the parts from those parts to make the electric cars and then buy the rest of he parts needed. The races would be more frieldly to sensitive ears but it would also remove a lot of the fun because you have come to the race to not only see the cars in person, but to hear them too. And an electric motor does not care for the This sounds like an efficient, money saving thing to do, since they are also helping the environment by using electric power and recycling the cars. The question is, would NASCAR cars be based off electric cars since the motors they are using are electric? There better be no Nissan Leaf in NASCAR.
@CarBro74 "The races would be more frieldly to sensitive ears..." That's why the tracks sell earplugs. And people with "sensitive ears" usually steer clear from tracks anyway. The only people who come to these events are race fans and race car drivers. Those kids/relatives that do come usually buy/bring earplugs. People actually COME to hear the cars. "This sounds like an efficient, money saving thing to do..." Many of the cars are already dirt cheap (the street stocks, that is - the modifieds get into some big numbers). And batteries cost plenty of money; much more than a standard gasoline powered drivetrain. Plus efficiency isn't a concern of race cars since they are simply designed to race, not be used as daily drivers. "...since they are also helping the environment by using electric power and recycling the cars." Well, they wouldn't exactly be doing much as race cars are an extreme minority. Even so, the electric cars are only as clean as the power you put in them - and this is without considering the environmental damage they cause just from being produced (batteries require lithium mining, and mining is highly damaging). I read a study that showed that one Tesla Model S creates more pollution than a standard SUV when factoring in the production (and assuming that the Tesla is powered off the grid). Plus, you can't just "recycle" a whole car. Especially one built around a gasoline-powered drivetrain. So in short, this isn't a concern either as race cars are an extremely small minority among all cars. "The question is, would NASCAR cars be based off electric cars since the motors they are using are electric?" This conversation about dirt track cars also applies to NASCAR. They already use dated tech in the first place - just like dirt track cars. Race cars are generally isolated from road cars since they are simply designed for the purpose of racing and not for efficiency, comfort, passing IIHS safety requirements, etc - they simply abide by a rulebook and go fast. And many times that rulebook requires them to use older forms of technology, such as dirt track cars being required to use carburetors when all modern cars use direct injection. Keep in mind that this whole conversation is based of a hypothetical situation - one that may not even become reality for all we know. "There better be no Nissan Leaf in NASCAR." I doubt it. That'd be the day that NASCAR dies.
By effiecient I do not mean pollution effiecient. I meant a pretty quick and easy to do and you wouldn't need to spend on body purposes. Yeah. I put that in too. Well they would obviously go electric someday considering fuel costs are slowly rising because we are running out of fossil fuels. Only it would take years for that to come a reality. But by then NASCAR might not even exist. Well duh. I meant recycle the body because engines usually are taken out for medal and engines just fall out of the car into the dirt and don't survive for very long. But they could just use the same body, but yeah they will need a new engine, new drivetrain, new axles, etc. but some basic parts of the car that are not mechanical like a steering wheel, or a wheel arch can be reused.
@CarBro74 "By effiecient I do not mean pollution effiecient. I meant a pretty quick and easy to do and you wouldn't need to spend on body purposes." While EVs require less maintenance, they also don't abide by rulebooks. Currently, rulebooks only allow for carbureted, naturally aspirated V8 engines. Sure, the rulebooks could change, but would they? Once again, race cars don't follow trends seen in road cars. Plus if it did, it'd be a completely different type of fanbase, drivers, and even sport. "Well they would obviously go electric someday considering fuel costs are slowly rising because we are running out of fossil fuels." Fuel prices fluctuate - and just because prices go up doesn't mean they "go up". What do I mean? I mean that inflation also affects oil prices. You compare the price of bread or price of oil back in 1960 to modern day and you'll see how much more expensive both of those things are today. But if you compare the average salary of people back then to the salary of people now you'll also see that people earn more now. So it's all relative. So in short, while oil will always become more/less expensive, it will almost always be affordable to most people since the industry relies on it. As for the lack of oil...there is none. We are always finding ways to locate/acquire more oil. We have more than enough to last us one or two centuries - and that's only based off of currently proven oil reserves (and we will almost certianly find more). "But by then NASCAR might not even exist." Maybe, maybe not. But look at how long it has existed. It has a die-hard almost cult following. If there's money in it, it'll exist. And there is still plenty of money in it. "Well duh. I meant recycle the body because engines usually are taken out for medal and engines just fall out of the car into the dirt and don't survive for very long. But they could just use the same body, but yeah they will need a new engine, new drivetrain, new axles, etc. but some basic parts of the car that are not mechanical like a steering wheel, or a wheel arch can be reused." But what you gotta understand is that these cars are designed AROUND a gasoline powerplant. Gasoline and electric powered systems are extremely different. If all dirt track cars went to electric systems, they'd be built completely different. So sure, you could still scrap steering wheels, seats, etc, but like 90% of the car would be incompatible. Regardless, I understand your point. But it's still pretty unimportant to the main topic of "assuming all road (production) cars go electric, would dirt track (or other purpose-built race cars for that matter) follow suit?".
I think every manufacture will quit if NASCAR's rule come back to old days. No manufacture will like to develop a completely new mid-size coupe to meet the requirement to race. Reason: 1. Develop fee; 2. People who wants to buy such cars never have enough money, people who can afford these cars never wants to buy it; The best thing only exists in NASCAR fans' minds, never will work in reality. And back to the topic, EVs probably have advantage on Short Dirt Track racing since their acceleration is pretty good
Honestly the price difference between an electric power plant and gasoline seems like it probably wouldn't be too big of a deal considering the cost of having a conventional engine installed seems like it would probably balance out the costs a bit, and the overall price of even the street stock cars are probably well into the hundreds of thousands regardless once all is said and done. Granted I'm no expert on things like that and dont even know much about the cars but from the video I saw of them the bodies seem to be all one solid piece so I assume they are also using spaceframes or something like most race cars use as well so that seems like it would play a big part in jumping up the price along with whatever kind of fancy suspension they use.
The street stock cars are nowhere near that price. People build competitive cars for $10,000 - $15,000. The big block modifieds MAY get to $100,000. But no dirt track car I know of is more than $200,000 - and that's usually only late models. The suspension is usually spec for most classes, fairly stock for the street stocks. And the bodies are just sheet metal. So that's not toooooo too expensive.
