Full Throttle

Back in the day NASCAR’s Nationwide Series mandated the use of a 275CID 90 degree odd fire V6 engine. If Roger Penske’s thoughts prove prescient NASCAR powerplants may see a similar power/size reduction.

The occasion was Penske’s appearance on Bloomberg Radio Monday.

Roger Penske said the use of smaller race engines might not be just for the IndyCar Series, which expects to announce its plans for a four-cylinder turbocharged configuration later this month.

“I think you’ll see that migrate even into NASCAR because that’s where we are today,” Penske said in a Bloomberg radio interview from the North America International Auto Show.

Both racing divisions currently use eight-cylinder engines, but economic and environmental concerns are at the root of possible changes, particularly in the passenger car industry.

NASCAR is considering the IRL’s lead in the use of alternative fuel, but chief executive officer Brian France recently said no major engine changes are planned.

My two sheckles: I fail to see under any conditions NASCAR going the 4-cylinder route, although I can easily envision both Sprint Cup and NNS moving to some form of fuel-injected engine of much smaller displacement, be it a downsized V8 or an updated version of the previously mandated V6.

The use of a fuel-injected V6 would accomplish two things. First it brings the sport more closely aligned with what John and Jane Q. Public drive off a new car dealers lot.

Secondly a smaller displacement fuel-injected (or turbo-charged) V6 is inherently more fuel efficient with lower emissions than the dinosaur-like Holly 4-barrel V8 now in use. Fuel management becomes a function of electronics not throttle plates and jets and thus, easier to mange and in the long run cheaper.

A side benefit is the potential use of a “push-button rev-limiter,” that electronically would limit pit-road speeds and virtually eliminate all pit road speeding penalties. That can only be a good thing, speeding while pitting is a major concern and should be monitored/mandated, but the penalties handed out now for speeding too often effect the flow/competitiveness of a race.

Formula One has used a similar rev-limit system for pit road and has had damn few problems, the simple solution is get rid of the current penalties via a rev-limiter and put the outcome of a race into the hands of a driver on track not within the grasp of NASCAR’s Speed Patrol.

And did I mention a reduction of HP, no matter the means to do it, would result in the possible dumping of the damnable restrictor plate at Talladega and Daytona. That an only be a good thing.

At this point I’ve failed to mention the Camping World Truck Series, lets do so briefly.

Whatever engine configuration NCWTS ends up with whether it be fuel-injected, turbo-charged or V6/V8 it should be powered with some type of Bio-fuel.

Be it a Ethanol/gasoline mix or a version of Bio-diesel the truck series then becomes a “showplace” for the manufacturers efforts and exactly where they are going with their small/mid-size truck lines.

And note, by Ethanol I mean that which is produced from something other than corn or other products that would inevitably compete with the human food chain.

Yeah, I’m looking at you Senators John Thune, Evan Bayh and Tom Harkin who have all written Brian France pimping corn based Ethanol for their corn producing constituents. Sorry Senators, even the IRL has seen the fallacy behind E85 and switched to a Brazilian source of sugar-cane based Ethanol.

A couple notes on the NASCAR V6 pictured above: GM (Buick engines actually) and Ford both competed in the then Busch Series with a 275 CID V6 that produced 450 + horsepower until outlawed for the 1995 season.

Working with Mark Martin and Bill Davis (and Jeff Burton) many races were won including the first Ford V6 Busch Grand National win in history with Martin driving the Carolina Ford dealers Thunderbird, owned by Davis. (Pictured here)

Subsequently, Mark Martin got a Winston Cup ride in the Folgers car. That opened the door for then young newcomer Jeff Gordon who got in the seat after racing quarter midgets and began running a full season in the Carolina Ford Dealers car. That rest as they say, is history.

The question now is, considering Penske’s remarks, will NASCAR revisit its historical base and utilize a V6 once again? It’s a lead-pipe cinch it won’t be in the next couple years. But a reduction in HP and use of some type of alternative fuels has to happen at some point.