Auto racing is likely a top contender for the least eco-friendly sport on Earth. Still, the York-area team behind one NASCAR driver is lowering its impact on the environment.
Driver Todd Peck, whose team is based near the Maryland state line, races a specially designed truck in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series. He also owns a farm and cares about the planet. Of his sport, he says, “I'm sure the carbon footprint at one of those races would be terrifying.”
NASCAR rules restrict allowed changes to his racing vehicle. But Peck and his team, Peck Motorsports, have plenty of latitude with modifying their support vehicles and the Pennsylvania facility they call home. So they consulted with Harrisburg-area biodiesel maker Keystone BioFuels and Renewable Engineered Systems, a Virginia alternative energy company, about changes the team could make.
As a result the team modified its hauler – the 18-wheeler that carries Peck's racing vehicle and equipment – to run on a blend of diesel with 5 percent biofuel. It also has LED lighting. The hauler, which serves as the teams' headquarters at a race, is now powered by generators that can run on solar energy or 100 percent biodiesel. The team will show off its hauler on Saturday (Feb. 11) at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg. Fans will have a chance to meet Peck.
Peck Motorsports spokeswoman Amy Chirieleison says LED lights were recently installed at the team's Pennsylvania home and solar panels are forthcoming.
Sources: Todd Peck and Amy Chirieleison, Peck Motorsports
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen