Why NASCAR’s Fuel-Saving Problem Won’t Go Away at Talladega
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. says the Next Gen car’s single lug nut is keeping superspeedway strategy stuck.
Why NASCAR Fuel-Saving Won’t Go Away at Talladega Susan Wade Ricky Stenhouse Jr. , who’s known for his superspeedway racing prowess, says the fuel-saving strategy implemented at Talladega and Daytona won’t change until the NASCAR Cup cars return to a wheel that needs five lug nuts instead of the single one now used. The wheel used on the current Cup car is much wider and lower than the one used in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and attaches with a single, center-locking lug nut system.
It’s 18 inches in diameter, 12 inches wide, and made of forged aluminum. The O’Reilly Series wheel, which is identical to the one previously used in the Cup Series, is 15 inches in diameter. 9.
5 inches wide and made of steel, thus allowing five lug nuts to be used. NASCAR has said a five-lug system wouldn’t be safe for use on the alloyed aluminum wheel. The single, center-locking lug nut system has enabled four-tire fuel stops to be made in 10 seconds or less.
It now takes longer to fuel the car than it does to change tires. “If you don’t have to pit in a Stage, I’ll still save fuel because when you do come down pit road, you’re still gonna want the least amount of fuel as possible,” said Stenhouse, whose four NASCAR Cup victories have all been at Talladega or Daytona. “That’s still our limiting factor.