As the automotive world transitions from the prevalent internal combustion engine to electric vehicles, NASCAR faces a big dilemma.
The motto “What you win on Sunday, you sell on Monday” doesn’t resonate well in the current passenger vehicle market, so the sport has been trying its best to find alternatives to the gas-guzzling V8 engines.
While there has been some interest in introducing electric powertrains to NASCAR during the offseason, the community just can’t take its eyes off the internal combustion engine. So, despite the sport’s best efforts, not much has emerged in terms of alternatives. But a recent revelation from Dana White, the man who built UFC into a multi-million dollar empire, has the community in a frenzy again.
Dana White drops a bombshell about NASCAR’s electric future
For avid motorsport fans, the idea of an electric series is not very promising. While the consumer market is increasingly switching to electric vehicles for environmental reasons, a small portion of this market is still loyal to the internal combustion engine. Whether it’s the roar of a V8 engine hurtling around an oval track or a V10 F1 behemoth lighting up the apex, the sound and presence of the internal combustion engine is unmatched in the eyes of many fans. But as emissions and pollution continue to rise everywhere, NASCAR, as a responsible company, must find a solution to the growing threat to the gasoline engine. While there has been no great progress in the alternative fuel field, NASCAR’s electric car project is certainly promising for many. The series was thought to have been put on hold after the 2024 Busch Light crash, but Dana White’s statement on the podcast Flagrant says otherwise. According to Dana White, X-Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana’s NitroCross electric series will play a key role in solving NASCAR’s electric dilemma. The 54-year-old said, “We own Nitro Circus, and we also own Travis Pastrana’s NitroCross, which is an electric car race. I’m going to spend the Fourth of July at home in Maine, then I’m going to fly over to NASCAR and make a deal with NASCAR. We’re going to be NASCAR’s electric series.” We are working on this deal right now.”
While there has been no confirmation from NASCAR, Dana White’s candid statement carries some weight. Given NASCAR’s ties with UFC and Barstool, such a deal could be in the works. With such large companies sharing an interest in the NASCAR world, some prominent insiders have also been thinking very far ahead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t say much and simply retweeted the clip.
The NASCAR community is left in splits after Dana White’s announcement
After Dale Earnhardt Jr brought Dana White’s comments to the attention of NASCAR fans with his retweet, users immediately began to highlight their biggest grievance.
Whilst Dana White was one of the most established executives in sports entertainment, the daunting task of making an electric series worthwhile raised doubts for many.
Looking for further confirmation from insiders, one user stated, “@bobpockrass Do you know if Dana White’s comment about meeting with NASCAR is true?” whilst another added, “@EricEstepp17 Dana White put the Drop out for an Electric NASCAR series??” For many fans, the thought of an electric series just didn’t sit well, with many openly rejecting the idea from the get-go; “electric NASCAR will never work. Every real fan will boycott.”
However, some felt that Dana White’s involvement could help give NASCAR a better shot at making it work. One fan looked to the bright side, ‘Yikes, but hey if there’s anyone that could bring it success, it’s Dana White, especially after he hears all the NASCAR fans say “Electric NASCAR’s will never be entertaining #nascar #ufc”
On the other hand, those more familiar with the motorsport realm felt Dana White wasn’t an enticing entity to introduce a different powertrain series. One skeptic said, “The overlap between people who want to see Dana White’s work and people who want to try EV NASCAR should be pretty small, and they weren’t the only ones.” Another NASCAR fan added, “It would be cool to keep Dana White out of NASCAR.”
Still, it would be unfair to say that Dana White’s remarks didn’t cause a stir.
With the entire fanbase now waiting for an update from the parties involved on the deal, fans are also letting other veterans know about the matter.
When veteran spotter Brett Griffin asked fans for “content for the flight to Sonoma,” users were quick to tune in. “We’ll have to wait to see if Dana White heads to NASCAR after the 4th of July to sign the NASCAR Electric Series contract…the announcement has been made,” he said on the Flagrant podcast.
In the end, only time will tell if Dana White’s commentary on the Electric Series will come to fruition.
