Fuel monopoly

[GRT62]

I copied this from the crate gossip section. Me personally I think this is a load of crap. Especially for the guys on e85 or real pump gas, e85 guys out 700-1000 for a new carb and the pump gas guys now having to pay an extra 1.50 a gallon for pump gas.SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL SERIES TO BEGIN ADDRESSING UNNECESSARY COSTS IN CRATE LATE MODEL RACING THROUGHOUT THE NORTHEAST; SUNOCO STANDARD 110 & SUNOCO “RUSH” PUMP GAS TO BE ONLY LEGAL FUELS FOR 2016By Mike LeoneDecember 3, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE(Pulaski, PA)...In an effort to begin to curb the rising costs in Crate Late Model racing, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series powered by Pace Performance has announced that only Sunoco Standard Race Fuel (110 octane) and Sunoco “RUSH” Pump Gas (91 octane) will be legal for RUSH-sanctioned competition in 2016. Fuel was one of the topics discussed at the promoters meeting held in September. Promoters in attendance, as well as those unable to attend that were personally contacted after the meeting, were unanimous in the mindset that the elimination of oxygenated fuels is in the best interest of the future of Crate Late Model racing throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The new rule will ban all oxygenated fuels as well as E85 from competition and require the well-known Sunoco Standard 110 Racing Fuel as the RUSH spec fuel along with Sunoco RUSH Pump Gas to accommodate competitors that prefer that option. Both will be readily available throughout the entire network of RUSH-sanctioned speedways and specified Sunoco Race Fuels dealers. Throughout the past several years, one of the most talked about downfalls of Crate Late Model racing has been the high cost of oxygenated fuels that had unfortunately crept into the system. This problem drew front and center this summer when some were being sold at the cost of $752-$800 per drum, or over $15 per gallon in many cases; a situation that in the end was the catalyst that prompted Series officials to immediately address the situation once and for all.“I believe we now have the best opportunity we have ever had in pulling back and correcting some of the serious cost issues that we are facing and will in the end determine the future of Crate Late Model racing throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic,” stated Series Director Vicki Emig. “Overall the majority of RUSH-sanctioned speedways are privately owned, these promoters all have a long-term vested interest in the health and well-being of this class, and the overall consensus was to immediately begin making steps to eliminate the oxygenated fuels. This decision alone will save our racers tens of thousands of dollars overall throughout our region in just one season. We can keep talking about it or we can fix it. I have the upmost confidence in Sunoco Race Fuels and the knowledge and assistance they will bring to the table in helping us and our sanctioned speedways properly tech and control this program.”Sunoco Standard is one of the most popular race fuels in the market. Because it is such a common fuel there will be no “gouging” or manipulating the price of the fuel to take advantage of the racers. It helps level the playing field because it’s a basic fuel sold at a reasonable price; the less well-funded teams can now afford to run a fuel that will compete with the entire field, and as with the Crate Racin USA RUSH spec tire, there will be no deals on the RUSH spec fuels. The average cost of $7.50-$8 per gallon is less than half the cost of some of the exotic fuels being used by some teams. There are no exotic components in the fuel, which make up many of the more costly “boutique” fuels. The RUSH pump gas, sold at $3.50 during 2016, is comparable to a 91 octane ethanol free fuel, but will be made specific for the ease of inspection by both RUSH and track officials, pricing will be set and reviewed on a specified date each year giving racers advance notice on pricing and determining their budget. The Sunoco “RUSH” Pump Gas will only be available for teams in 55-gallon drums, which is another step to maintain the integrity of the specified fuel process. Both fuels will be easily inspected and contain specific markers that cannot be duplicated which Sunoco can test for, however, blending of the fuels with each other or any other product will not be permitted, to maintain the integrity of the inspection process and determination of each fuel when inspected. Sunoco will provide field testing kits for RUSH and each of its sanctioned speedways. Both fuels are very simple and straight forward and are easily tuned to the engines. A two completed event burn-off period of other previously permitted fuels will be permitted at each weekly-sanctioned speedway. “We have worked very hard over the last several months to come up with a solution that is correct for the overall well-being of our Series, speedways and racers” continued Emig. “The elimination of the more popular, but drastically more expensive oxygenated fuels alone is a huge step in the right direction in controlling fuel cost for our racers. Although the RUSH pump gas option is a bit more expensive at approximately $3.50 for the smaller percentage of racers who still choose the pump gas option and purchase it at their local gas stations, this fuel also offer a very stable techable product to them. Overall I think we have come up with a great solution to one of the most problematic situations that Crate Late Model racing faces today.”The $3.50 per gallon RUSH Pump Gas will be the only permitted fuel in the Sweeney RUSH Sportsman Modified Series for 2016.Sunoco is not only the largest manufacturer of racing gasoline in the world but they are a fortune 500 company with over 6,000 convenient stores in the U.S. and they have grown by over 10% in the past year. They are recognized worldwide for their 50 plus years of supporting motorsports, particularly the top tier series of virtually every bracket of racing including NASCAR and The NHRA. Racers should contact the RUSH office with any questions they may have concerning the 2016 RUSH Dirt Late Model fuel rule. RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at info@rushracingseries.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300 and fax is 724-964-0604. The RUSH Racing Series website is www.rushracingseries.com. Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on Twitter @RUSHLM.

[collateralDamage]

the more rules there are, the more opportunity for an advantage.

sounds like sunoco is padding RUSH's pockets pretty good. kinda like Shannon RUSH is.

[GRT62]

So what about the Guys still buying pump gas. And why should you be forced to buy a specific brand of fuel. They already make you buy Hoosier tires only. What's next only winters rearend,only sweet rack and pinion, only fk rod ends. If they really wanted to save the racers money they should mandate 93 octane only and actually tech it. This has more to do Rush getting a huge check from Sunoco than it does with saving the racer money.

[Racer63]

The things you mention are generally one time purchases. Tires and fuel we buy or use every time we run. I would have a problem with mandated parts that you mention as well as a mandated specific shock!

I said my piece on FB but I'll say it again in a pretty much random way

A fuel rule is fine if it's teched properly by the tracks. But... that was half the problem in the first place. A lot of things illegal were being run from illegal additives to illegal E85 and so on.

I do think Mike and Vicky should have asked for more input from the drivers who actually pay to be members of there series but that's another argument.

There is nothing wrong with a series profiting from there endeavors so long as the drivers and tracks are also profiting in some way from the money being put up by in this case Sunoco.

I also think you will find that most of the complaining whether right or wrong is from people who stand to not be able to profit from there own fuel sales. You know I'm all about capitalism and all but racing has a real problem. It's that every Tom, (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word), and Harry have gotten into supplying this and that. In the end they profit or race cheaper off the backs of the guys at the bottom who have nothing. That and all the engineered parts that keep being created. Racing has always been about that but we may be at the tipping point where to many people make a living off racing and in the end there will be no one able to afford to race anymore. When we do get there what will all these people who live off racing do?

[GRT62]

We ran a 602 on 93 out of the pump and won some races with in a limited late model class which allows the 604 and built motors so it's not all junk. Me myself I run a 604 now on e85 straight out the drum and I think it would be safe to say over 75% of the top running crates are on e85. Seems like they have it out for the guys on e85. You can by a e85 tester for 20 bucks and takes less than 2 mins to check it. If the 91 is 3.50 a gallon this year it'll be 4.50 next year and their won't be anything anyone can do about it.

[GRT62]

My main point is people like myself that get a break on the fuel from local suppliers in exchange for some promotion. all and all I may have 100 bucks in a drum of e85,but they only sell renegade fuels so only one getting a break is RUSH and I would bet that check had a comma and 4 zeros before the decimal point.

[collateralDamage]

let's be honest, neither the rule nor anyone else's complaint about the rule has anything to do with the cost of the fuel. the cost gets the blame but that's not the real issue here. the only racers that i have ever heard complain about fuel is if they thought someone was running an illegal additive or an illegal fuel. period. if $40 per night is going to break you, i have bad news for you: you should probably find another hobby. i don't mean to sound smug but, REALLY? REALLY!?!? this fuel is going to cost more $40/night for simple INCONVENIENCE let alone any other implications..... like....

....how much fuel can i LEGALLY carry in my trailer with my race car if i am forced to pick the fuel up at my local track? - 55 gallon drums only as it says. how is this specially marked fuel going to be distributed? how far do i have to travel to get it? we need to be asking these questions instead of trying to prove what we already know.

9 times out of 10, the guy that beats you was just simply better than you and didn't have an unfair advantage. nobody wants to admit it, but that doesn't make it untrue. that's not saying he didn't spend more money to be better than you. money, fuel, shocks and time are all excuses we ALL use for why we suck a big one on any given night. but that brings me to my next point:

racing is expensive. get on with it or get over it. many times to be successful you must capitalize on other's weakness. sometimes that takes money, sometimes it doesn't. It absolutely takes time, effort and determination.

until i see $15 per gallon fuel dominating and you can't win without it i don't see where there is a problem that needs to be addressed. i can assure you that $3.00/gallon fuel can beat anything out there power-wise.

more rules invites more temptation to cheat. it encourages those who (may or may not?) have the knowledge to beat the system to have a market to sell their services at a premium. you can't police this even with all of the money sunoco is kicking back to RUSH on fuel sales.

the series has obviously drawn a line in the sand, a very bold line i might add. it's going to create division in the region and only a few will benefit from it. i feel like the series feels as though they really are doing us a favor by "saving us from ourselves". when mom told me to stay away from the cookie jar, if my hand wasn't in it when she wasn't looking, i was as close as i could get to it when she was rant over......

[profab00]

3.oo fuel makes the most power?! Now that's a funny one.

If money to series wasn't a key factor, we would all be running methanol. The reason it is illegal is no kickback from fuel companies like Sunoco.

[Racer63]

If money to series wasn't a key factor, we would all be running methanol. The reason it is illegal is no kickback from fuel companies like Sunoco.

Now that we can all agree on!

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I doubt that.. The massive fuel burn off would not make the small gain over the good race fuels available today worthwhile.

Massive fuel burn off from a Lil crate engine going 20 laps? Fuel burn off is overrated even in super LM at times.

[TALON75]

^^^ Agreed, I know most crate mods are on methanol, and no worries about burn off.

It is kinda crappy for them to tell you that there is only one type of fuel you can buy, but if it keeps $15 a gallon fuel out then it is a good thing. I would have a hard time paying that much for fuel in an aluminum open motor.

[toyracer]

I guess the real question who is benefitting the most from rule like this? The series with the fuel deal or the racer with the fuel rule!!!!

I'm all for cost cutting money saving measures because I worry about the future of racing with the sky rocketing cost of the sport.

Initial premise of crate late model was cost effective way to go late model racing for those who couldn't afford to super race & all the cost that comes with it. That is no longer the case.

Not going into all the issues & ideas that is a whole other thread. Would like to think the fuel rule is for the racer & not the promotors.

[profab00]

I too would like to think the fuel rule is to save us racers from ourselves and I am not opposed to a series making dollars off of a fuel company but the fact still remains if the intent is to lessen the fuel costs, allow methanol (3.50 a gal) . Cheaper, makes more power, a no brainer. I believe when a spec fuel is mandated it is more about who the check was written to. The group missing from the decision making process is the racers themselves and I feel for racing to survive, we have to have a seat at the table.

[25drtrkr]

So you have ran Alky?

I ran alky for over a year, I know the facts.

14-16 gallons for 20 laps. 20-22 gallons a night on average for heat feature.

Gas 2-4 gallons. 5-6 in the whole evening. (oxy fuel)

2 questions, SCD.

Did the alky make more power than your brand of race gas?
How much if any, did you save weekly, running race gas?

[profab00]

SCD, I have not specifically tried methanol on the dyno, but have several other types of fuel. The 8.50 a gallon oxygenated fuel I had on the dyno wasn't as good as e-85. Now, CHP+ at 12 dollars per gallon was way better than the rest. All I tested was VP cept the e-85, SCD, is the fuel you are talking bout Renegade or Sunoco?

[collateralDamage]

SCD i definitely appreciate the input and honesty, interesting information. to clarify, when i said "$3.00 fuel...power-wise" yes i was referring to methanol, and it can be a significant advantage, regardless of burnoff, in the right circumstances when methanol is NOT legal (per RUSH rules). I would consider that to be FACT. if you are making gas work when everyone else is on alcohol, my hat is off to you.

$15 per gallon fuel is NOT dominating crate racing. the same way $8k (or whatever the number being thrown around is) shocks are NOT dominating crate racing - guys are winning on bilstein shocks AND bilstein shocks are NOT dominating which that in itself disproves the series' sales pitch. $10k "blueprinted" engines are NOT dominating crate racing.

the series wishes that every tom, sam and harry would buy a dirt late model roller, throw a crate motor in it and go racing. their rule making tendancies suggests that they can be competitive by doing simply that - buying the stuff and go win races....

i like to think that we ALL know better than that. sure, anyone can buy the equipment but it takes a lot of time, hard work, dedication and love for the sport to be successful in it. does there need to be a fuel rule?....perhaps? does there need to be a shock rule?.....perhaps? The immediate concern is that these potential issues are NOT being addressed properly and THAT needs to be heard loud and clear.

[billetbirdcage]

I'm gonna shoot from the hip here and posting this without spending to much pre-thought into this so there will be some issues but:

If your going to make a spec item, then something along the following needs to happen

1. It needs to be voted on somehow. Maybe something like each person that ran that series gets a vote for every race they attended last year.
2. Several manufacturers need to submit their product for the item in question with Cost of the part for the entire duration of the contract for the spec item. They can offer cash money to the series that doesn't have to be declared but could do so if they wished but I doubt the series will want that know.
3. Every year or 2 years, the spec item comes back up for bids. This competition will keep the price down to a reasonable level as a manufacturer doesn't get locked into a long term deal and continually raise prices.
4. Probably best to make it NO Deals given on the product, all are sold at retail/price quoted. This will stop guys from voting for products they get deals on, but will always cause an issue with a person that races that is a dealer for them. So may need some ideas on this to work that part out better.
5. Remember guys, to be heard you have to be ready to voice your opinion and actually do something about it, like NOT GOING TO THAT SERIES RACES as a protest. If enough of you guys will do that, you can get stuff changed but hard to get enough guys to do it.

I always said this should be done with spec tires but it never happens. Maybe it could never work like this but having bids done for the spec items and voted on by the racers that actually run the series would be ideal to keep cost in check to some degree on the spec item. Now granted this only works for consumable spec items like Fuel, tires and what not.

It might go like this at the vote for fuels

VP = XXX fuel at 4.25 a gal in barrels
Sunoco = XXX fuel at 4.00 a gal in barrels
BOBS Fuel = XXX fuel at 4.55 a gal in barrels
Johns Fuel XXX fuel at 3.25 a gal in barrels

Each may have a set amount they offer the series for cash money, but this really won't have an influence on the racers choice because you don't know what the series is keeping and how much they adding to the point fund. I guess if the series wanted to they could add what or how much of what they are getting to be added to the point fund, but this leaves room for lies or things that don't happen or to influence racers to vote for one vs the other. IMO it'd be best to leave this part out unless someone can think of a reason otherwise.

I'm sure if I though about my above post I could probably pick holes in parts of it, but again I just shot from the hip on this one quickly but gets the basic idea across

[profab00]

I stand by my earlier comment, drivers need representation at the decision making table along with promotors and series officials. Doesn't mean all drivers but an elected driver or drivers, we need a voice. It is our money being mandated where we are to spend it. I am not against any racing gas company's products, however, it's my money. That said, I guess we all could race UMP where as long as your blower doesn't stick outta the hood of your crate car you're legal

[W2Racing09]

Haha. If u run a series or sanction u make rules. I've raced where drivers got to vote. That's stupid and does not work racers will vote themselves out of being able to afford every class. We always want the latest greatest.

Where I used to run pavement and we voted. Street stock became sportsman. Sportsman became limited late model and 10 years later they started over those classes are gone and they have hobby stock and late mode only.

This post is on point, drivers don't realize what they do to themselves. Drivers can't have representation because they always want to push the limits. Very few people on here have ever agreed that costs need to be cut on anything, but get on here and talk about putting a rule in place to stop engineered suspension from making its way into dirt racing and everyone says it will kill the sport. What really kills the sport is when a new roller doubles in price over ten years. All because racers want to push the limits. As you said I've seen more "stock car" type classes killed by racers saying "We should allow X because it is safer, or it will save money" then that item became what you needed to compete and all of the big budget people went on to campaigning for the next new thing to add to the rules until the cars go from $2-$3k up to $6-$7k.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[Mike Croley]

There are some very good points expressed in this thread. Fuel costs are always a concern for the racer, but there are race fuel costs, and then there are crazy race fuel costs. The oxygenated fuels are expensive, and maybe should be controlled or eliminated entirely. But some brands of oxy fuels are far less expensive and deliver the same or better power than the $15 per gallon fuel.
And there are some very good unleaded/ethanol free race fuels that are inexpensive but make good power.