LINCOLN, Ala. -- Fuel saving is the hot topic that surfaces every time NASCAR Cup Series teams take on a drafting track. The expectation is that this will only continue deep into future seasons.
NASCAR could alter the stage lengths so that drivers can complete an entire run without a pit stop, but the drivers say that this would not lead to any meaningful changes.
"The only thing that matters is how much fuel you have in your car," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. "So I guess, no matter what, if you shorten the stages and you can make it all the way on fuel, you are still trying to save so that your stop between the stages is shorter.
"Because you can put four tires on it faster than you can fill it full of fuel. So, no matter what, people are still going to save fuel and try and make it through your pit stops as fast as possible."
Said Michael McDowell, "I think that the fuel mileage is here to stay. I mean, it is. There's just no way around it.
"You can look at it a lot of different ways. But the fact of the matter is that if you can shorten up your pit stop, it's going to gain you track position later."
On TV, the fuel-saving makes the race look very compelling. The cars run two- and three-wide mere inches from each other, and they pile up dozens of green flag passes.
In reality, the drivers are racing between 50-70% throttle while trying to save as much fuel as possible. It's only at the end of the stages when they hammer down and race for position.
This isn't a situation that the drivers particularly embrace, even though they understand the need to save fuel.
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"Listen, I used to love superspeedway racing," Denny Hamlin said. "But it's just... I have my shoelaces tied together right now. I can't run.
"You can't go all out like you want to. You can't use skill sets that you grew up watching and learning. So it's just a product of what we've got."
This conversation about fuel saving is nothing new in NASCAR. It's been a hot topic for essentially the entire Gen 7 era, and it will continue to be on Sunday if there are long green flag runs during the Jack Link's 500 (3 p.m. ET on Fox).
Will anything change in the future? It's unlikely, at least, according to the drivers. The fuel saving keeps the field close together and prevents drivers from simply using one lane. It also provides statistics that highlight the number of passes and lead changes.
"I don't see a way that you can drastically change it to not ride around and save fuel," Stenhouse added. "I haven't really thought about it either, I just play the game that we have."