-Rubber-NASCAR-Recycles\liberty tire nascar rcg.jpg)
Going green typically has a totally different meaning when mentioned in connection with NASCAR. However, for the NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, No. 50 MAKE Motorsports Chevy Silverado, going green means more than just green flag racing.
One of the team’s latest sponsors—Liberty Tire Recycling—is one of the country’s largest tire recycling services and NASCAR’s first sponsorship in the “green” category. Liberty repurposes 1.5 billion pounds of rubber annually, converting it into eco-friendly products like crumb rubber and industrial feedstock for molded products, rubberized asphalt, tire-derived fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants, rubber mulch for landscaping and playground safety surfaces.
Some may consider NASCAR the sport of excess, but the organization is making an effort to counter all the carbon emissions generated by three national touring series over a 36-plus-week schedule. NASCAR is planting trees, recycling trash generated at the racetracks and exploring alternative fuels.
As for Liberty, the sponsorship is a good way to reach new markets with their “message of sustainability and performance,” according to CEO Jeffrey Kendall. Team co-owner Tracy Lowe reinforced the concept of sustainability, adding: “I can’t wait to see what the true impact will be in the sport.”
All this brings up a good question: What happens to the skid flattened, splitter slashed, worn and burned out tires generated by the NASCAR series?
According to Liberty Tire Recycling spokesman, tire supplier Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company bears full responsibility for NASCAR tires. The company brings the tires to the races, mounts and dismounts them and takes all the tires used during the race back to their facility for testing. “Eventually, all of the tires are shipped to Liberty’s facility in Concord, North Carolina where they are transformed into TDF (tire derived fuel).”
For more information about Liberty Tire Recycling, visit www.libertytire.com.