How a multimillion-dollar device helps NASCAR teams master fuel mileage without gauges?

Saving fuel in NASCAR has become a hot topic in recent years. Drivers on more than one occasion have to rely on their fuel to run that extra lap under caution to take the Checkered Flag, while a few end up without fuel.

The drivers, however, do not calculate their own fuel mileage, as their teams use a multi-million-dollar device to obtain an accurate reading. The Dynamometer, in this case, is a device that allows the engineer to map out the near-perfect fuel consumption for a car.

It is a reverse-engineering exercise that locates the sweet spot between the base amount of fuel consumption needed for maximum power and keeps the engine at an optimum level, without damaging it. Through this, they are also able to mimic the cars running at 60 to 80 percent throttle at various load points.

As a result, the teams can pinpoint how much fuel a car can consume based on how much a driver uses the throttle. The teams generally have a chart or graphs that list the mileage and throttle usage.

Thanks to the advent of EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) and ECU (Electronic Control Unit), teams can record more than 60 settings at different RPMs. This, in turn, opened up a huge amount of data that NASCAR teams use to calculate fuel mileage during the race.

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NASCAR driver Austin Cindric shared his thoughts about fuel saving

Team Penske's NASCAR Cup Series driver, Austin Cindric, let his feelings known about fuel saving. Speaking to the media, the #2 driver, who made the 2024 playoffs on a fuel-mileage win at Illinois, said:

Austin Cindric (2) poses for a photo after winning the NASCAR: Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter at World Wide Technology Raceway - Source: Imagn

“There’s a lot more guessing that goes on in a fuel-save situation in the NASCAR Cup Series than really anything else I’ve ever driven, or been a part of. In any other series, I’d know what my fuel capacity is, and I’d have it on my dash. I’d know how much fuel I just used on the last lap, so I can make real-time adjustments without even getting feedback from my team."

“(In NASCAR), it is a lot of estimating based off of data. The guys that are tasked with that challenge on top of the pit box and back in the shop have a lot to overcome. When you hear guys just making it on fuel or running out at the line, it honestly is so impressive," Cindric further added.

In a nutshell, achieving perfect fuel mileage can make a driver's season, whereas a minor calculation error might end the driver's year, given that a driver has to do everything right to win the championship under the new playoffs system.