A.J. Allmendinger has found himself again in the victory lane, after 7 years since his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in 2014 at the Watkins Glen International. In the recent inaugural Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Allmendinger inherited the lead position after a breakthrough performance. There are also several other big winners throughout the field, particularly pertaining to this year’s playoffs.

The Race and Allmendinger’s Victory

Following an overtime restart, Allmendinger finally bagged the title, after rookie Chase Briscoe spun out Denny Hamlin from the leading position, during the penultimate lap. Even though he gave the lead back to Hamlin, Briscoe had been penalized for short-cutting the track in turns 1 and 2. But, unaware of being given a penalty, Briscoe thought he was racing for the win. This debacle paved the winning way for Allmendinger. Ultimately, Hamlin and Briscoe finished in 23rd and 26th place respectively.

Other Wins and the Playoffs Equation

A total of 13 different drivers won at least one of the season’s first 23 races entering the inaugural race. This left the entry opportunity open for 16 different winners in the remaining three regular-season races. As the regular-season champion, Hamlin potentially had guaranteed himself a playoff berth, even without a win. His position had created a critical situation, in which only 16 playoff spots would be offered to the 17 eligible drivers. As a result, the winner with the lowest point standings wouldn’t be given entry into the playoffs.

Change in Scenario

After the inaugural races, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, are officially locked into the playoffs, being the two drivers with the lowest point standings. After trailing by triple digits earlier in the year, Larson is now leading Hamlin by 22 points. Here the extra 5 playoff points gained by the regular-season champion, could prove crucial for both drivers. But for now, Hamlin is still a big winner despite his disastrous finish in the last race.

Many organizations question if electric vehicles are really “greener” than their fossil fuel counterparts. Their fear is that electric cars actually increase the levels of carbon emission. This myth, however, is incorrect and truly damaging as it misleads people.

New and extensive research by the universities of Cambridge, Exeter, and Nijmegen – in The Netherlands, shows that in 95% of the world, driving an electric vehicle is better for the environment and climate.

Significant Drop in Lifetime Emissions

The conducting experiments prove that average “lifetime” carbon emission levels from electrical cars are up to 70% lower than petrol vehicles in countries such as France and Sweden where most of the electricity is generated through nuclear and renewable sources.

The studies project that by 2050 every second car in the world would be electric. This will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.5 gigatonnes per year. This is equivalent to the number of carbon emissions generated currently by Russia alone!

Electric Cars Won’t Solve the Carbon Emission Problem

Replacing every second fossil-fuel vehicle with an electrical car won’t solve all transportation-related environmental problems.

To attain the desired objective, society and automative manufacturers must overcome several hurdles, such as:

• Shifting the global car fleet to electric by 2050.
• Finding ways that won’t put a huge strain on facilities used for the generation and supply of clean energy.
• Reducing pollution caused by the tire abrasion while braking.

Researchers believe that a major social change would be necessary to effectively impact the current levels of carbon emission.

While electrification is necessary, it won’t be enough. To meet the set climate goals, travel demand reductions of at least 20% are required. Also, people must shift away from the car and use other means of transportation when possible.

Reducing CO2 emissions isn’t a climate inconvenience but an emergency that must be taken seriously and dealt with immediately.