How Much Oil Does NASCAR Use Annually?

The amount of oil NASCAR uses annually is a calculation based on three pieces of information: 1) the amount of oil one NASCAR stock car uses in one race, 2) the number of cars in each NASCAR race and 3) the number of NASCAR races in each year.

  1. Amount of Oil Per Car

    • NASCAR stock cars use engines with a 16 quart oil capacity. Before each race, stock cars are warmed up thoroughly, then refilled with fresh oil for the actual race. After every race, stock car engines are stripped down, rebuilt and filled with fresh oil for the next warm up. This means that each stock car uses about 32 quarts, or 8 gallons, of oil for each race.

    Cars Per Race

    • Over the years, the number of cars in each NASCAR race has varied greatly, depending on the popularity of the sport and the logistics of the race tracks. As of 1997, NASCAR has settled on a standard 43-car field, meaning that 43 cars run in each race.

    Races Per Year

    • When the Cup Series began in 1949, NASCAR sanctioned 4 to 6 races per year. Since then, NASCAR has grown considerably and hosts 36 races per year.

    NASCAR Oil Usage

    • NASCAR runs 36 races each year with 43 cars in each race, and each car uses 32 quarts of oil per race. Therefore NASCAR uses about 49,536 quarts, or 12,384 gallons of oil per year. This is equal to 295 barrels of oil annually.