Gas prices to threaten auto racing?

Gentlemen, don’t start your engines!!!

If you’re an auto racing fan of any kind, be it NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, or a Sunday night regular at the little dirt track down the road – in our case here, that would be Utica-Rome Speedway -- those aren’t the words you want to hear.

With gas prices still on the rise, however, and a gas crisis a scary but real possibility, the future of auto racing could be in jeopardy.

Race tracks around the country are reporting smaller crowds, presumably because of the rising gas prices. Could it be only a matter of time before somebody with plenty of political pull starts calling for a crackdown on the use of fuel for racing purposes altogether?