As the automotive world transitions toward electric vehicles over the beloved combustion engines, NASCAR has been facing a major dilemma. With the ‘what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday’ failing to resonate with the present passenger vehicle market, the sport has been trying its best to look for alternatives to the gas-guzzling V8s.

Whilst some interest had been generated in the off-season about NASCAR introducing an electric-power train, the community just can’t get their minds off of combustion. So despite the sport’s best efforts, not much has come to fruition in terms of an alternative. That being said, a recent revelation from the man who built the UFC into a multi-million dollar empire, Dana White, threw the community into a spin once again.

Dana White drops a bombshell about NASCAR’s electric future

For every die-hard motorsport fan, the suggestion of an electric series holds little value. While it’s true that the consumer market is shifting toward EVs over environmental concerns, a small portion of that market remains loyal to the combustion engine.

Be it the thunderous sound of a V8 engine gunning down the oval or a V10 F1 behemoth lighting up the apex, the sound and presence that a combustion engine creates is something unbeatable in the eyes of many fans. Still, as emissions and pollution continue to rise all over, NASCAR as a responsible business entity needs to find a solution to the growing threat to gasoline-powered engines.

Whilst not much development has been made on the alternative fuel front, NASCAR’s EV project certainly held promise for many. Although it was believed to be sidelined after the 2024 Busch Light Clash, Dana White’s statement on the Flagrant podcast says otherwise. According to Dana White, X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Cross electric series will play a major role in helping NASCAR with its electric dilemma.

The 54-year-old shared, “We own Nitro Circus, and we own Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Cross, which is electric car racing. After I do Fourth of July at my house in Maine, I’m flying to NASCAR and we’re doing a deal with NASCAR. We’re going to be the electric series for NASCAR. We’re working on that deal right now.” 

Despite no confirmation from NASCAR’s side, Dana White’s open statement certainly has some weight to it. With NASCAR and the UFC’s connections to Barstool, such a deal could be in the works. With such a major entity sharing its interest in the world of NASCAR, some prominent stakeholders also thought expansively forward. Without saying much, Dale Earnhardt Jr simply retweeted the clip on X.

However, whilst Junior and Dana White may have a lot of optimism for this plan, motorsport fans weren’t too receptive to an electric series.

The NASCAR community is left in splits after Dana White’s announcement

After Dale Earnhardt Jr brought Dana White’s comments to the attention of NASCAR fans with his retweet, users immediately began to highlight their biggest grievance. Whilst Dana White was one of the most established executives in sports entertainment, the daunting task of making an electric series worthwhile raised doubts for many.

Looking for further confirmation from insiders, one user stated, “@bobpockrass Do you know if Dana White’s comment about meeting with NASCAR is true?” whilst another added, “@EricEstepp17 Dana White put the Drop out for an Electric NASCAR series??” For many fans, the thought of an electric series just didn’t sit well, with many openly rejecting the idea from the get-go; “electric NASCAR will never work. Every real fan will boycott.” 

However, some felt that Dana White’s involvement could help give NASCAR a better shot at making it work. One fan looked to the bright side, ‘Yikes, but hey if there’s anyone that could bring it success, it’s Dana White, especially after he hears all the NASCAR fans say “Electric NASCAR’s will never be entertaining #nascar #ufc”

On the other hand, those more familiar with the motorsport realm felt Dana White wasn’t an enticing entity to introduce a different powertrain series. A skeptic shared, “The crossover between people who want to watch a Dana White production and people interested in giving EV NASCAR a try has to be fairly small”. And they weren’t the only ones. Another NASCAR fan added, Would be rad to keep Dana White away from NASCAR.”

Still, it wouldn’t be fair to say Dana White didn’t ruffle some feathers with his statement. With the entire fandom now anticipating an update from officials regarding the deal, fans brought the ordeal to the attention of other veterans.

When veteran spotter Brett Griffin asked fans for some ‘content for this flight to Sonoma’ users immediately chimed in with, “Content you need is to look up is Dana White going to NASCAR after 4th of July to sign a deal for NASCAR electric series… announcement was made on the Flagrant podcast.”

At the end of the day, only time will tell if Dana White’s comment bears any fruit for an electric series.