By Associated Press and Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:40 EDT, 27 May 2022 | Updated: 16:02 EDT, 27 May 2022

Ahead of Sunday's Indianapolis 500, the IndyCar series has announced it will become the first North American racing circuit to use 100 percent renewable fuel in its cars.

Shell, which recently signed a five-year extension to be the fuel sponsor for the open-wheel series, announced plans Friday to switch to a low-carbon fuel in 2023.

The new fuel will be a blend of second-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuel, and it will create a fuel that is 100 percent comprised of feedstocks categorized as renewable under the applicable regulatory frameworks, according to Shell executives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent compared to fossil-based gasoline, according to the company.

Marco Andretti stops for fuel and tires on a pit stop during the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020

Shell, which recently signed a five-year extension to be the fuel sponsor for the open-wheel series, announced plans Friday to switch to a low-carbon fuel in 2023. The new fuel will be a blend of second-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane waste (pictured) and other biofuel, and it will create a fuel that is 100 percent comprised of feedstocks categorized as renewable under the applicable regulatory frameworks, according to Shell executives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent compared to fossil-based gasoline, according to the company

Shell has set a goal of having a net zero carbon footprint within IndyCar by 2050.

'This race fuel development for IndyCar is a great example of how fuels technology is pivotal in helping decarbonize the sport,' Dr. Selda Gunsel, President of Shell Global Solutions, said in a statement.

Similar developments are happening across racing. 

A year ago, Roush Fenway Racing became NASCAR's first carbon-neutral team, although driver Ryan Newman's vehicle remains gas powered.

Roush Fenway now has its PAS 2060 standard certification - a set of specific guidelines on demonstrating carbon neutrality - which has been verified by independent third party ERM CVS. Roush reached the status throughout its entire organization, including operations and its two race teams, for 2020.  

Here are just a few of the steps that Roush Fenway Racing says it took to become carbon neutral:  

Roush Fenway previously made carbon neutrality a goal, even as it raced a pair of gas-guzzling cars at events all across the country.

The initiative started with small environmentally conscious measures that eventually grew into a company-wide initiative. With support from partner Castrol, RFR became the first carbon neutral team in NASCAR.

'We've spent months tracking, quantifying, measuring our existing carbon footprint and ways to reduce our carbon footprint,' RFR President Steve Newmark said. 'There's no doubt that we have unavoidable carbon emissions in how we operate our business. When you race cars and travel around the country to do so, that will inevitably be part of our operations.

'We're trying to show that even companies in an industry like ours can take steps to reduce overall emissions, and, our hope is that it will set an example for other teams and the racing industry.'

To become carbon neutral, RFR set a goal to recycle 90 percent of every race car, including oil, rubber, aluminum and carbon fiber. The organization has reduced its overall waste produced to more than 100 tons over the last decade, switched to LED lighting throughout its campus, reduced energy consumption costs through computer-controlled HVAC systems and installed reflective roofing membranes to reduce solar heat gain.

Rainwater runoff at its North Carolina facility is captured and contained for landscape irrigation, and idling has been prohibited on campus to reduce emissions and air pollutants. The fleet of Roush company cars is being converted to Ford electric and hybrid vehicles.

Newman already has the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, the first Ford production developed from ground-up to produce a zero-emission vehicle.

'We as a society have to take notice to make an impact,' Newman said. 'I've never been one to pride myself in driving around an electric vehicle but the reality is that makes a big impact. I'm a V8 (engine) guy with the rumble and a hot rod sounds good, looks good, and take the kids for ice cream in it - that's me, right?

'The reality is that comes with a cost to our environment and I'm aware of that more so than ever. There are things that we can all be doing better.'

A year ago, Roush Fenway Racing became NASCAR's first carbon-neutral team, although driver Ryan Newman's vehicle remains gas powered 

Formula E isn't just trying to be carbon neutral, but rather actually races electric cars 

Cars are powered by generators using glycerin, a virtually emission-free fuel obtained from animal fats and oils that is so clean, humans can actually drink it

While Newman's car will remain gas powered, there is increasing interest in electric vehicle racing such as Formula E, an open-wheel circuit positioned as a greener alternative to Formula 1. 

Remarkably, Formula E cars can travel at 174 mph, going from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds. That's not quite on par with Formula 1, where cars can easily exceed 200 mph, but it is twice as fast as first-generation Formula E cars a half decade earlier.   

The circuit was launched in 2011 after a dinner between International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt, Italian politician Antonio Tajani and Alejandro Agag, a Spanish businessman and former politician who still serves as the motorsport's CEO.

Given the reduced speed and volume of Formula E, the circuit can take place on smaller street tracks around the world in the kind of intimate, urban settings that cannot accommodate F1. Race sites include cities like Rome, Paris, Marrakesh and Zurich, where Formula E held Switzerland's first grand prix in over 60 years on June 9, 2021. 

Cars are powered by generators using glycerin, a virtually emission-free fuel obtained from animal fats and oils that is so clean, humans can actually drink it.  

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