Chevy Fast and Fuel Efficient: Speed Fuels Fun and Giving

November 9, 2011 5:47 pm CT

As a Texas driver, there are two things you have to be—smart and fast.  And those two things are part of what Chevrolet in Texas is all about. With that in mind, we paired three auto bloggers and three drivers into teams to compete at Chevy Fast & Fuel Efficient, an event exploring the fuel efficiency of the Chevrolet Volt with the excitement of speed. Teams completed challenges and tried to use the least energy in their Volt, then they hit the tracks at On Track Xperience in Kyle, Texas, for an adventure in speed. The team of driver and blogger who were the most fuel efficient on their journey and had the best race time would win a weeklong Chevrolet car loan of either a Camaro or Corvette and four tickets to the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Image courtesy of Russ Ham.

It’s easy to stay fuel efficient with the Volt, but to maximize its energy, you’ve got to be smart. The event had two components: using the electric power of the Volt to stay as fuel efficient as possible and racing at high speeds in Naskarts to see just how fast the teams could go. The teams met at Chuck Nash Chevrolet in San Marcos to receive the Volts and assignments. Participants had to visit Dick’s Classic Garage, complete two challenges and keep their energy use low to win the fuel efficiency portion. With unique interpretations of the challenges and careful driving, all three teams finished with perfect scores, proving you don’t need to sacrifice energy to have a car that drives well.

Image courtesy of Russ Ham.

Ready for some fast driving, each team arrived at On Track Xperience prepared to win. Drivers Chris Baker, David Umscheid and Jeff Warden coached bloggers and auto enthusiasts Russ Ham, Dan Scanlon and Aaron Choate on driving methods and best practices for the NasKarts, a special kart going 65 miles per hour only inches off the track. After a few practice laps and observing trained drivers like Austin Wayne Self, the bloggers and drivers were ready to race for the prize. Ten laps later, Russ Ham and Chris Baker won with a time of 42.6 seconds. Way to go!

Image courtesy of Russ Ham.

Though competition, speed and energy charged the night, Chevy Fast and Fuel Efficient took a different turn. Driver Chris Baker offered his tickets for the AAA Texas 500 races to bloggers Aaron and Dan for their participation. Car enthusiast Russ announced he would be auctioning his tickets and hotel stay to members of SPOKES, an active autocross club in Texas. The auction would benefit SPOKES members who lost their house in the Bastrop fires. After a fun night of racing and challenges, Chris and Russ helped us remember that passion for cars and each other runs deep within us all.

Check out our video below for a full recap of the Chevy Fast &Fuel Efficient challenge!