Nobody’s really been happy about the fact that gas has finally crept down to where it’s almost less than $4 a gallon. People have noticed, obviously, but still seem shell-shocked about the whole experience. Buying gas in the past year has become a stressful endeavor.

The same goes for the folks out at the Silver Dollar Speedway. Factor in that their gas costs more than that of the Shell or Exxon variety, and that their high-powered machines consume a lot of gas in extraordinary short distances.

Auburn’s Andy Forsberg said last week that his team consumes about 40 gallons of fuel, somewhere around $200 worth, in one night of racing. That usually means 10 or so hot laps, two qualifying laps, a heat race, maybe a B Main, and an A Main. (I can never seem to remember how long heat races are supposed to be. We’ll say eight for now). That’s about 45 laps without a B Main.

And he said it costs around $5.50 a gallon to buy the special alcohol blend at the racetrack. He gets it by the barrel back at his shop in Auburn and that saves money, but the overall high prices have affected his team indirectly as well.

“Our sponsors, their bills are high and they’ve been changing sponsorship (amounts),” he said.

Most drivers agreed that car counts haven’t been affected that much at SDS, yet many also admitted to hesitating on the long trips to places like Washington and Canada. Dan Simpson, a Rio Vista driver, said his team can afford it this year but will reconsider certain trips next year if prices remain high.

And his way of not letting the prices get to him? Dealing with it.

“We’re committed to a certain number of races,” he said. “We just grin and bear it.”

And Simpson has one of those massive, tractor-trailer combinations that could double as a big rig cargo truck. He said teams also have to pay higher prices to get their equipment to the track in the first place, and that hurts the pocketbook as well.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday evening that the nationwide average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.96 now, which is 11 cents less than a week before then. That was according to the AAA auto club. California's average remains substantially higher, at $4.32, but it fell 12 cents in the last week.

The article went on to say that the national average for a gallon of regular remains $1.06 higher than a year ago and that California's average is $1.24 higher.

Forsberg seems to have his own little solution, though. He’s got an electric razor scooter that he rides from his home to his shop, which lies on his property. It obviously doesn’t compare to the rush of sprint car racing, though he’s saving enough money to continue driving his 410 winged sprint car.

Even if it costs $5.50 a gallon to drive it.