Think NASCAR and what's the first thing that jumps to your mind: fuel savings, right? This logical connection is the centerpiece of a new partnership between the racing league and the Alliance to Save Energy. The Alliance is the force behind the Drive $marter Challenge that launched a few months ago. The new partnership will use NASCAR's substantial media presence to promote the fuel saving measures - mostly the general car maintenance tips we're all so familar with - that make up the bulk of the challenge's message. The tips will be shared in various outlets, including a series of seven podcasts by NASCAR driver Sam Hornish, Jr. and an online calculator that shows the dollar savings that an average driver could realize by adopting the tips. For some reason, you can also get "free downloadable ring tones in English and Spanish" through the program. How that saves fuel or money is not clear to me. Read more after the jump.

[Source: Alliance to Save Energy]

Seventeen groups, including the Alliance to Save Energy and the Wal-Mart Foundation, will kick off something called the Drive $marter Challenge on Tuesday. As you might be able to guess from the name, the idea behind this challenge is to get people to learn and then preform smarter (read: more efficient) driving techniques. This national campaign will be based around a website that features the only "calculator showing visitors how much money, gas, and CO2 they can save with their own vehicle by taking specific fuel-efficiency steps." There will be a press event at the National Press Club on Tuesday to kick off the challenge. The website doesn't work yet (it gets stuck and just says "loading..."), but if you need even more tips (what, these 104 or these 100 weren't enough for you?) check back early next week. Press conference line-up after the jump.