I get that a column is meant to be biased, because all opinions are born from a bias.  

What I question is, might your disinclination towards NASCAR lead you down the wrong path for this column?  What I mean is, in particular, your assessment on the amount of fans attending each race, and the amount of waste they leave.  I'll round up and say that there are 200,000 spectators once media, staff etcetera are factored in.  That is a great number of people, especially to be in one place.  

But, by comparison, how many people fill NFL stadiums each week? At minimum there are 50,000 people in one stadium.  Multiply that by 16 and NASCAR can not compete.  

I did like that you were fair, and offered a rebuttal to your own argument.  That's what good journalists are supposed to do.  

As a suggestion:

You don't like NASCAR.  I assume the reason why you don't like NASCAR is not just because of the environmental issues.  So, there is more to it than that.  Tell us about them.  The environmental issue can become just one of a few factors in your article on why you don't like NASCAR.

But, drats, why does it matter what one individual likes or dislikes?  How about..."Why NASCAR Won't Become a Major Sport" by  JWalte04.  :)  

The argument for racing has always been that the constructors learn things about the cars through development that would use the same resources through other means.  In the meantime, the money generated by the events helps to offset the costs of this learning process.

Now I realize I'm being the devil's advocate to even suggest these things, but in a debate, these are the arguments you might hear. Your environmental points make sense, but most sports generate so much unneccessary waste that to pick on NASCAR only is rather selective.  They seem like an obvious target because of the fuel consumption, but the comparisons might be closer than you'd expect if you had reliable figures at your disposal.

You need to check your research,if you did any.Look closer at nascars eco plan before you jump the gun.

The fact that you hate NASCAR is fully understood.
The fact that you try to use the Environment as another reason is, if evenly applied, probably more damning to Baseball and Football. I have heard mention by others about how many people have to go to the toilets like it is an environmental issue. Psst. I bet they would go to the bathroom somewhere if they weren't at the race.
Not even sure how many baseball games are played and by the countless number of teams, but there is a lot of fuel used getting there and snarling traffic, a lot of lights and yes, even a lot of trips to the bathrooms.
Is it wasteful? Probably yes. But no more than Baseball, Hockey, Football, etc. As here are only 36 , well, 38 cup races including the 2 non-points events in comparison to thousands of Baseball games, it pales in comparison.
As for the drivers being athletes, the training regiments of both drivers and the pit crews is grueling. A driver will lose up to 10 ponds during a 500 mile race. As far as it being a sport, by comparison everything else is just a game.