>> it changes the way i pump gas. >> reporter: and it's only getting worse, approaching the national average of $4.11. do you think we could hit that record in the months ahead? >> i think we have a very good chance. >> reporter: it dates back to the start of covid. look at this roller coaster chart of u.s. gas prices over time. in march 2020, prices plummeted. americans weren't on the road. oil producers, including opec, cut back on investments and operations. they had nowhere to store extra oil. >> they laid off employees. they didn't work the rigs. >> reporter: when the vaccines rolled out,...