NASCAR deal pushes ethanol into fast lane

B The Quad-City Times

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's endorsement of E15 this month may win some new ethanol converts. But a Dale Earnhardt Jr. endorsement would skyrocket the market for Iowa's corn-based fuel industry.

NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco last weekend announced a sponsorship deal that will put American-made E15 in the tanks for all divisions of America's leading racing series.

Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, season-leading Jimmie Johnson and all drivers will be racing with 15 percent ethanol blends in 2011, emphasizing the high-performance aspects of a product primarily touted for its environmental qualities.

The results should be startling, says Growth Energy representative Chris Thorne, who noted how the ethanol debate consuming Iowa and Washington largely eludes the rest of the country. Growth Energy is a nonprofit advocacy group that includes 19 Iowa ethanol producers and four from Illinois.

“There are many more people on the coasts not familiar with agriculture and farming and they aren't familiar with ethanol. They've been hearing one side of the conversation,” Thorne said.

Philadelphia-based Sunoco said it will truck ethanol mixed at a Pennsylvania refinery to race sites. That would have to include the Iowa Speedway in Newton, which has NASCAR truck and Nationwide car series events. Sunoco hasn't divulged if Iowa ethanol will be part of that mix. The company purchased its own ethanol refinery last year in Volney, N.Y., a mammoth operation producing 100 million gallons per year.

The Sunoco chain has 4,700 outlets in 26 states, primarily in the East and Southeast. In those areas, ethanol is regarded primarily for its environmental qualities, and sometimes condemned for concerns about its effect on engine performance.

The NASCAR sponsorship should eliminate those performance concerns.

“NASCAR using E15 is a striking validation of E15 as a fuel for every American,” Thorne said.

Sunoco's promotion also eclipses the Indy Racing ethanol fiasco. That racing series touted ethanol early on, and won Iowa Corngrowers Association sponsorship of the Iowa Speedway Indycar race. Then the series sold its ethanol sponsorship to a Brazilian, state-sponsored ethanol maker, which wound up supplying.

100 percent sugar-cane derived ethanol for the entire racing series, including the Indy 500, but with one exception: Iowa. The Newton track retained Iowa Corngrowers' sponsorship and use of corn-based ethanol for that one race.

Earlier this month, the EPA endorsed E15 for new vehicles. In the next few weeks, ethanol supporters expect the EPA to OK ethanol for 2001 through 2006 made cars, which will cover most vehicles on the road today.

Count on that government endorsement to assure E15 is safe and efficient for vehicles.

Count on the NASCAR sponsorship to send fans racing to the E15 pumps.