Posted on 12/21/2010 10:15:23 AM PST by NormsRevenge
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In preparation for the 2011 season and as part of its long-term commitment to "going green," NASCAR announced a major long-term partnership with American Ethanol led by ethanol advocacy group Growth Energy.
Growth Energy, a coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters including farmers and members of the ethanol supply chain, becomes an official partner of NASCAR, using the sport to bring its message of American ethanol to millions of race fans. American Ethanol will support drivers, teams and tracks with marketing, promotional activities, advertising and a season-long weekly contingency award in 2011.
NASCAR made the American Ethanol partnership announcement just weeks after announcing a switch in its major national series to Sunoco Green E15, a new 15-percent ethanol blend fuel made with corn grown in the United States.
Financial terms of the six-year agreement were not disclosed.
"NASCAR and American Ethanol are ideal partners," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said. "NASCAR is a great American sport in its third generation of family ownership, and ethanol is produced from the harvest of family-owned farms across our country's heartland.
"American Ethanol's new partnership with NASCAR is much larger and more ambitious than a typical sports sponsorship. Here we have an entire industry looking to NASCAR to communicate its message that America is capable of producing its own renewable, greener fuel.
The entire NASCAR industry will benefit from American Ethanol's multi-faceted support of NASCAR, as well as from thousands of farmers and members of the ethanol supply chain now serving as new ambassadors for the sport."
Led by Growth Energy, nearly 100 different entities -- from individual ethanol plants to the National Corn Growers Association to biotech companies -- are rallying around NASCAR to communicate their ethanol message.
"E15 is an enormous opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create U.S. jobs, and strengthen national energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil," said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. "There is nothing more American than NASCAR, and there is no fuel more American than ethanol. We are so proud that the bounty of American farming will be used in NASCAR racing."
"NASCAR is leading by example and showing that American ethanol-blended fuel works in the most challenging engine environment," said Jeff Broin, CEO of POET, a network of 27 ethanol plants producing more than 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol annually. "When the race cars take the green flag at Daytona, the whole world will see we are developing our own domestic energy sources right here in America with jobs that can't be outsourced.
"Grain ethanol is at least 59 percent cleaner than conventional gasoline. Growth Energy has officially petitioned to increase the allowable blend of ethanol in transportation fuel for everyday American motorists from 10 percent to 15 percent, which would help create 136,000 new American jobs."
"The productivity of America's farmers is unrivaled in the world and our ability to supply corn for food, livestock feed and fuel should be a source of national pride. This exciting new association with the NASCAR Nation will help to build that awareness," said Bart Schott, National Corn Growers Association president of Kulm, N.D. "With precision farming, innovation, technology and hard work, farmers can double our harvest in the years ahead. NASCAR is a high profile way to showcase ethanol which is one great use for this abundance."
American Ethanol will participate in NASCAR's Prize Money & Decal program, also known as the contingency program, with the creation of the American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award in the Sprint Cup Series, while also providing weekly prize money for eligible competitors in the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series based on finishing position. The Cup Series weekly award will be given to the participating driver who records the fastest average speed on restarts and who finishes the race on the lead lap.
I think NASCAR has a death-wish. GOing this way will not endear the sport to anyone for whom environmentalism is a major issue and it is only going to anger those who already support and enjoy it. This is like having the entire sport be sponsored principally by Garnier Fructis (notice that the lime-green car isn’t running anymore?).
Oh for gosh sakes! Tentacles EVERYWHERE!
Ethanol does not have the energy per liter that gasoline does. That implies that in a given engine, you won’t have the energy per cylinder.
Are they going to have an ethanol-fueled NASCAR race?
Hear that??
It’s the sound of my interest in NASCAR falling through the floor...
This will be more costly than Tobacco sponsorship on society as a whole.
I can’t wait until ethanol executives are brought before Congress for show trials where Senators who already know the answers to their questions will ask the CEOs “how much did you know and when did you know it” regarding the destructive corrosive effects of ethanol on the entire stock of engines and equipment in the United States.
Thanks for posting. I won’t be watching any races until NASCAR ends this partnership. Who’s with me?
*
I hate NASCRAP anyway, so it’s a win-win.
Garnier Fructis is a private company so if they pony up the money - more power to them. NASCAR are idiots to be supporting Ethanol. We are now the biggest producer of nat gas in the world. This happened in the last 5 years. Ethanol is now even less needed or economical.
Who’s with me?
—
quite a few, it seems.
Nascar has lost its way.. and now is desperate to keep the “family” enterprise off the wall.
Can hybrids be far down the road?
No fuel more American that Ethanol? What does THAT mean? What does it mean?
Nothing new! Bourbon has ALWAYS been a part of NASCAR!
Me.
If NASCAR goes to fuel-grade ethanol (either “E100” which is 2% gasoline so nobody will drink it, or E85), the teams are gonna have to work their pit crews a lot harder. Or they’ll have to allow larger fuel cells. I could see such a car using more fuel than an IndyCar while still being about 50-60mph slower around a superspeedway.
IndyCar are already ethanol. That happened in 2006.
Meh... I’ve pretty much lost interest in NASCAR anyway. The “Car of Tomorrow” crap pretty much killed any interest.
NASCAR has steadily gone down hill ever since that boob Brian took the helm. Also, the loss of Dale Sr didn't help matters any. The wife & I were huge fans. Use to go to Daytona, Talladega and Fontana (very boring race) every year. No more, heck watching on TV will be a thing of the past now too. Don't like the 10 race shoot out for the championship either. The diversity crap and now this is the end all.
We will never be able to defeat the American military. In order to defeat America we must destroy the American economy which funds the American military.
We will be able to destroy the America economy by demonizing, attacking and destroying the oil industry and it’s product oil, which is the lifeblood of the American economy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.