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Sunday, December 25, 2011

New NASCAR fuel passes season-long grind

Newsday

The 2011 NASCAR season closed in historic fashion. Jimmie Johnson was denied a sixth consecutive title. Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards dueled all the way to the very last race, generating ESPN's highest-rated NASCAR event to date.

But it was also historic for another reason. There was a change that may have been subtle to the casual observer, but its impact was carefully monitored in executive suites and in the garage.

Through an innovative partnership with American agriculture, every race car and truck in NASCAR’s top three series were fueled by Sunoco Green E15, a 15%-ethanol blend fuel made with corn grown by American farmers. NASCAR views the use of Sunoco Green E15 as win for the environment and the economy.

According to a press release distributed by NASCAR here are some facts about the blended fuel:

• Corn ethanol is one of our nation’s oldest sources of fuel. In fact, Henry Ford’s first automobile was designed to run on ethanol.
• American ethanol creates jobs in the U.S. that cannot be outsourced and it fosters our energy independence.
• If the entire nation moved to Sunoco Green E15 – as NASCAR has done – we could remove carbon from the air equivalent to taking 1.35 million cars off the road.

"I would say the prevailing feeling about Sunoco Green E15 is better than good, it's actually great," said NASCAR's Mike Lynch, managing director of green innovation. "Leading up to its debut was a two-year effort with a tremendous amount of live track testing and scientists doing their due diligence. We had to be sure that the fuel would stand up to the demanding conditions of racing."

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