It is only fitting that a race series started by running moonshine made of corn mash now would use Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol-blend fuel made with corn grown by American farmers. Such is the case with NASCAR, which made a smart business move to go with an American-made fuel that will get a great workout and hopefully show that we can have an alternative to foreign oil.
So far, the drivers and their race teams are pleased with the results of Sunoco Green E15, which replaced Sunoco 260 GTX, the 98-octane, unleaded race fuel.
“We have been impressed on how well the 15 percent ethanol has worked,” said Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet. “There is no way that we are going to put anything in our cars that is going to cost us one less mile per hour. We have been impressed with the burning of the new fuel, the mileage that we are getting is fantastic and frankly if it can survive the stress we put on the 15 percent ethanol, then any family car [will] have no problem with it. As someone from Kansas, the idea that we are helping farmers stay in business is really special to me.”
Bowyer isn’t the only one excited about that last point. The fuel is being blended at Sunoco’s facility in Marcus Hook, Pa., while the corn-based ethanol is coming in part from Sunoco’s facility in Fulton, N.Y.
“So many of our farmers from California to Maryland are fans of NASCAR,” said Darrin Ihnen, the chairman of the National Corn Growers Association. “The idea that a professional sports organization could be working together on such an important project is both exciting and satisfying. We all share the goal of energy independence.”
The thought — as Bowyer suggested — is that this is a big step toward ethanol-blended fuel becoming more universally available.
“This will sound like a cliche, but it really has been a real win-win for all of us,” said D.C.-based Tom Buis, the CEO of Growth Energy, a leading voice for the U.S. ethanol industry. “We know that America needs to know more about alternative energy, and NASCAR has such wonderful brand loyalty, and their stamp of approval from race drivers and teams is a wonderful endorsement of our product.
“Flex pumps allow the retail marketing of multiple blends of gasoline and ethanol to consumers such as E10 [10 percent ethanol], E20, E30, E40, E50 and E85. These pumps are commercially available from both major U.S. fuel pump manufacturers. Flex pumps allow direct delivery of ethanol from ethanol plants to retail outlets, eliminating the cost of transportation to terminals and terminal charges. This lowers the price of the ethanol portion of the blend by five cents to seven cents per gallon and results in lower priced gasoline-ethanol blends for the consumer.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.
