American Ethanol Led by Growth Energy Becomes Official Partner of NASCAR

In preparation for the 2011 season and as part of its long-term commitment to “going green,” the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (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,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “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.” Broin said.

Source : American Ethanol