American Ethanol Tops 7 Million Miles in NASCAR

When it comes to NASCAR, counting miles and breaking records is a thrilling milestone that every driver and passionate fan looks forward to. Earlier this month, NASCAR fans cheered as American Ethanol surpassed a momentous milestone at the Phoenix International Raceway. In just four short years, American Ethanol topped 7 million miles of racing—the equivalent of almost 30 trips from the Earth to the moon, 281 laps around the Earth or 15,000 trips between Omaha and Scottsbluff, Nebraska! 

NASCAR began running E15 in 2011. The fuel change was in conjunction with their NASCAR Green Platform, which has become one of the most comprehensive recycling, tree planting and renewable energy programs in professional sports. E15 is a 15% American-grown, American-made ethanol blend that has fit very well with the NASCAR Green platform. As a 100% renewable fuel, American Ethanol has proven to be not only environmentally positive by lowering emissions, but it has actually boosted the performance and increased horsepower of the race cars. NASCAR uses E15 exclusively in all race cars in its top three racing series – Sprint Cup, Nationwide & Camping World Truck.

“E15 in NASCAR has helped both consumers and professional drivers appreciate the power and performance of American Ethanol blends.” said Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. “We’re doing everything in our power to sustain and build the ethanol industry and our support of NASCAR over the last four years has been a crucial component.” 

American Ethanol is a partnership of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Growth Energy.  As an affiliate member of NCGA, the Nebraska Corn Board and the 23,000 Nebraska farmers we represent have helped support this partnership.

When the American Ethanol—NASCAR Green partnership began four years ago, the goal of the corn industry was to educate consumers about agriculture, promote ethanol and build awareness of the American Ethanol brand. Today, just four short years around the track, the partnership has surpassed the momentous milestone of 7 million miles and far exceeded original expectations. With an audience of more than 75 million fans, including a broad range of ages and demographics, NASCAR has one of the nation’s largest and most loyal fan bases in professional sports. This historic partnership has not only created the opportunity for corn farmers to tell the story of ethanol to the nation’s largest sport-fan base, but it also demonstrated to all the loyal race fans that ethanol is a reliable, high performance fuel. 

“The NASCAR Green campaign has proven to be a great way to grow consumer awareness and trust for the American Ethanol brand,” said Jon Holzfaster, a farmer from Paxton, Nebraska and director on the Nebraska Corn Board and National Corn Growers Association. “Beyond the success that E15 has won through our partnership with NASCAR, there is an even brighter future for American Ethanol across the United States. Consumers will begin to see more and more of the American Ethanol brand outside of NASCAR.”

Drivers across our nation have a long and successful history with American Ethanol blended fuel and frankly, consumers like the cost savings that ethanol provides. Automotive technology has changed and so have the needs of the public. Cars manufactured since 2001 are approved to run on E15 and the demand is continually building. As part of a national branding effort, the American Ethanol brand will begin to make its way to pumps across the United States. As the availability of E15 and higher blends of ethanol begin to grow, so will the visibility of the American Ethanol brand.