Domestic Fuel

The President of Marquis Energy is Mark Marquis, seen here introducing NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace to the crowd attending yesterday’s event held at the Hennepin ethanol plant. I spoke with Mark and learned that Marquis Energy is a real family type business that he had built after growing up on a family farm in this area and branching out into the grain business. In my interview with him you’ll hear him talk about plans to double the size of the Hennepin plant.

Mark is a Growth Energy board member. He says the organization saw the long term agreement with NASCAR as a great opportunity to help get in front of American consumers who will feel more confident about putting higher blends of ethanol in their cars after seeing how well it performs in the race cars. They’ve accomplished that through American Ethanol, a partnership with the National Corn Growers Association. The local NASCAR Nationwide Series STP 300 race on Saturday provided his company with an opportunity to make a special contribution to the effort. He says NASCAR is very popular with his employees and the farmers who send in about 150 trucks of corn a day to the plant. Mark Marquis Interview

You can hear Mark’s introduction of Kenny and Kenny’s remarks in this video clip:

Marquis Energy Appreciation Day Photos

American Ethanol is heading to Texas this weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway on April 8th beginning at 8:30 pm EST on ESPN2. While the ethanol logo is on all the race cars, eyes will be on the No. 9 Toyota Camry driven by Kenny Wallace, who is sponsored for the season by the ethanol industry in partnership with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

“It is an honor to be chosen as an American Ethanol spokesperson,” said Wallace who drives for RAB Racing. “I am very passionate about this subject and excited to spread true knowledge about American Ethanol throughout the United States. I’m proud and excited to go to Texas with new sponsor American Ethanol, and most of all I’m looking forward to getting my 10th NASCAR Nationwide Series win.”

During the entire 2011 season, all three of NASCAR’s national touring series will be racing on Sunoco Green E15, a blend of 15 percent corn-based ethanol and 85 percent racing fuel.

NCGA President Bart Schott noted, “Having Wallace as the driver is a great benefit. The RAB Racing team is racing very competitively this season and they are proving to be great proponents for Sunoco Green E15. Kenny understands the important economic and environmental contributions of the nation’s ethanol producers and family corn farmers. As a passionate and media-savvy spokesman, he is helping us reach millions of driving consumers with a positive message about domestic ethanol.”

As gas prices continue to rise across the nation, the ethanol industry stresses that ethanol is a commercially-viable alternative that America currently has to strengthen the nation’s energy independence. Studies have shown that for every $1 sent overseas for oil, $1.55 leaves the U.S. economy. The industry is using NASCAR as a platform to expose 80 million people to the benefits of ethanol while linking millions of American farmers with the sport of NASCAR.

“We’re proud that American Ethanol’s partnership with the RAB Racing team will help educate NASCAR fans about ethanol’s benefits for our nation’s environment, economy, and energy security,” concluded Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “There’s no sport more American than NASCAR and there’s no fuel more American than ethanol.”

American Ethanol has officially become an associate sponsor of RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. The No. 09 Toyota Camry driven by Kenny Wallace will feature the American Ethanol logo on the hood of its car for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide season beginning this weekend with the Feb. 26, BASHAS’ SUPERMARKETS 200 race at the Phoenix International Raceway. In Phoenix the American Ethanol logo will be displayed alongside “Family Farmers.” Family Farmers is a multi-state coalition of farmers and agribusiness that will be sponsoring Wallace and the No. 9 can in five Nationwide races this season.

"Getting to know the hard working family farmers of this country has been a fantastic experience for me," Wallace said. "I'm so excited to be a spokesperson for them, sharing true knowledge about what they do and the products and food that are made from their crops. The best part is that I've come to understand that our nation's farmers are just like you and me. They want what's best for their families, just like us. And like me as a NASCAR driver, they are responsible for their own work and take that responsibility very seriously. I'm humbled that they've chosen me to be an advocate for them with dedicated racing fans.”

The agricultural and ethanol industry joined together with NASCAR to further the message of ethanol's benefits – a message that is expected to reach more than 80 million people throughout the season.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kenny Wallace as an official spokesman for American Ethanol on behalf of America’s green, clean alternative fuel component. Kenny is one of the most visible and popular drivers in Nationwide,” said Bart Schott, National Corn Growers Association president. “He comes from Missouri and truly appreciates the important role of corn farmers in providing consumers with a domestic fuel choice.”

Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy added, “RAB Racing with Brack Maggard and Kenny Wallace are great additions to the American Ethanol team. His enthusiasm for ethanol is obvious so he is a great spokesperson to carry ethanol’s positive messages of creating American jobs, cleaner air, and strengthening our national security by making our nation more energy independent.”

Although ethanol’s “driver” Clint Bowyer didn’t win the Daytona 500 this weekend, ethanol scored a victory as the “The Great American Race” this past Sunday was the first time all the cars raced using Sunoco Green E15. There were more than 120,000 fans at the race and millions of fans watched the action on TV and witnessed the ethanol partnership between NASCAR and the National Corn Growers Association and Growth Energy.

“This is just the beginning of the racing season, and NASCAR’s 75 million race fans will see the benefits of an ethanol blend for more power and less emissions,” said NCGA President Bart Schott, on hand for the race in Daytona Beach, Fla., with growers and others for an up-close look at how a NASCAR race operates. “This has been a great experience for us to learn more about NASCAR’s drivers, staff and fans and to help spread the word about ethanol.”

American-Ethanol-sponsored driver Clint Bowyer, driver of the #33 Chevrolet, performed well this weekend, winning a pole position for Saturday’s Drive4COPD 300 race and coming in second, and scoring the sixth starting position for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Bowyer led that premier event 11 times for 31 laps and then finished 17th, after a massive pileup only four laps before the end of the race.

During the Daytona 500, race fans were provided miniature American Ethanol green flags to wave at the start of the race and take home. In addition, NASCAR aired a minute-long spot during the Fox broadcast focused on the farm connection to ethanol. In addition, ethanol is branded on the track: ethanol logos encircle the fuel ports of all race cars. The NASCAR American Ethanol partnership also involves a multi-year agreement through which American Ethanol will sponsor a new award each race and be featured on-site for race days.

“This showcase of ethanol will really help us educate Americans about the value of a domestic, renewable fuel blend that creates jobs, provides energy independence and helps clear the air,” Schott said. “NASCAR’s endorsement of ethanol is an important one because they appreciate the value of good fuel for their machines.”

While you will be able to see ethanol on track in all three NASCAR series throughout the 2011 season, American Ethanol will be the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet car at the Kansas Speedway 400 on June 5, and an associate sponsor of the car for the rest of the season.

With NASCAR set to run an ethanol-blend fuel in 2011, Growth Energy has announced a 15-day “Countdown to Daytona” campaign, leading up to the Daytona 500 on February 20, the premiere race to open the 2011 NASCAR season and the sport’s partnership with American Ethanol.

“We’re reaching out to our base of ethanol supporters and bringing them along for this exciting ride,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “Over the next couple weeks, as we roll up to Daytona 500, you’ll see a series of American Ethanol promotions and outreach efforts. This is really a first-time event for our industry – and an exciting time to be part of ethanol.”

The American Ethanol marketing agreement, led by Growth Energy in partnership with the National Corn Growers Association, allows the U.S. ethanol industry to reach the tens of millions of loyal NASCAR fans with the positive story about ethanol – how it creates jobs here in the United States, helps clean the air by reducing emissions, and strengthens our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

The launch of NASCAR’s 2011 racing season includes the introduction of Sunoco Green E15 as the racing fuel for NASCAR’s three national racing series. This comes just weeks after a final decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Growth Energy’s Green Jobs Waiver, approving E15 for all passenger vehicles made in the last decade.

The Countdown to Daytona Campaign will highlight events and news around the American Ethanol partnership, with a focus on the new American Ethanol Contingency award to be given to drivers and the use of the American Ethanol logo on the racing vehicles and on the green flag. Information on the Countdown to Daytona Campaign can be received as it is announced by becoming a member of Growth Force.

The 53rd running of “The Great American Race” is on Sunday, Feb. 20, and will be aired on Fox at 1 pm.

The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 is around the corner, February 20, to be exact, and when this event takes place, it will mark the beginning of a new era – the era of NASCAR running on Sunoco Green E15. This 2011 season, all three national NASCAR series will be running on this American made, American produced fuel and as this famous race nears, NASCAR took the opportunity to welcome the new fuel and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to the family.

“NASCAR is very proud to welcome as partners the hard-working family farmers all over the United States who grow the corn that will be used in our new Sunoco Green E15 fuel,” said Brian France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR. “We are happy our sport can play a part in creating jobs and fostering energy independence by using a renewable fuel grown and produced in America.”

Last year NASCAR announced that it would be switching to Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol blend made with corn grown in America. Shortly thereafter, the league announced its partnership with the American ethanol industry that includes Growth Energy and the NCGA.

During a press call this morning, I asked how much E15 would be used in all three series. Jim O'Connell, Chief Sales Officer for NASCAR said that since this was the first year to use the fuel, he was unsure of the total number of gallons that would be used. However, he stressed that he was "absolutely sure it would be American grown, American produced ethanol."

Darrin Ihnen, NCGA's Chairman and a corn farmer from Hurley, South Dakota, also said during the call that they are excited about this opportunity to educate motorists and NASCAR fans at race tracks around the country about the great work American corn growers are doing in feeding and fueling the world. He said that ethanol will be extremely visible as it races around the track and in addition they will support their on-track campaign with high-profile TV ads as well as a strong grassroots campaign that will include American farmers on the track answering consumer questions about the fuel. NCGA will work closely with Growth Energy on their educational and promotional activities.

“The goal is to bring ethanol’s positive messages from job creation to cleaner air to consumers. When people hear a message like ‘American Ethanol: Trusted By NASCAR,’ that carries a lot of weight and adds to ethanol’s credibility and reputation,” concluded Ihnen.

Listen to NCGA's NASCAR Partnership Press Conference here: "NCGA

As a follow up to yesterday’s announcement about the NASCAR American Ethanol sponsorship here’s a photo of the show car that will be used for on-location promotional opportunities.

The No. 15 American Ethanol showcar will not be used in a NASCAR race.

In this photo General Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) drops the American Ethanol green flag at the NASCAR Victory Lap on Las Vegas Boulevard. Clark was in Las Vegas for the announcement of the partnership.

You can see more photos from the announcement event online.

The announcement was made during the Myers Brothers NMPA 2010 Awards Luncheon at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.