Domestic Fuel

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is underway in Newton, IA.

Waving the green flag is Iowa Corn Growers Association President, Don Elsbernd. I’m just guessing what his pulse rate is!

The weather is cooperating and I’ll be updating with our winner later this afternoon. Right now it’s time to load some race photos to the photo album

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

The Chairman-Elect for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board is Dick Gallagher, pictured (right) with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. They’re attending all the activities of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 which is scheduled for later today.

I spoke with Dick earlier this week at an E-85 pump promotion at a Des Moines Kum & Go. Dick says the corn crop got planted just fine in his area near Washington, IA but since then they’ve had too much rain. Hopefully the sun will shine in that area soon! Dick says that the Iowa Corn Indy 250 has provided an opportunity for a lot of racing fans to go to an Indy race for the first time. It has shown that the fuel can perform at the highest level.

You can listen to my interview with Dick below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.5MB)

At least for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 there will be a car with the word “Ethanol” prominently displayed. Driving the #37 Ethanol USA Team Izod Indy car will be Ryan Hunter-Reay who qualified 12th today for the race. His qualifying speed was 179.666 mph.

Our pole winner was Will Power, #12, Verizon Team Penske car with a speed of 181.337 mph. It was a competitive session with Milka Duno crashing in turn 2 on her laps. She’s okay.

Mindy Larson Poldberg, Director of Government Relations for the Iowa Corn Growers Association sang the National Anthem tonight before the races taking place. I caught it on my phone.

I’ll be on the track all day tomorrow collecting more photos and interviews as American made ethanol is once again featured in the heartland.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

This was me moments before rain drops hit Iowa Speedway again yesterday. After years of taking photos of other people getting a ride in the Indy 2-Seater I finally had my chance. But just as we were about to pull onto the track rain canceled the deal. Oh well, maybe another time. I do think I look good in an Indy Car though. Thanks to Ann Marie Edwards, Edwards Communications, for the photo. Our two drivers for the event were Sarah Fisher and Davey Hamilton.

When I got in line I was surprised to be right behind Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Bill follows me on Twitter and is an AgWired fan btw! So, I got my iPhone out for a short interview. He says that the challenges in the Gulf remind us that a home grown fuel like ethanol is one we ought to be producing more of. He’d like to see an extension of the ethanol tax credit this year. He says we need domestic fuel, we need jobs and we need economic activity and ethanol answers those needs.

You can listen to my interview with Sec. Northey below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1,005.5KB)

The Vice President of Iowa Speedway is Craig Armstrong. He’s the always smiling face that we in the media get to see when we cover the Iowa Corn Indy 250. This is a photo of him introducing the drivers at their press conference.

I don’t think you’ll find a bigger supporter and fan of American made corn ethanol and for good reason. The race track has had a very close partnership with the race sponsor, Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Pioneer Hi-Bred. He says they all win in this deal. The race track is really glad to have this race because although there are more race fans per capita in Iowa than any other state in the country, they are under-served in terms of feature races.

You can listen to my interview with Craig below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.1MB)

There were a lot of volunteers helping pump gas during the Kum & Go E-85 pump promotion in Des Moines in advance of the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Some of them were from the Polk County Farm Bureau.

I spoke with Carol Miller, past President and Board member. She and her family are farmers. They really appreciate the relationship with Kum & Go and getting the word out about E-85. She points out that 35 gallons of E-85 purchased replaces a barrel of foreign oil. She says the Indy Car drivers love it because they use less fuel. She’s hoping to be at the race on Sunday.

You can listen to my interview with Carol below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.1MB)

Who doesn’t like cute baby pictures? No one I know. Meet Marcus who met Marco Andretti at the Kum & Go E-85 pump promotion in Des Moines. They share the same birthday too!

But that’s not the story here. It actually is about Venom Energy Drinks, part of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Venom is Marco’s sponsor and they were on hand to share product samples. I spoke with Tom, Regional Representative. He says that the product has been out about 3 years and their premier sponsorship is the Venom Race Car. There are photos in my online album.

He says the Indy Car has been a great way to get there name out in front of the public. I asked him if he thought it would mix well with American made ethanol. That got a laugh since I don’t think the subject has ever come up. You can listen to our interview below

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1,022.1KB)

This afternoon the IRL and Iowa Speedway held a driver’s press conference. Participating are (l-r) Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Tagliani. The drivers were in a great mood but you could sense how eager they are to get on the track. They’ll be testing tomorrow.

I recorded the press conference and thought I’d share the opening questions and statements from the drivers. They talk about the track (things like bumps) and you’ll hear Ryan say how much he appreciates being able to race for Ethanol again.

After years of covering Indy races I finally had a chance to ride in one of 2-seater cars this afternoon. I actually got strapped in and was ready to go before the rain drops fell and it was canceled. Bummer. Maybe next time.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.1MB)

It’s going to be a happy Father’s Day for Iowa corn growers and Pioneer Hi-Bred when the Iowa Corn Indy 250 gets underway Sunday. The race is being presented by both organizations again this year.

I met Pioneer’s Joe Foresman, Senior Marketing Manager, Biofuels and MarketPoint Resource, during the Kum & Go E-85 pump promotion yesterday. He says the story this race tells for Iowa and for farmers is a very exciting one. It sends a great message to the state and the nation about how we can use the renewable fuel, ethanol. Pioneer has 3,000 employees in Iowa who are very proud of their involvement in the race. I asked him if he liked the analogy between the high tech engines powering the Indy cars and Pioneer’s seed technology. He did.

By the way, if you’re tweeting the race or want to follow the Twitter conversation then please use #indycorn in your tweets. You can use Twitter Search to see who’s tweeting.

You can listen to my interview with Joe below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.9MB)

Pumping gas into your car that only costs 85 cents/gallon sure seems like a sweet deal and it was for many motorists pulling into an east Des Moines Kum & Go yesterday. The company has been committed to the support of this American grown blend of fuel and showed it in style with a party atmosphere late on a weekday afternoon.

Pictured in the middle of the Iowa Corn Growers gas pumpers is Matt Chase, Kum & Go. He works in the gasoline department for the company and E-85 is one of his priorities. He says that they’ve been working with Iowa Corn Growers for about 5 years. The timing of the grand opening for their E-85 pumps at this location was just perfect with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 race this weekend. You can listen to my interview with him below.

I also shot a video clip of Indy Car driver Marco Andretti pulling up in race car driver style to have the Iowa Speedway car filled by fellow driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. More interviews from the pump promotion will be coming your way soon. Today I’m heading out to the track (after a severe storm passes) to check out the activities so I’ll be coming to you next from there.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (858.4KB)

It’s time for another Iowa Corn Indy 250 and that means that drivers are in promotion mode. Today Ryan Hunter-Reay (right) and Marco Andretti were on hand for the grand opening of E-85 pumps at a Des Moines Kum & Go where you could buy the fuel for 85 cents/gallon!

Ryan will be driving the Ethanol USA Team Izod Indy Car in the race. He and Marco are both glad to be racing with an American made renewable fuel. They’ve proven the performance capability of ethanol and expressed their appreciation for the support of Iowa corn growers. I’ll be covering the activities of this year’s race weekend once again thanks to the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. I’ve got a photo album started for the weekend which I’ll be adding to periodically: Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

You can download my interview with Ryan (mp3) or listen here: ia-corn-indy-2010-ryan.mp3

You can download my interview with Marco (mp3) or listen here: ia-corn-indy-2010-marco.mp3

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey got a taste of life in the fast lane yesterday as he was driven through morning rush hour traffic in an Indy Car to promote the 4th annual Iowa Corn Indy 250, sponsored by Pioneer, coming up this weekend.

Northey was given a ride to his office in the two-seater Indy Car after breakfast with representatives from Iowa Speedway and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. “I definitely got some looks,” Northey said. “It’s a fun chance to tell folks a little about the Iowa Corn Indy 250.”

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is the only IndyCar race that is run on domestically-produced corn ethanol. The rest of the races in the series are fueled with Brazilian sugarcane ethanol. “Certainly ethanol is huge for the state of Iowa,” said Northey. “Three billion gallons of fuel of ethanol are produced in the state. It helps our corn markets as well as 40 plants out there producing jobs across the state so it’s huge. And so the visibility the Indy 250 gives to ethanol, not only here but around the world by the coverage it gets, encourages people to use ethanol as well.”

Tuesday’s Indy car ride along was just one of a series of events leading up the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. On Thursday, the Iowa corn growers and Pioneer will be sponsoring a pump promotion in Des Moines, offering E85 for just 85 cents a gallon and regular E10 for 10 cents off. Several drivers will be signing autographs and pumping ethanol for customers and fans at the event to be held at the Guthrie Street Kum & Go from 5:30-7:30 pm – including now Ryan Hunter-Reay, who will be driving the Team Ethanol car once again, for the first time since 2008. Ryan drove the Team Ethanol car to its one and only victory July 6, 2008 in Watkins Glen, NY so ethanol supporters are hopeful he will do it again in Iowa and make the race even sweeter for the corn ethanol industry.

There was some big news announced during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – Team Ethanol is back. Dave Vander Griend, the founder of ICM and one of the three original sponsors of the Team Ethanol IndyCar program, delivered the news that Team Ethanol will be back on the track for the first time in nearly two years at the upcoming Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, June 20th. Ryan Hunter-Reay will be returning as the driver, as part of Andretti Green Racing.

I asked Dave how the return of Team Ethanol came to be and he explained, “We thought this is an excellent opportunity to showcase the fact that fuel ethanol is also biodegradable.” He continued, “Some of the things that are happening here in the Gulf Coast and some of the issues surrounding this oil spill would not be as severe if there was a higher use of ethanol and a lower use of non biodegradable fuel in our tanks.”

Team Ethanol was a successful tool in creating awareness about higher blends of ethanol for many years. With the move to approve the option for consumers to choose higher blends at the pump, such as E15, the program demonstrates the incredible performance levels cars can achieve when using high blends of ethanol. The IndyCar Series uses 100 perfect fuel-grade ethanol.

Vander Griend said the program will bring more awareness to the public that ethanol is a good fuel. Andretti Green has four drivers, three of which are American and have a stake in what happens to our coastlines, explained Vander Griend,who also noted that they will be good spokespersons for ethanol.

ICM is a title sponsor of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 and will be a supporting sponsor through the remainder of the season. They are also hoping to raise sponsorship dollars so that Team Ethanol can compete in several more races this season.

Vander Griend concluded that the best thing about the renewable fuels industry is that they produce fuel year after year and the money stays in America. “When we spend our money on foreign oil, we use the oil up, burn it in our cars, the fuel’s gone. The money’s gone. With renewables, the fuel may also be gone but we still have the money. And that is probably the most important thing if we want to revitalize our economy.”

You can listen to my interview with Dave below and check out photos from FEW 2010 in our Flickr photo album.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.9MB)

The state of Iowa is getting in the racing mood this week as the 4th annual Iowa Corn Indy 250, presented by Pioneer, is upon us. The race will be held on Sunday, June 20 at the Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Iowa Corn Growers CEO Craig Floss says the race has provided them with a great platform for positive messages about corn use in food, fuel and feed for the livestock industry. “The momentum that was created the first couple of years is still paying dividends to us,” said Floss. “We’re reaching more people than ever. We have a nationwide television audience. The name recognition has really grown here in Iowa and beyond throughout the Midwest.”

Floss says they have a number of events planned this week in advance of the race. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is helping to kick off the week on Tuesday by traveling to work at the Iowa state capitol in a modified 2-seater Indy car celebrating the fact that the race will be running on locally-grown corn ethanol.

On Thursday, the Iowa corn growers and Pioneer will be sponsoring a pump promotion in Des Moines, offering E85 for just 85 cents a gallon and regular E10 for 10 cents off. Marco Andretti with Andretti Autosports and sponsored by Venom energy drink will be signing autographs and pumping ethanol for customers and fans at the event to be held at the Guthrie Street Kum & Go from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Iowa corn growers have retained the sponsorship of this race as the only IndyCar Series race to run on corn ethanol since Brazil’s ethanol industry took over sponsorship of the series and provides fuel for the rest of the races. “Ethanol is good for Iowa, it’s good for Indy, and the only difference between an Indy driver using it and the general consumer is the speed limit,” Floss says.

Listen to or download an interview with Craig Floss in the player below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.5MB)

The only Indy race to still run on homegrown corn ethanol is just around the corner. The 2010 Iowa Corn Indy 250, presented by Pioneer, will once again showcase 100% race powered corn-ethanol during the 4th annual race in Newton, Iowa on June 20.

2010 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti won the very first Iowa Corn Indy in 2007, when the series first started using 100 percent ethanol. He says Indy’s transition to ethanol was a winner. “It was a big deal for us when we first switched over to ethanol,” he said during an Indy racing press conference Monday. “We’ve had tremendous success as a series with ethanol and had a really seamless transition. It’s just been a real win-win situation for the IndyCar Series.”

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 has been a win-win for Franchitti, who won it again in 2009. He hopes to be able to take home a third fuel-pump designed trophy this year.

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is presented by Pioneer, with support from the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Grower’s Association. It is the only Indy race this year to run on corn ethanol, since Brazil’s ethanol industry has taken over sponsorship of the series and provides fuel for the rest of the races.

Listen to or download Franchitti’s comments about ethanol in the player below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.5MB)