Triumph and tragedy strike Team Ethanol In January 2006, it was announced that Paul Dana and Team Ethanol would be leaving Hemelgarn Racing and joining the Rahal Letterman group, owned by 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal and television talk show host David Letterman. “This is a huge step up for us from a competitive standpoint because Rahal Letterman has …

SOTU and Switchgrass The U.S. ethanol industry had never been in such a perfect position for dynamic growth than it was at the start of 2006. President George W. Bush was the strongest ally the industry had ever had in the White House. His 2006 State of the Union address was primarily focused on terrorism, with the memory of 9/11 …

Prologue: Priming the Pump Ethanol was no overnight success story. It was a very long road to getting a place at the pump, starting as early as the first combustion engines and horseless carriages. Some of the world’s greatest inventors praised alcohol as a fuel. Alexander Graham Bell is quoted as saying in 1917, “Alcohol makes a beautiful, clean and …

Chapter One: Off to the Races Chapter Two: Full Speed Ahead Chapter Three: Life and Death in the Fast Lane Chapter Four: RFS Fuels Major Ethanol Investments Chapter Five: Defending the Tariff Chapter Six: Wheels of Bureaucracy Turn Slowly