Daytona is the kickoff of the NASCAR season, a season in which corn-based ethanol will play a vital role. Tom Buis with Growth Energy said the partnership between ethanol and NASCAR is one that makes sense, Daytona is a great American Race, and Ethanol is a great American fuel.He admitted that ethanol still has a lot of work to do to educate consumers and that the partnership with NASCAR will help with that education. NASCAR is famous for showcasing its sponsors, and Buis said NASCAR is giving ethanol a great promotional boost. Growth Energy Co-Chair Ret. General Wesley K. Clark seconded Buis?comments and added that the fact that NASCAR is using E-15 is a huge testament to the skill of farmers, to the agricultural community, to ethanol pioneers, and to American Midwest.
A new consumer advertising campaign will be launched to coincide with the NASCAR promotion. The promotion will focus on making consumers more familiar with E-15 since that will be the fuel the race cars will use.
The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 was riddled with caution flags, in large part because of the new, aggressive drafting style that the drivers were using. "Tag-team racing" or the "Daytona tango" led to a record 16 cautions Sunday. Involved in two of the wrecks was Michael Waltrip, including the biggest of the day. Both wrecks stemmed from miscommunication. In the first, Waltrip said Kyle Busch didn't give him enough warning before going to the middle in the sixth lap. Trevor Bayne won the prestigious race. He came to Daytona a true Cup rookie; he left it as a champion.
