The American Ethanol No. 3 Chevy made its debut over the weekend at the Las Vegas Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 with rookie driver Austin Dillon finishing strong in 7th place.
Representatives of American Ethanol partners, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Growth Energy, were in town for the March 10 race. Pictured here with RCR team owner (and Dillon’s grandfather) Richard Childress (left) are Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis next to Dillon and Illinois corn farmer Martin Barbre, chairman of NCGA’s NASCAR Advisory Committee on the right.
Barbre said with three races down in the Nationwide season, Dillon is already exceeding their expectations. “He ranks second in driver points in his rookie season and is proving to be a great spokesperson for the performance, economic and environmental benefits of Sunoco Green E15,” said Barbre. “Educating fans about the importance of NASCAR’s switch to a 15 percent blend of ethanol, from an environmental, performance and even patriotic standpoint, will reinforce the importance of the NASCAR Green message while helping the sports broad fan base become better acquainted with the benefits of the fuel produced by family farmers such as myself.”
Las Vegas was the first race this season where No. 3 Chevrolet sported the black and green colors of American Ethanol and marked Dillon’s first Nationwide Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dillon was so excited about the ethanol theme that his team even tweeted a photo of his “new @AmericanEthanol helmet.”
As the son of former driver and RCR general manager Mike Dillon and grandson of Richard Childress, American Ethanol partners felt the 21-year-old’s performance in the Vegas race highlighted his developing talent and his dedication to clean-burning, domestically produced ethanol.
“We are thrilled to be working with Austin this year to make fans aware of the amazing performance ethanol offers,” said Barbre. “Our partnership with RCR brings together two great American legacies, that of the famed racing family and that of the American family farmer.”