Looks like Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay found a little bit of that grip he said his crew was looking for yesterday. Ryan finished 7th after starting the race from the 12th position. Not a bad finish for a rookie driver who joined the races mid-season. In fact, Ryan’s driving impressed the racing officials enough for them to award him the title of Bombardier Learjet Rookie-of-the-Year. This award means Ryan set a new IndyCar Series record, winning the award with the fewest number of starts – just six.
Helio Trades Races for Dances
IndyCar Team Penske Driver Helio Castroneves will be appearing in the fifth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. The two-time Indy 500 winner was paired with with Julianne Hough, the professional dancing partner of last year’s winning celebrity Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Helio promoted his skills on the dance floor just before the PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 got underway at the Chicagoland race track Sunday.
Castroneves is competing against “Scary Spice” Mel B., Dallas Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban, Floyd Mayweather, Marie Osmond, Wayne Newton, and Jane Seymour.
EPIC Member Happy with Growth of Ethanol Fuel Consumption
It’s about getting ethanol fuel on the ground with more plants and more pumps for Ethanol Promotion and Information Council advising board member Troy Prescott. Troy is the President of the Cardinal Ethanol Plant in Winchester, Indiana. I spoke with Troy about the development of the ethanol industry at the Chicagoland race track a few hours before Sunday’s PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 race got underway.
Listen to my interview with with Troy here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Prescott_Troy.mp3]Race to Go Green Winners Call VIP Experience Unforgettable
Garage tours, autographs from Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and meeting Bobby Rahal of Rahal-Letterman Racing was just the beginning of the elite access for Race to Go Green Sweepstakes winners Jeffrey and Bud Carter. The brothers witnessed the finale of Canadian Club Driver Dario Franchitti’s winningest season, claiming the championship in four Indy Racing League races, including the Indy 500 and claiming the IndyCar Series Championship Title. Not to mention a rendezvous with Gene Simmons and “hot lap” ride around the track in an official Indy pace car. To top it all off, it was Bud’s birthday. What more could two guys from southern Illinois ask for? I grabbed a few comments from the brothers about their VIP experience with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.
Listen to my interview with with Jeff and Buddy here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/sweepstakes.mp3]EPIC Exec Happy with 2007 Indy Promotion
The final race of the season brings reflection and reverence. The Team Ethanol pit crew paused for prayer one final time for the 2007 Indy Racing season. Just hours before, I spoke with Ethanol Promotion and Information Council Executive Director Tom Slunecka and we reflected on ethanol’s big year; the year the Indy Racing League switched to a 98% ethanol fuel-blend.
Listen to my interview with Tom here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Slunecka_Tom.mp3]IRL Finishes Fill Up, Feel Good Season
The 2007 Indy Car Series will go down in the racing history books as the first year a major motorsport embraced a renewable and environmentally-responsible fuel source, setting the standard
for the “Greening of Racing”.
This edition features comments from interviews done at the last Indy Car Series race event for this season, the PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
The “Fill up, Feel Good” podcast is available to download by subscription (see our sidebar link) or you can listen to it by clicking here (5:30 MP3 File): [audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://www.zimmcomm.biz/epic/epic-podcast-9-10-07.mp3]
The Fill Up, Feel Good theme music is “Tribute to Joe Satriani” by Alan Renkl, thanks to the Podsafe Music Network.
“Fill up, Feel Good” is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.
Dario Franchitti Peak 300 and Indy Series Champ
Just one word is fitting for Canadian Club Driver Dario Franchitti: Champion. Dario cinched the the 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 after Scott Dixon fell behind the Scottish driver in the last few hundred feet of the race after racing with Dario neck and neck. The win also secured Dario the 2007 IndyCar Series Title. The Andretti Green Racing teammate also won the Indy 500, the Iowa Indy 250 and the Richmond Indy Challenge, where he set both a track record and an IRL record. Rumor has it Dario will be switching to stock cars next season. A report on Yahoo.com confirms that sources say Canadian Club will replace Coors Light as the sponsor for Ganassi’s No. 40 Dodge in NASCAR and Dario will make the switch with Canadian Club. After winning the Championship Sunday, Dario consistently dodged questions about the move.
Listen to a clip of Dario’s comments at Victory Lane here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Franchitti_Dario2.mp3]Listen to Dario’s comments about the race here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Franchitti_Dario.mp3]Motorsports and Ethanol
Motorsports and ethanol are a good fit for Ethanol Promotion and Information Council member Rob Herbon. Rob is the sales director for Fremont Industries in Shakopee, MN. I spoke with him about ethanol’s role in motorsports, what that role has done for the consumer market and what that role has done for his company.
Listen to my interview with Rob here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Herbon_Rob.mp3]Rahal Offers Final Thoughts
A couple hours before the race I spoke with Bobby Rahal of Rahal-Letterman racing and asked him about his thoughts on the completion of the first season for burning a 98% blend of ethanol out on the Indy Racing League tracks.
Listen to my interview with Bobby here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Rahal_Bobby.mp3]Team Ethanol Competing at Chicagoland
I managed to grab some shots of Ryan Hunter-Reay as he was gearing up just before the race. Earlier, I grabbed an interview with the Team Ethanol Driver getting some final thoughts before the 2007 season closer.
Listen to my interview with Ryan here: