The Indy cars are on their final round of practice right now. One of them is our favorite, #17, Jeff Simmons. Jeff is coming into the pits here. All the cars seem to be running pretty well today. Of course, they’re running on 100% ethanol so what do you expect, eh? Jeff had a great race last week in Japan …
Patron Car Practice
The coolest looking Indy cars have to belong to Rahal-Letterman Racing. However if you look at the other cars this year, several have new designs and color schemes. Here’s Scott Sharp doing a practice lap here at Kansas Speedway this morning. He’s the Patron car driver. It’s got a real glowing green and black design. Besides the Patron car Rahal …
Mow Greener
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new regulations to cut harmful emissions from lawnmowers and other small engines. The new proposal would set strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment but would not go into effect until at least 2011. In the meantime, lawn jockeys can do their part to help cut emissions by using 10 percent ethanol in …
Kansas City Racing Weekend
Kansas City is drawing in racing fans for weekend action. I’m out at the Kansas Speedway track and just getting my bearings since I didn’t get to spend much time here last year. Action will pick up tomorrow when the cars get to practice out on the track and then we have qualifying for Sunday’s race. I’ll be doing some …
New Team Ethanol Show Car
I’m wondering how many times I’ve taken a picture of this car. Actually this is the new show car for Team Ethanol which was on hand at yesterday’s Snappy Mart pump promotion. The demand for this show car is tremendous and there are now several of them that tour the country and get displayed at events of all types. One …
IRL Loves Ethanol Public Relations
On hand at the pump promotion for ethanol in Kansas City yesterday was Amy Konrath (pictured to the right of two representatives of Rahal-Letterman Racing). Amy works in public relations for the Indy Racing League. I thought it would be interesting to hear her perspective about how the relationship between the IRL and Team Ethanol has benefited the League. She …
Jeff Simmons Feeling Confident
Although it was a cool morning yesterday, Indy car driver Jeff Simmons was on location at a pump promotion filling up gas tanks with gasoline blended with ethanol. I interviewed Jeff about how he thinks these localized pump promotions work in terms of helping with consumer awareness and education. He thinks they’re very beneficial. It helps when a lot of …
Watchdog Group Questions Study Credibility
A consumer watchdog group is questioning the credibility of a widely reported Stanford University study warning that ethanol use could be harmful. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights says the school’s ties to ExxonMobil make the study’s findings “difficult to accept.” ExxonMobil has given $100 million to fund Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Program (GCEP). Though the ethanol study …
Corn Pores Hold Ethanol Promise
Purdue University researchers are opening the pores of corn to try and increase ethanol yield. According to a Purdue news release, researchers have discovered that particles from cornstalks undergo previously unknown structural changes when processed to produce ethanol, an insight they said will help establish a viable method for large-scale production of ethanol from plant matter. Their research demonstrates that …
E85 Everywhere
The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is holding an “E85 Everywhere” rally in the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda this Friday, April 27. Governor Tim Pawlenty and a bipartisan gathering of legislators from both the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives will speak on the importance of maintaining the lead in E85 development and on their support for …