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]
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.
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 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]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]
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:
The 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 race is underway! I’ll be bringing updates of the season finale race here at the Chicagoland race track throughout the day.
The 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 marks the first time the President of Eclipse Inc. has gotten to peer into the cockpit of an IndyCar and meet Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. In fact, it’s the first time Lachlan Perks has been to an EPIC sponsored racing event. Lachlan and I chatted about his experience and about ethanol.
Listen to my interview with Lachlan here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Perks_Lachlan.mp3]
What could be a better souvenir for the EPIC 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 experience than an autograph from Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay? Well, perhaps a picture and a souvenir would be better. Well, members of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council and sweepstakes winners Jerry and Bud Carter got both. Ryan was a true sport and was eager to accommodate the members, signing autograph cards, tickets, photos and shirts. Be sure to access the group photos with Ryan by clicking the link to the Flickr photo album below.
Members of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council and the Race to Go Green Sweepstakes winners, Jerry and Bud Carter toured the garage that houses the Team Ethanol IndyCar this morning. Mechanics explained the complex construction of theses IndyCars from its electronic capabilities, $30,000 detachable steering wheel, design, construction and maintenance, down to the very fuel that IndyCar engines burn: a 98% blend of ethanol fuel.
