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Since 1947, NASCAR has made it’s way to the top tier of racing organizations, but how can fuel based sport “go green” with out collapsing their own business? Mike Lynch (pictured), the director of the company’s Green Initiative recently sat down for an interview to talk about some of the things the family-owned company has been up to.
In the latest effort to go green, Lynch says NASCAR is switching to a new racing fuel. Sunoco Green E15, which is a 15 percent ethanol blend from corn grown in American farms. Lynch also pointed out that this transition will create jobs, helping to “foster energy independence.” The switch to domestic ethanol rather than sugar-based ethanol, which some believe is a better alternative but is made in other countries, is to help reduce dependence on foreign energy.
Lynch states that American farmers will “benefit from having a new market for extra corn” after concerns were raised over higher food prices as a result of using corn based ethanol. Lynch was later asked about the high consumption of natural gas the production of ethanol uses, to which he states that, “Advances in technology, science and engineering in farming and ethanol production have substantially reduced the amount of CO2 emissions related to ethanol. Today’s grain ethanol is a low carbon fuel – up to 59 percent cleaner than conventional gasoline. However, others contend that the energy cost associated with the production of ethanol negates any environmental benefit. That, of course, is another story (or blog entry).
NASCAR, has done tremendous environmental work such as tree-planting and large-scale recycling programs. Now, they believe, a new racing fuel will help push a sport cemented in the burning of gasoline for pleasure toward a cleaner atmosphere. Ideally reducing foreign dependence, without reducing the fun.