Iowa farmers fans of IndyCar
On a good day, Bob Bowman’s tractor tops out at 26 mph. The corn he harvests in his field in Clinton County near DeWitt, Iowa, can do 230 mph.
Corn grown to make ethanol will power the cars at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 next Sunday in Newton, Iowa. The IndyCar Series uses 100 percent ethanol for fuel, which makes Iowa farmers proud.
“We’re really excited for this,” said Bowman, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “We’ve been doing ethanol promotion for 30 years, back before anyone knew what it was. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work.”
The race sponsorship and the league’s use of the fuel aren’t to make Iowans aware of ethanol. Instead, it works as a way to get the word out in areas where ethanol isn’t as common, such as the South and the East Coast.
Despite its no-hassle usage, there are many misconceptions in other markets.
“Now, when you have those drivers in some of the world’s most sophisticated cars, I think in a very nonscientific way it brings confidence,” said Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. “The phrase I hear all the time is: ‘If they can drive 200 mph at Indy, then it can work in my minivan.’ And that’s exactly right.”
Iowa is the No. 1 producer of corn and ethanol, so the partnership with the IndyCar Series race makes sense. Bowman said the Iowa Corn Growers Association was approached by Iowa Speedway to sponsor the race and the group jumped at the opportunity.
“We have 6,000 dues-paying members — a lot of those people are race fans,” Bowman said.
One of ethanol’s biggest fans won’t be at the race next Sunday to see it.
The late Paul Dana made the push to get ethanol involved in racing. As a motorsports journalist, Dana wrote about racing’s environmental impact.
He came up through the ranks to the IndyCars with an ethanol sponsorship, which he pursued. Dana was killed in an accident during practice before last year’s season opener in Homestead, Fla.
“I was glad to see someone who has that much drive, enthusiasm and excitement for open-wheel racing was able to make history happen in driving, but also by making ethanol come to the forefront in making it our fuel,” said Buddy Rice, his former teammate. “Even though Paul’s not physically with us, he’s still with us in spirit with using the ethanol fuel. Everybody knows that he put that deal together.”
The pairing of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the all-ethanol IndyCar Series race came together smoothly.
“They call that serendipity. It’s a marriage made in heaven,” said Iowa Speedway vice president and general manager Craig Armstrong. “It’s the first year of ethanol in Indy, Iowa is the No. 1 producer and it’s made with Iowa corn. What could be better? It’s perfect.”
Nate Bloomquist can be contacted at (563) 383-2201 or nbloomquist@qctimes.com.