Ethanol Gets Down & Dirty

Governor's Ethanol Challenge Pits Racers Against Minnesota's Toughest Dirt Tracks in Four Events in Four Days

SAINT PAUL, Minn., July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While this year's Indy League racing schedule -- including its signature event, the Indy 500 -- ran on ethanol fuel for the first time in 2007, the Midwest Modified class racers have been running on a similar fuel mixture as part of the Governor's Ethanol Challenge in Minnesota since 2004. The four Wissota dirt tracks where the races are held -- July 10 in Alexandria, July 11 in Madison, July 12 in Willmar and July 13 in Montevideo -- bear little resemblance to the smooth, steeply banked oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These races are auto racing at its roots -- loud, local and promoting an alternative fuel grown, produced and sold in Minnesota.

"This annual event means a lot to local racetracks, the communities and to the Midwest Modified racers who have embraced this renewable fuel," said Chad Willis, a member of the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council and big fan of dirt track racing. "I have attended just about every race since the Governor's Challenge began. The racers often tell me they prefer using ethanol because it has high octane, burns cooler and allows them to use smaller engines and get the same horsepower."

While the nearly pure ethanol fuel used in the Governor's Ethanol Challenge races is intended for race cars only, there are an estimated 150,000 flex-fuel vehicles on the road in Minnesota that use E85, an alternative fuel consisting of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline sold at more than 300 stations statewide. For a complete listing of the stations that sell E85 and all the vehicles that can use the cleaner-burning fuel, visit this American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest website: http://www.cleanairchoice.org/.

  For more information on each individual night of racing, visit:
  Viking Speedway, Alexandria: http://www.vikingspeedway.net/
  Madison Speedway, Madison: http://www.madisonmnspeedway.com/
  KRA Speedway, Willmar: http://www.kraspeedway.com/
  Fiesta City Speedway, Montevideo: http://www.fiestacityspeedway.net/