Category Archives: Indy Racing

IRL Ministers To Race Congregation

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Fr. Phil DeReaOn Father’s Day I really enjoyed myself working at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in Newton, IA as you know. It was Sunday and traveling with the “moving city” are several ministers and a priest.

So once again IRL Ministry took care of us spiritually. Fr. Phil DeRea celebrated Mass in the Driver’s Mtg. Room at the Media Center. One of the drivers, Helio Castroneves, attended along with team members, media and other people involved in race day activities.

As a special treat, Fr. DeRea brought a number of rosaries to give away. He was in Rome on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and had them blessed by Pope Benedict. I was lucky to receive one.

After Mass I spoke with Fr. DeRea. He says that Father’s Day is an emotional day, especially when you think of the wonderful memories of our fathers. He calls IRL Ministry a “Parish on wheels.” Besides saying Mass he also performs other services like weddings and baptisms for drivers and their families. He says IRL Ministry has permission from the Vatican through Pastoral Care For People On The Move.

You can listen to my interview with Fr. DeRea here: Fr. DeRea Interview

IRL Ministry is a 501c3 not-for-profit, non-denominational organization, which was developed to help the racing community. We exist because of the donations we receive from the racing community and great partners that join with us to reach out to the people that are part of this great sport. Our financial records are available for review by contacting our office. We desire to be good stewards of the blessings we are given.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Iowa Corn President Had Exciting Father’s Day

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Don ElsberndThe President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association is Don Elsbernd, pictured on the right, presenting the trophy for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to Tony Kanaan. He had a big day on Father’s Day when he got to start the race by waving the green flag and saying the most famous words in motor racing.

That’s when the adrenalin really starts pumping. You can hear what it sounds like in the pits here: Iowa Indy Corn 250 Start

I talked with Don before the race started in a much quieter location, the media center. I asked him what the race means to him and he says that Iowa is number one in corn production and number one in ethanol production and having the race in Iowa just highlights these facts and makes him feel proud. He says Iowa corn growers anticipate continuing growth in yield and that will require a continuing growth in demand so promotional efforts like this one are necessary.

You can listen to my interview with Don here: Don Elsbernd Interview

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Tony Kanaan Wins Iowa Corn Indy 250

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Tony Kanaan IowaIowa corn growers are big winners again on race day in Newton, IA. Actually the winner of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 is Tony Kanaan, #11 the 7-11 Car. He lifted the big gas pump trophy in joy since he’s had some tough luck here on this track in the past.

The Iowa Corn Growers and Pioneer Hi-Bred have got to be thrilled that the bad weather of late held off today so that racing fans got to enjoy a very good one. At the same time they got full value for their investment in the race as it was televised in its entirety. Ethanol and corn grower messages were aired frequently throughout the broadcast and the announcers really did a great job of thanking and pointing out all the green shirts in the crowd.

I’m just about to upload the last of my photos for the day before heading home to ZimmComm World Headquarters. I hope you’ve enjoyed the coverage. I’ve still got several interviews to post here and on Domestic Fuel in the next few days.

In the meantime you can enjoy listening to Tony’s post race press conference below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

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Iowa Speedway Media Room on Race Day

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Iowa Speedway Media RoomWelcome to race day at Iowa Speedway for the 4th Iowa Corn Indy 250. The Agriblogger is on location after a great media breakfast with the Iowa Corn Growers. They fed us well so we have the strength to make it through the day. We’re hoping for a break in the weather and I just heard that pre-race activities have been moved earlier by about 15 minutes. Not sure how much that will help.

I’ve been taking photos for Iowa Corn Growers and conducting corn grower interviews. Some of those will get posted after the race. I also interviewed Ron McQueeney, Indy Racing League, Director of Photography. He has a very good story about working with Paul Dana a number of years ago on a photo shoot that led to his racing IndyCar and ethanol powering these high performance machines. I’ll be featuring that next week.

More photos are in the photo album and I’ll be adding them all the way through Victory Lane this afternoon.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

The Power of Ethanol

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Will PowerWe had a very competitive qualifying session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 today at Iowa Speedway. Here’s our Peak Performance Pole Winner Will Power, #12, Verizon Team Penske. He put in a qualifying speed of 181.337 mph.

I guess you could say that shows the “Power” of ethanol!

This is Will’s 4th pole of 2010 and his first on an oval track. He said afterward that the race will be “tough on a short track.”

We had some excitement when Milka Duno went into the wall on turn two during qualifying but she was okay.

Will PowerI’ll be on location all of race day collecting more photos and interviews. Since Iowa Corn Growers are the sponsor I’ll be in the winner’s circle and will post a photo of the winner before heading back to ZimmComm World Headquarters.

Learn more about Will Power here:

Will Power got his start racing go-karts at the age 6, but it wasn’t until 2000 that Power realized he wanted to make a career in racing. He started out in the Formula Ford State Series, earning the Queensland State Championship, before moving onto the Australian Formula 3 Championship placing second overall, despite missing the first four races. As his success grew, Power decided to make the move to England, where he would compete in the British F3 and World Series by Renault Championships. He made his IndyCar Series debut in 2008.

When time permits, he returns to Australia to see family and friends and catch some waves. Squash, touch rugby and cricket are sports Power plays to relax and unwind.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Ethanol On Track In Iowa

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Chuck IndyThis was me moments before rain drops hit Iowa Speedway again yesterday. After years of taking photos of other people getting a ride in the Indy 2-Seater I finally had my chance. But just as we were about to pull onto the track rain canceled the deal. Oh well, maybe another time. I do think I look good in an Indy Car though. Thanks to Ann Marie Edwards, Edwards Communications, for the photo. Our two drivers for the event were Sarah Fisher and Davey Hamilton.

When I got in line I was surprised to be right behind Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Bill follows me on Twitter and is an AgWired fan btw! So, I got my iPhone out for a short interview. He says that the challenges in the Gulf remind us that a home grown fuel like ethanol is one we ought to be producing more of. He’d like to see an extension of the ethanol tax credit this year. He says we need domestic fuel, we need jobs and we need economic activity and ethanol answers those needs.

You can listen to my interview with Sec. Northey below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

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Car Drivers Talk About Iowa Corn Indy 250

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Indy Car DriversThis afternoon the IRL and Iowa Speedway held a driver’s press conference. Participating are (l-r) Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Tagliani. The drivers were in a great mood but you could sense how eager they are to get on the track. They’ll be testing tomorrow.

I recorded the press conference and thought I’d share the opening questions and statements from the drivers. They talk about the track (things like bumps) and you’ll hear Ryan say how much he appreciates being able to race for Ethanol again.

After years of covering Indy races I finally had a chance to ride in one of 2-seater cars this afternoon. I actually got strapped in and was ready to go before the rain drops fell and it was canceled. Bummer. Maybe next time.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

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Getting Pumped For Indy Racing in Iowa

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Chuck and Ryan Hunter-ReayIt was great getting to see Ryan Hunter-Reay yesterday while promoting American made ethanol in Des Moines. Thanks to Claire Masker, Iowa Corn Growers Association, for taking the photo.

Ryan is very happy to be driving for ethanol again. He did so for a couple years back when it was known as Team Ethanol and now as Ethanol USA Team Izod. His car sponsorship for the season had run out until the deal was announced last week.

Ethanol USA Team Izod CarSo here’s the car he’ll be driving on Sunday for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Let’s hope the weather gives us a break. It stormed last night and again this morning. Corn fields really don’t need any more rain in Iowa right now.

I also shot a video clip of Indy Car driver Marco Andretti pulling up in race car driver style to have the Iowa Speedway car filled by Ryan. More interviews from the pump promotion will be posted on Domestic Fuel. Today I’m heading out to the track (after a severe storm passes) to check out the activities so I’ll be coming to you next from there.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

Kum & Go Welcomes Indy Car Drivers To New E-85 Location

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Iowa Corn Kum & Go Pump PromotionTeammates Marco Andretti (left) and Ryan Hunter-Reay were on hand to promote American corn ethanol today at the grand opening of another Kum & Go E-85 pump location in Des Moines, IA. For two hours this today you could fill your tank with 85 cent/gallon E-85 and a lot of people came out to do just that.

Today’s promotional event was the kick off of my coverage of this year’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 race weekend thanks to the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. I’ll be attending various events and reporting here and on Domestic Fuel. The race is scheduled for 1:30pm on Sunday afternoon. I’ve got a photo album started for the weekend which I’ll be adding to periodically: Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

The drivers were signing autographs and doing interviews. I spoke to both of them and they’re very glad to see the support they’re getting from Iowa corn growers. They like the fact that their cars are running on a renewable fuel and after doing so for years now they’ve proved the performance capability of the fuel.

You can download my interview with Ryan (mp3) or listen here:

Listen to

You can download my interview with Marco (mp3) or listen here:

Listen to

Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey Takes Ride in Indy Car

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A good friend of mine likes to say you need to get “whomped up” for an event. They’re getting whomped up in Iowa in advance of this week’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 and so am I, especially after hearing that Team Ethanol will be running again.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey found a fast track through morning rush hour traffic yesterday in an Indy Car. He was joined by representatives from Iowa Speedway and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board for breakfast and a quick trip into work. The group is celebrating the 4th running of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 this weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Following breakfast, Northey was given a ride to his office near the statehouse in a two-seat Indy Car. “It was a fun ride. I definitely got some looks this morning. It’s a fun chance to tell folks a little about the Iowa Corn Indy 250.”

“Certainly Ethanol is huge for the state of Iowa. We produce twice as much fuel as we use in the state. 3 Billion gallons of fuel of ethanol are produced in the state. It helps our corn markets as well as 40 plants out there producing jobs across the state so it’s huge. And so the visibility the Indy 250 gives to ethanol, not only here but around the world by the coverage it gets encouraging people to use ethanol as well.”

I’ll be on location starting tomorrow afternoon at a pump promotion featuring several of the Indy Car drivers.

Team Ethanol Back On Track At Iowa Corn Indy 250

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Cindy and Joanna are on location at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop this week. And yes, Cindy and I stayed in different hotels in different parts of the same city last night. It’s a little strange but . . .

Joanna came up with some news at FEW that’s going to make my coverage of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 more exciting. I’ll let her explain:

There was some big news announced during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – Team Ethanol is back. Dave Vander Griend, the founder of ICM and one of the three original sponsors of the Team Ethanol IndyCar program, delivered the news that Team Ethanol will be back on the track for the first time in nearly two years at the upcoming Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, June 20th. Ryan Hunter-Reay will be returning as the driver, as part of Andretti Green Racing.

I asked Dave how the return of Team Ethanol came to be and he explained, “We thought this is an excellent opportunity to showcase the fact that fuel ethanol is also biodegradable.” He continued, “Some of the things that are happening here in the Gulf Coast and some of the issues surrounding this oil spill would not be as severe if there was a higher use of ethanol and a lower use of non biodegradable fuel in our tanks.”

ICM is a title sponsor of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 and will be a supporting sponsor through the remainder of the season. They are also hoping to raise sponsorship dollars so that Team Ethanol can compete in several more races this season.

Vander Griend concluded that the best thing about the renewable fuels industry is that they produce fuel year after year and the money stays in America. “When we spend our money on foreign oil, we use the oil up, burn it in our cars, the fuel’s gone. The money’s gone. With renewables, the fuel may also be gone but we still have the money. And that is probably the most important thing if we want to revitalize our economy.”

You can listen to my interview with Dave below and check out photos from FEW 2010 in our Flickr photo album.

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Iowa Corn Indy 250 Only Race On U.S. Corn Ethanol

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AgWired fans know that I’ve had an opportunity to cover quite a bit of Indy, as in Indy Racing League. In fact, it was the move by the IRL to ethanol as a fuel in their cars that got us started covering what was happening in the renewable fuels industry. This week I get back in action at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in Newton, IA. I’ll be on location by Thursday with pre-race activities being conducted by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

For a preview I spoke with Craig Floss, CEO, Iowa Corn Growers and Iowa Corn Promotion Board. This week’s race is the only one of the season where the fuel is American made corn ethanol. The IRL switched to ethanol from Brazil once there was no longer a Team Ethanol car in the series. However, Iowa Corn Growers have made sure there’s still one race that uses an American product.

Craig says the race has provided Iowa corn growers with a great platform to publish messages about ethanol, food, fuel and the livestock industry all of which are import components of their marketing efforts to make corn “disappear.” This is year four and they’ve come back for more. The name recognition has really increased during that time both in Iowa and nationally.

You can listen to my interview with Craig here.

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Indy 500 and Bill of Confusion

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While I’m here in Lincoln, NE, Laura is still having fun in Indianapolis. She’s got photos uploaded to an online photo album so I thought I’d point you that way. Indy 500 2008 Photo Album

I’ll be driving home tomorrow but she’ll be on site for the race so you may want to keep an eye on Domestic Fuel to see what she finds. The cars will be running on ethanol so that once again, no matter who gets the checkered flag, our farmers and our environment win.

I also thought I’d point you to a post on Corn Commentary that Cindy did last night. It’s called “Bill of Confusion” in which she re-wrote some lyrics for the Temptations famous “Ball of Confusion.” It kind of summarizes the whole farm bill situation. It’s worth a read and feel free to sing it. In fact, if you sing Cindy’s lyrics and record and send them in we’ll not only post it but send you an AgWired t-shirt. C’mon. I dare you.

Some IndyCar Cruising

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Laura McNamara in a street legal 2-seater IndyCarWhile I’m here in Lincoln, NE this week with Michael Peterson, Laura is in Indianapolis having just too much fun. She’s primarily reporting for Domestic Fuel with sponsored coverage for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. Here’s her latest post from there:

There are lots of perks that come along with covering the Indy Racing League. Perks like meeting IndyCar Drivers, photographing the world’s most significant motor sporting event (Indy 500) and meeting some of the most talented journalists and photographers of the motor sports industry. Those amazing opportunities come on a regular basis with IRL coverage. Sometimes, a few extras get thrown in. In Kansas City, I got to take a couple laps around the track with IndyCar Driver Davy Hamilton. No, not in an IndyCar. But, it was an Indy pace car and we did go 118 miles an hour around a 1.5 mile oval, getting just centimeters away from the wall. By the way, Davy will drive the #22 Hewlett-Packard/KR Vision Racing car during this weekend’s race.

Just last night, I got to take another “Indy” style spin. This time it was in a street legal two-seater IndyCar.

Check out the video here:

I think Laura’s having fun wouldn’t you say?

EPIC Kicks Off 92nd Indy 500 Festivities

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92nd Indianapolis 500This Sunday marks the 92nd year for the infamous Indy 500 race and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council has all kinds of pre-race activities scheduled for this week.

Tomorrow, both EPIC and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council will be sponsoring discounted fuel at Crystal Flash pumps in Indianapolis. Consumers will get to fill up with EPIC Fueling LogoE10 for $2.97 or E85 for $1.85. EPIC is sponsoring a corvette giveaway with Hank FM on Wednesday and EPIC will host the Ethanol Summit and Panel Discussion on Thursday.

The rest of the weekend will feature member activities, driver autograph sessions, garage tours, the IPL 500 Festival Parade and, of course, the Indy 500 race.

You can find complete coverage of Indy 500 events and activities on DomesticFuel.com.

Ethanol and Dario Franchitti Win The Indy 500

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Dario FranchittiFinally, the race is over and ethanol wins again. Actually the winner of the Indy 500 is Dario Franchitti seen waving at me as he passes the media center. At the post-race press conference, he seemed like the most amazed guy in the world for having run and we certainly congratulate him.

During the press conference I asked him how he felt about winning by burning a renewable fuel in his car and how it performed. He has no problem with ethanol. In fact, he said it helped him get better gas mileage and that was beneficial in the end.

Listen to Dario talk about ethanol here:

Listen to

The race was shortened by rain and called after 166 laps. I heard several drivers saying they just couldn’t get into a normal race flow and that’s too bad but I guess it’s just the way it is. They’ll be racing again in another week. I’ll be attending two more races this season so count on some more IRL action on AgWired.

2007 Indy 500 Photo Album

Don’t forget to check out my online photo album which Laura McNamara and I have contributed to during this past week and have a great holiday.

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The Race Is On Again

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Jeff Simmons Cranking It UpThe track got dried out so we’re back to racing here in Indianapolis. However, rain is on the way again.

Jeff Simmons in the ethanol car has been running very strong today. It looks like the race will be won on strategy and pit stop timing since the cars are pretty much out of sync with their normal plan.

I’ll try to be in victory lane and the winner’s press conference after the race and will bring you the finale as we see ethanol win no matter which car comes across the finish line first.

2007 Indy 500 Photo Album

David Letterman Appearance

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Chuck and David LettermanFor the first time in my 3 years at the Indianapolis 500 I got to see the other half of the Rahal-Letterman Racing ownership. Here’s David Letterman on the track prior to the race talking with his partner Bobby Rahal.

I just happened to be in the right place but I had my hands full of camera and couldn’t get my recorder out to try to do an impromptu interview. Thanks to a Rahal-Letterman team member for taking the shot for me.

This has been an interesting day so far. We’re going to get the race re-started here soon and then we’ll see what happens. In any case, ethanol will win the Indy 500!

2007 Indy 500 Photo Album

Rain, No Rain and Rain Again

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Green FlagThe weather held out for a start and a pretty good race up to lap 113 which means it’s an official race.

Here’s Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning waving the green “e” flag to start the race here this afternoon.

I’ve posted the audio of the start for you each of the last couple years and this year is now different. In the following audio file you’ll hear the most famous words in automobile racing and the sound of these high powered engines as they crank it up.

Listen to the start of the race:

Listen to

Right now Tony Kanaan is in first place and that looks like it will stand up. The ethanol car driven by Jeff Simmons led one lap and his car was running great today. I’ll have more after the winner is officially announced.

2007 Indy 500 Photo Album

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