By SARAH B. AUBREY
Indiana Correspondent

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — May 21 was Community Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and as the excitement mounted, thousands of fans and their children poured through the gates to have free rein walking through the pits and around the garages – and even driving their own vehicles around the track.

Vintage Indy cars on display allowed visitors to glimpse the past and sit in the tiny speed machines. Capitalizing on the public’s need for speed and the track’s two-year history running ethanol in all Indy cars, the Indiana Corn Growers and cosponsors Hank FM and Crystal Flash hosted a Pace Car lease giveaway.

Billed the “Pace Car Payoff, The Flex-Fuel Sweepstakes” some 70 Hank FM radio listeners were qualified during the week for the winning opportunity. The event was broadcast live on May 20.
With only 38 qualifiers showing up, the odds increased as each contestant stepped up to hit a button to see if they won. The winner was an Indianapolis man and his two sons; he was about the 30th contestant to give the button a try.

A positive message about Indiana’s biofuel industry abounded at the event, with signage everywhere and representatives from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the Indiana Soybean Alliance and others on hand to talk with consumers.

Driver and promoter Fred Henderson debuted the brand new biofuel truck and trailer funded by Indiana farmers’ checkoff dollars – a colorful and high-tech mobile unit designed to educate the general public about the state’s biofuel industry.

“This is the first event for this vehicle, we started it in February,” said Henderson, of Kokomo. “One side is ethanol and the other is about biodiesel education and information.”

The trailer boasts interactive touch-screen displays that allow participants to learn about biofuel through videos, quizzes and brightly colored diagrams. The program is upbeat and straightforward.

Henderson, an elementary teacher for 32 years, knows the value of a basic positive message. “If they can take away just one thing, and it’s positive, then we’ve done something here,” he said.
The truck and trailer will attend the state fair, several county fairs and will be available for use by distributors, fuel retailers and other interested groups.

“We’re planning on using it for new E85 retailers’ grand openings, and for car dealerships doing flex-fuel promotions, we’d be happy to bring it there, too,” said Mark Walters, with Indiana Corn. “We think this is a very impactive way to get a positive message across about ethanol and biodiesel.”

While the mobile unit should appeal to the general public, Walters said they’re aiming at those who can choose biofuel with their driving dollars.

“We’re targeting anyone old enough to get their driver’s license, and on up,” he said jokingly. “But we think it will appeal to kids, too.”