SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Kenny Wallace was at the Illinois State Fair to support ethanol last week. With 25 years on the track under his belt, next month he will make his 900th NASCAR start running, with an ethanol blend.

With racecars using Sunoco Green E15 blended fuel for the last few years, he said farmers need to not only raise corn, but also use blended fuels in their own vehicles. He also made a stop at Qik-N-EZ on North Grand near the fairgrounds and pumped E85 for those stopping by. Qik-N-EZ offers high-performance E85 at other Springfield area locations, too.

His message is, if ethanol is good enough for NASCAR and his racecar, then it is also good for Illinois citizens. “It was about four years ago that NASCAR started using Sunoco Green E15 ethanol blended fuel. I am a Midwestern boy, from Missouri (and) like supporting Illinois corn,” he said.

He added there are many myths about ethanol and part of his mission in hooking up with the Illinois Corn Growers and the American Lung Assoc. in Illinois (ALA) is to “create a truth.”

The shared message of these two groups is that ethanol is a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum that’s better for your car, for lung health and better for the environment. E85 is a blend of ethyl alcohol and gasoline and provides both environmental and economic benefits.

Tricia Braid, Illinois Corn communications director, said, “I hope farmers are taking a look at E85 flex-fuel. It makes sense and helps support corn markets. USDA shows a large corn crop on the horizon and using E85 can help the bottom line.”

E85 not only helps support the farm economy, but also works to create a cleaner environment. The ALA Clean Air Choice website at www.cleanairchoice.org/fuels/

e85.cfm states: “A flex fuel vehicle driver can significantly reduce lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions from entering our air every year by simply fueling with E85 instead of gasoline. Additionally, using E85 can reduce ozone-forming pollutants and evaporative emissions.”

For those seeking more information about ethanol or flex-fuel vehicles, log onto www.ilcorn.org and to find out more about Wallace and his busy schedule, check out his homepage at www.kennywallace.com