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© Darryl W. Moran Photography

NASCAR announced that they would be making Sunoco Green E15 ethanol blended racing fuel mandatory for its three touring series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck) during the 2011 season. A the Daytona 500 race, ethanol scored a big victory by powering every single vehicle that took to the track, for the first time in racing history.

Race fans in attendance were given green American Ethanol flags to wave as the vehicles roared by to celebrate the event. NASCAR also branded the track with ethanol logos and aired a minute-long spot to highlight its connection with and support of the American ethanol industry. Clint Bowyer was the official American Ethanol-sponsored driver in his number 33 Chevrolet. He led the Daytona 500 for 31 laps, but ended up finishing the race in 17th place.

© Sweeter Alternative

Ethanol is also known as ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, or drinking alcohol. This is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It's considered as a powerful psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, and as an alcohol fuel. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol. Many people are using it today. However, ethanol is not a convenient fuel source. Ethanol is harvested from crops.

Its produce a sufficient amount and it needs a gigantic patch of land. Ethanol car is also driven by the people now. This is not good because it disrupts the balance of nature by turning lands that are supposed to be home. Instead of the crops going to factories to become feeds for animals that supply our meat products, it goes to the factory that is producing ethanol fuel.

© Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection

Rails cars filled with ethanol fuel continued to burn nearly a day after a freight train derailment in Ohio sent them careening off the tracks into a fiery heap. It may be days before the train's owner, Norfolk Southern, is able to extinguish the fires in all of the ethanol cars. No injuries were reported but precautionary evacuations took place for residents within a mile and a half of the blaze.

All of the 62 cars in the train were carrying ethanol, although not all of them exploded. Local volunteer firefighters found themselves ill-equipped to handle the massive blaze, and could only watch the cars burn. The cause of the derailment is still unknown and remains under investigation. Other rail traffic was being rerouted while workers continued to remove debris from the tracks.