In NASCAR, there is no doubt that winning races defines a team on the racetrack.
For NASCAR’s partners, however, success depends on how wide and deep we cast our nets.
With almost 70 million fans, NASCAR trails only the NFL in followed sports. And with bioethanol surpassing 20 million miles as the official fuel of the sport this year, we continue to evolve in our net casting. It should be noted that those 20 million miles were driven in what are considered the most brutal fuel testing conditions conceivable.
We first cast our net in 2011 when we became a founding partner of NASCAR Green and a member of the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team. That year, we also introduced the American
Ethanol brand.
Growing that brand was a hands-on effort at nearly every track raced and took many boots on the ground to accomplish. E15 (or Unleaded 88) was still very much in the early adoption phase at the retail level, so the lift was heavy. But we proved our value to NASCAR and to America by lowering tailpipe emissions by 20% while increasing octane and helping engines run optimally.
In recent years, as we have evolved into the Get Bioethanol brand, our net has also evolved. We’ve utilized digital media more and more. We’ve cast nets for the obtainable consumer — the one who wants to make a change.
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This plays right into NASCAR’s evolution.
With car, track, and race structure changes, NASCAR is tailoring to a younger audience. The sport has invested heavily in its digital platforms. This audience is climate-conscious, and our message to them is clear and concise: Bioethanol is a greener, ready-to-fuel solution.
We have also widened the net with the help of our influencer on the track. RCR’s famed #3 has a rich history and a great platform to tell our story — a platform that has continued to gain momentum. Austin Dillon is now one of the most popular drivers in the Cup Series, and his recent win at Daytona punched his ticket to the playoffs. His skill and popularity earned him his own television show.
Austin’s Life in the Fast Lane debuted in June of this year. It highlights the lives of Austin Dillon and his rear tire changer and best friend, Paul Swan, whose wives also became best friends when they were cheerleaders for the Tennessee Titans. The natural chemistry of the group sets up a story that tells itself.
The show has great range, with scenes that take place everywhere from the RCR race shop in Welcome, N.C., to Beverly Hills. If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t consider yourself a reality TV fan. Still, the behind-the-scenes perspective of NASCAR will reel you in. Life in the Fast Lane is casting the Get Bioethanol net to an even broader demographic. The brand was even front and center during the second episode of the series, and there will be more opportunities to get in front of audiences in future seasons.
What began as a simple partnership with NASCAR has evolved into a wide range of avenues to showcase our product both on and off the track, and we will continue to cast that net as wide as we can to reel in even more biofuel believers.
