Analysis: Indy 500 provides a bully pulpit for ethanol to preach its gospel

The Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Tim Wohlford
Correspondent for The Capital Times — 5/24/2008 9:19 am

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ethanol, once the darling of environmentalists, now finds itself under fire as food prices start to rise.

Auto racing, never the darling of that crowd, could suddenly find itself as the newest R&D lab for alternative fuels. Combine ethanol and auto racing, and you've got the Indy 500, quite possibly the ultimate proving ground, and the bully pulpit to preach the ethanol gospel.

Auto racing has always been a proving ground for new technology that is then transferred to passenger cars. The first Indy 500 is credited for bringing the world the rear-view mirror, for instance. However, in the late 1970s, auto racing became more about "the show" and much less about technology. The modern Indy 500 is run with identical leased motors that cannot be modified, as well as identical chassis and tires where precious few modifications are allowed.

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