Sunoco Green E15 to become official fuel of NASCAR for 2011 season

The E15 debate rages on, but at least this latest bit of ethanol news won't add any more fuel to the fire. Sunoco has announced that it will supply the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (a.k.a. NASCAR) with a high-performance fuel for the 2011 season. The fuel has a 15 percent ethanol blend and will become the official, and therefore only, fuel used by every car and truck in NASCAR's three national touring series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck). As the new official fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco Green E15, will replace the current 98-octane 260 GTX unleaded racing fuel in use now.

Sunoco will blend Green E15 at its fuel facility in Marcus Hook, PA. To limit problems with condensation, Sunoco plans to distribute the Green E15 blend to race teams from on-site tankers that travel to each and every NASCAR event. NASCAR engine builders have had the luxury of experimenting with Green E15 for months and, so far, the results are positive, including extracting more horsepower from the blended fuel. However, NASCAR vehicles are tweaked to take advantage of the specific properties of E15 while most road-going autos are not, so there's no guarantee that what happens on the track will happen on your commute.

[Source: Sunoco]

PRESS RELEASE

Sunoco to Supply NASCAR with Ethanol-Blended Race Fuel


Sunoco Green E15 will debut in 2011 season

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sunoco, Inc. (NYSE: SUN) announced today that it will supply the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) with a new high-performance fuel for the 2011 season. The new fuel – known as Sunoco Green E15 – is a 15% ethanol blend that will be used in NASCAR's three national touring series.

"Since 2004, Sunoco has produced and delivered to NASCAR the world's best racing fuel flawlessly in a challenging, high-stakes environment"

"Since 2004, Sunoco has produced and delivered to NASCAR the world's best racing fuel flawlessly in a challenging, high-stakes environment," said Bob Owens, Senior Vice President, Sunoco. "We're proud to be part of NASCAR's dedication to conservation with Sunoco Green E15 – the ultimate high-test ethanol fuel blend. In our six years as official fuel partner, Sunoco has changed with the times by helping NASCAR transition to unleaded fuel. Now we are eager to produce for the sport a high-performance ethanol blend."

Sunoco Green E15 will be blended at Sunoco's fuel facility in Marcus Hook, Pa. The corn-based ethanol will come in part from Sunoco's new ethanol manufacturing facility in Fulton, N.Y. NASCAR team engine builders have been testing Sunoco Green E15 for several months and reports have been very positive. In fact, many have reported achieving more horsepower with Sunoco Green E15. The new fuel will be pumped directly from tankers at the track, rather than from on-site underground storage tanks. NASCAR fans will see the same great racing they have come to expect, but with a new, greener fuel.

"We know first-hand what it takes to produce high-performance, ethanol-blended fuels – almost every drop of Sunoco gasoline sold today contains ethanol," said Cynthia Archer, Vice President, Marketing and Development, Sunoco. "We look forward to highlighting the efforts of the whole racing community to transition to Sunoco Green E15 in time for the Daytona 500 – from its manufacture all the way to the racetrack."

As the new official fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco Green E15 will replace Sunoco 260 GTX, the 98-octane, unleaded race fuel that set the standard for performance. Starting in 2011, Sunoco Green E15 will be used by every car and truck in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Sunoco is a leading transportation fuel provider, with operations located primarily in the East Coast and Midwest regions of the United States. The company operates more than 4,700 branded retail locations that market transportation fuels and convenience store merchandise in 23 states. This retail network is principally supplied by Sunoco-owned refineries with a combined crude oil processing capacity of 675,000 barrels per day. Sunoco is also the General Partner and has a 31-percent interest in Sunoco Logistics Partners, L.P., a publicly traded master limited partnership which owns and operates 6,000 miles of refined product and crude oil pipelines and approximately 40 product terminals. Many of Sunoco Logistics' pipelines and terminals and storage facilities are integrated with Sunoco's retail network and refineries. Through SunCoke Energy, Sunoco makes high-quality metallurgical-grade coke for major steel manufacturers. The company's facilities in the U.S. have the capacity to manufacture approximately 3.67 million tons of metallurgical coke annually. Sunoco also is the operator of, and has an equity interest in, a 1.7 million tons-per-year coke-making facility in Vitória, Brazil.

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