NASCAR Might Be Wise to Switch to Ethanol

Kasey Kahne's pit crew works on his car during the NASCAR Dodge Charger 500 auto race Saturday, May 13, 2006, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Patrick Collard) (Patrick Collard - AP)

-- Mashed-up corn is heated to produce vapor, which condenses into grain alcohol.

Sound familiar, NASCAR old-timers? It's the recipe for moonshine, the largely forgotten foundation of a sport that has moved from backwoods to big time.

But moonshine is going mainstream, too. You know it as ethanol _ a gasoline alternative that isn't much different from the hooch (shh!) Junior Johnson used to hide in his trunk.

And given the current political climate, it might be smart for NASCAR to fire up the still.

The Indy Racing League is leading the way on alternative fuels, beginning a two-year transition to ethanol.

NASCAR? Those dinosaurs are still burning dinosaurs.

Last year, General Motors officials privately asked NASCAR to consider switching to ethanol. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, made a similar public plea to NASCAR CEO Brian France.

Their appeals didn't gain much traction. But that doesn't mean it was a bad idea.

"It fits the racing mode, and we would definitely be in favor of any move that moves us away from dependence on foreign oil," said Brent Dewar, vice president of sales, service and parts for GM.

Dewar, who became an ethanol evangelist after overseeing GM's successful sale of ethanol-ready cars in Brazil, said the automaker plans another round of lobbying NASCAR to switch.

And why not? People are spending $3 a gallon to fill up, and a lot of people think oil is beginning to dry up. Even the alpha NASCAR dad, former Texas oilman George W. Bush, said America is "addicted" to oil and needs alternatives.

NASCAR could help get people fired up about ethanol _ and help itself in the process.