NASCAR Partners with POET to Roll Out Zero-Carbon Bioethanol

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is taking a major step toward sustainability without sacrificing the thunder of its V8 engines. On Friday, the sanctioning body announced a groundbreaking partnership with POET, the world’s largest biofuel producer, naming the South Dakota-based company its Official Bioethanol Partner.

Starting this season, NASCAR will blend POET’s zero-carbon bioethanol into its Sunoco race fuel — making it the first major motorsports series in the world to use the ultra-low-carbon fuel at the highest level of competition.

The move builds on NASCAR’s long history with ethanol. Since switching to E15 (15% ethanol) in 2011, the sport has logged more than 25 million miles on the blend under the harshest conditions imaginable. Now it’s taking the next leap: a fuel that maintains—or even enhances—performance while slashing the carbon footprint to effectively zero across its full lifecycle.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to leverage our platform as a real-world proving ground for innovation,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR’s Chief Impact Officer. “POET’s industry-leading technology will bring zero-carbon bioethanol to our Sunoco race fuel blend, helping to drive performance on and off the track for NASCAR.”

The deal also brings highly visible branding. POET will sponsor the “POET Restart Zone” at every NASCAR-owned track—that high-drama stretch near the start-finish line where the field bunches up and roars back to green after cautions. POET’s logo will also appear on every fuel can alongside longtime partner Sunoco, ensuring the partnership is impossible to miss from the garage to the grandstands.

Jeff Broin, POET’s founder and CEO, framed the collaboration as a win for both racing and American agriculture.

“Bioethanol is redefining what’s possible in racing by bringing high octane and maximum performance to the track under the most demanding driving conditions—now with zero carbon intensity,” Broin said. “From the field to the finish line, bioethanol is the cleanest-burning liquid fuel on the market. Zero-carbon bioethanol truly changes the game, and POET is proud to power a new era of high-intensity, low-carbon racing with NASCAR.”

POET produces more than 3 billion gallons of bioethanol annually from American-grown corn, working with tens of thousands of farmers on regenerative practices that further reduce emissions. The company’s zero-carbon process involves capturing CO2 during production (for uses like beverages and dry ice) and creating high-protein animal feed as a co-product, all verified through independent lifecycle analysis.

For NASCAR, the fuel delivers a “home-field advantage” — pairing an iconic American sport with fuel made by American farmers and manufacturers. It also advances the league’s NASCAR IMPACT initiative and its broader goal of reaching net-zero operating emissions by 2035.

The timing is notable. The announcement came in Daytona just days before the 2026 Daytona 500, and the partnership will be in full view throughout the season, including at Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 in August.

Industry observers see this as NASCAR stealing a march on rivals. While Formula 1 and other series push toward electrification and sustainable drop-in fuels, NASCAR is doubling down on internal combustion with a cleaner, high-octane American-made alternative that fans can actually buy at the pump.

POET operates 35 bioprocessing facilities across the U.S. (including 12 in Iowa) and exports to more than 35 countries. The company says the NASCAR deal highlights how advanced biofuels can deliver both environmental wins and economic benefits to rural communities.

For more details on the partnership, visit NASCAR.com or POET.com/nascar.