In addition to promoting E85 and E85 capable vehicles on the street, GM will take its E85 ethanol campaign to the race track during the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) season, beginning with the season opening GM FlexFuel 250, Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway.

FlexFuel branded Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks also will serve as pace vehicles at Daytona and 10 other races on the 25 race NCTS circuit, as components of the "Live Green Go Yellow" (LiveGreenGoYellow.com) initiative announced last month in Washington, D.C. Live Green Go Yellow is an innovative partnership designed to promote E85 use and showcase GM's E85 FlexFuel vehicle leadership to U.S. consumers including millions of loyal NASCAR fans throughout the year.

"GM and the Chevrolet Silverado brand are dedicated to helping grow an E85 infrastructure in the U.S.," said Brent Dewar, GM vice president, North America marketing and advertising. "Leveraging Chevy's prominent presence in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series helps spread the word as we work to increase consumer awareness of E85 as a domestically produced alternative to imported oil and a way of reducing emissions."

Tom Stephens, group vice president of GM Powertrain, is the Grand Marshal of the GM FlexFuel 250; and Beth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy, is the Official Starter of the race, which is the first on the 2006 NCTS schedule.

"E85 is a natural fit for Chevy cars and trucks, because it's a high octane fuel that delivers uncompromised power and driveability a must for our customers," said Stephens. "The pace vehicles are among the approximately 400,000 E85 vehicles GM will produce this year."

Chevrolet has had a major presence in the NCTS since its inception, winning six of 11 manufacturers championships and 120 of the 267 races to date.

"It's an honor to be the starter of the GM FlexFuel 250," said Lowery. "Waving the green flag not only symbolizes the start of the race, but also GM's 'Live Green Go Yellow' motto for our E85 initiative.

"There's no better way to raise awareness of the energy and environmental benefits of E85 than through the excitement of NASCAR racing. Diversifying our energy supply is of national importance."

E85 is a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. In the U.S. today, most ethanol is made from corn. E85 FlexFuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85. GM already has 1.5 million E85 vehicles on the road in the U.S. and Canada, with 400,000 more coming this year.

The availability of E85 pumps more than doubled in 2005, with approximately 600 stations today and an estimated 2,500 by the end of this year, as consumer demand for the domestically produced renewable fuel increases.