PORTLAND, IN (July 22, 2013) – NASCAR® driver Austin Dillon visited POET-Biorefining - Portland (Ind.) today as part of his American Ethanol Heartland Tour. Dillon toured the biorefinery, signed autographs and took part in a Q&A with POET team members and farmers.

Dillon’s Midwest tour takes him from Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Along the way, he is making a number of stops and touting the benefits of using clean, American-made biofuel. Fans can track his progress by following his Twitter account @AustinDillon3.

“I'm glad I can show my fans how important the environment is,” said Dillon. “Driving on, and supporting, American Ethanol, a cleaner, homegrown, renewable fuel, is a key part of our future. The road trip to Eldora Speedway in a Chevrolet Flex Fuel Tahoe, visit to the Portland, Indiana, POET Biorefining plant, social media interaction with my fans and this Wednesday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway in the No. 39 American Ethanol Chevrolet Silverado all help highlight the benefits of running E15.”

Dillon will drive the No. 39 American Ethanol Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the Inaugural Mudsummer Classic NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ race at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday evening (live on SPEED at 8 p.m. Eastern). NASCAR has been using Sunoco Green E15 for the last two and a half years, demonstrating the benefits of 15 percent biofuel blends, which have been approved for use in all cars and trucks model year 2001-newer.

“It was a real honor for us to be able to meet Austin today,” POET Portland General Manager Matt Tomano said. “He and others in NASCAR are doing a great job demonstrating that E15 is a high-performance fuel that’s good for America. We are proud to be doing our part in producing that biofuel.”

About POET

POET, one of the world’s largest ethanol producers, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 25-year-old company has a production capacity in excess of 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and 9 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed annually from its network of 27 production facilities. POET also operates a pilot-scale cellulosic bio-ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk as feedstock, and expects to commercialize the process in Emmetsburg, Iowa through its joint venture with DSM. For more information, visit http://www.poet.com.