Pennzoil

Ever since man has been racing automobiles, Pennzoil^® has been taking checkered flags, leaving its mark on the history of virtually every class of motorsports.
 

In the 1930s, Pennzoil appeared at Indianapolis as a sponsor of the highly successful car of Russell Snowberger. In the next five years, Russell finished every Indy race he entered — always in the top 10. During this time, 27 other race drivers voluntarily selected, and raced, using Pennzoil^®. Pennzoil made an impressive beginning and, over the years, became the lubrication of choice for drivers in all forms of racing.
 

With drag racing in its infancy, Pennzoil representatives furnished oil to up-and-coming race car drivers. The familiar Pennzoil oval was seen on many an early dragster throughout America, most notable on the winning machines of teenage driving prodigy Eddie Hill. In 1958, Pennzoil officially sponsored the fastest-rising star on the NHRA circuit, Don “Big Daddy" Garlits.
 

The new decade saw NHRA drag racing grow as fast as quarter-mile speeds. This is a growth to which Pennzoil, as the first major oil company to develop a racing oil exclusively for cars running on exotic fuels, was a principal contributor. Throughout the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, Pennzoil-lubricated machines dominated top fuel, funny car and pro-stock categories. Pennzoil was used by many top names in drag racing: Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, Connie Kalitta, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, and of course, Jack Roush.
 

In the late ’70s, Pennzoil developed a special motor oil blend specifically for two- and four-stroke engines, and sponsored Team Honda, Team Yamaha and Team Husqvarna.
 

During the ’70s and ’80s, Pennzoil-lubricated bikes won every Baja event in every racing class. Pennzoil was recognized as a race winner and was chosen by more off-road racers, trucks, motorcycles, single-seaters and bugs than any other motor oil.
 

Multitalented super-speedster Eddie Hill took to drag boat racing and racked up an incredible string of records over the next eleven years. At one point, he was the holder of four national records. In 1982 he set the record for the fastest speed ever reached in a propeller-driven boat — 229 mph, a feat duly noted and still standing in Guinness World Records.
 

At the Brickyard, USAC Triple Crown winners Jim Hall and Al Unser blew the crowd away with the revolutionary “ground effects" Chaparral. Painted bright Pennzoil yellow and with Pennzoil in its veins, it led the race for 100 laps before retiring with a broken water pump. Next season, Johnny Rutherford was behind the wheel of the Pennzoil Chaparral and drove to an impressive win at Indy. He went on to win the national championship and was named “Driver of the Year.”
 

In 1983, Pennzoil joined forces with Roger Penske and premiere Indy car driver Rick Mears and captured a victory at the Indy 500 just one year later. The Pennzoil racing dynasty continues. Over a five-year period, Pennzoil cars went on to win the Indianapolis 500 four out of five times: Mears in ’84 with a record-winning speed of 163.512 mph in the Pennzoil Z-7 Special, Danny Sullivan in 1985 — the famous “spin-win.” Danny proved his driving prowess to the crowd, and Pennzoil again proved its excellence as an engine lubricant to the racing community. Also in ’85, Mears, in the Pennzoil car, set Indy’s fastest lap at the time — 204.937 mph — and Al Unser won CART PPG Indy Car World Series Championship.
 

With rooster tails pluming and Rolls-Royce engines screaming, Pennzoil boats dominated unlimited hydroplane racing from the late ’70s thru the ’ 80s. Miss Budweiser and the Atlas Van Lines Special became world champions.
 

The record says it all — virtually every unlimited hydroplane competition in this period was won with Pennzoil’s specially blended Grade 70. Meanwhile, at NHRA, Eddie Hill, in the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster, made drag racing history when he clocked 4.990 at the Texas Motorplex and became the world’s first driver to cover the quarter mile in less than 5 seconds from a standing start.
 

In 1996, Pennzoil and 1995 Busch Grand National Series Champion Johnny Benson joined forces, and at the series end, Benson was named 1996 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. Also, in ’96 Pennzoil^® motor oil became the “Official Motor Oil” for both the Brickyard 400^® and the Indy 500^®.
 

In 2000, NASCAR driver Steve Park steered the #1 Pennzoil Chevy into Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, and in 2001 he recorded another win for Team Pennzoil at Rockingham. On the open-wheel circuit, Pennzoil picked up were it left off with Pennzoil-backed Panther Racing and Sam Hornish Jr. winning the IRL Indy Car Championships in both 2001 and 2002.
 

2004 added more chapters, and trophies, to the Pennzoil motorsports legacy, as Roush Racing led the familiar yellow oval into the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Grand National Series with Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle leading the charge. Kurt Busch’s No. 97 engine ran motor oil with Pennzoil racing technology when he captured the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in 2004.
 

All five Roush drivers were in the 2005 Chase for the Championship with Pennzoil motor oil in their engines.
 

In 2005 and 2006, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin drove the Pennzoil Platinum car at select NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
 

The 2007 season marked the return of the Pennzoil brand as a primary sponsor in NASCAR. After a successful inaugural year in partnership with Richard Childress Racing, all of the RCR teams that competed in 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition again raced with Pennzoil Platinum^® technology in their engines, scoring a total of five wins. Clint Bowyer captured the Nationwide Series drivers’ championship for RCR powered by Pennzoil.
 

RCR was the only top-tier NASCAR Sprint Cup team to get all of their teams into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
 

Working closely with RCR throughout the past two seasons has allowed Shell and Pennzoil engineers to develop motor oil formulations that maximized horsepower and engine reliability for the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car driven by Kevin Harvick and all of the RCR teams.
 

2009 marks Richard’s 40th year in NASCAR competition. Richard Childress Racing has earned more than 160 victories as an owner in Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck competition, including six Sprint^® Cup, two Nationwide and one Craftsman Series Championships. When he’s not racing, Richard finds time to operate Childress Vineyards and Yadkin Angus Cattle ranch. All three Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams (Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick) made the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second consecutive year. It’s no surprise he chooses Pennzoil Platinum^® for his team.

Despite a farm accident that cost Larry Koester his legs almost 20 years ago, he straps himself behind a blown 572 cubic inch V8 putting out 2500 horsepower in the Mini Modified tractor “Footloose” to campaign nationwide under the Pennzoil^® banner. He is a Grand National champion and runner-up multiple times, including a second-place finish in 2007 with his son Adam claiming the championship. Larry cruised back to the top of the point standings in 2008 with Adam claiming the runner-up spot. He is an inspiration on and off the track, and was named “Puller of the Year” by his peers three times. His oil: Pennzoil^® Racing Oil 25W-50.
 

The son of legendary NTPA star Larry Koester, Adam pulls in the NTPA driving the Mini Modified division. His mini tractor has the Pennzoil Platinum^® color scheme and is named Double Play. Adam ended up second in points in 2006 in only his second year pulling. He took the Championship in 2007 with his father finishing second, giving Pennzoil a one-two finish in the division once again. Adam led the point standings for a good portion of the 2008 season only to fall to second behind his dad and teammate with just a handful of races remaining. The duo claimed their third straight Koester family one-two points finish in 2008 using Pennzoil and Pennzoil Platinum.