INDIANAPOLIS – One of the most famous and iconic paint schemes in Indianapolis 500 history is the bright yellow Pennzoil entry, known as the Yellow Submarine.
From Johnny Rutherford’s third Indianapolis 500 win in 1989, to two of Rick Mears’ four Indianapolis 500 victories in 1984 and ’88 to Helio Castroneves in recent years, the bright yellow car has been a part of Indianapolis 500 history and a fan favorite.
Pennzoil is also a key part of the Penske Corp., the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar.
This year, Pennzoil will become the official motor oil and lubricant partner of IndyCar and the NTT IndyCar Series. The new multi-year partnership begins at this weekend’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AMFirst at Barber Motorsports Park.
“Pennzoil has deep roots in IndyCar racing and is part of the sport’s proud heritage,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “Pennzoil is an industry-leading brand with huge name recognition and a fantastic partner that will engage with our fans in many unique ways, helping to bring the exciting action of the NTT IndyCar Series to more people.”
Pennzoil has been used in competition in Chevrolet engines in IndyCar since 2012, powering more wins than any other motor oil-and-engine combination in that time. Pennzoil engineers continuously work on the motor oil that goes into the race cars on the track.
“Pennzoil has participated in the IndyCar Series for many decades and during that time enjoyed much success, including the popular Pennzoil-sponsored Indianapolis 500 winners driven by Johnny Rutherford in 1980 and Rick Mears in 1984 and 1988,” said Patty Lanning, vice president, North American Marketing, Shell Lubricants. “At Pennzoil, we are proud to become the Official Motor Oil of IndyCar to build on our success and legacy on and off the track in one of America’s premier motorsports series.”
Pennzoil will become the sponsor of the Pennzoil Technical Inspection area at all 17 IndyCar races this season with Pennzoil branding placed on IndyCar’s technical inspection transporter.
“The extreme stress put on an NTT IndyCar Series engine provides the optimal test bed for modern motor oils like Pennzoil Synthetics,” said Selda Gunsel, vice president, Global Commercial Technology, Shell Lubricants. “The highly efficient and powerful engine technology used in IndyCar has presented Pennzoil with an opportunity to innovate and prove that our made-from-natural gas motor oils can make a difference on the track.”
Pennzoil will also celebrate the best mechanic in the series. Included in the partnership, Pennzoil will sponsor the IndyCar Chief Mechanic Award, which will provide $50,000 to the chief mechanic of the entry that wins the NTT IndyCar Series championship.